Use a car's activity, notes, and photos when you need to understand the vehicle's history before taking the next step.

This guide shows you where to look, what each section means, and how to use the information without confusing internal notes with customer-facing updates.

What you will accomplish

You will read the car's timeline, internal notes, and photos so you can answer customer questions or plan the next step without guessing.

Expected outcome: You know what work already happened, what is still scheduled, what your team wrote down internally, and which photos belong to which event.

When to use this guide

Use these steps when:

• A customer asks what happened during a recent inspection, intake, pickup, or delivery.
• A teammate needs context before moving, servicing, or releasing a car.
• You want to check whether photos or notes were added during an event.
• You need to see whether a car has upcoming or previous work.

Before you start

• Open the correct car from Cars.
• If you are not sure which car to open, use Find and filter cars.
• Remember that notes may be internal. Do not copy internal notes to a customer unless your team has confirmed they are appropriate to share.

Read the Activity Feed

The Activity Feed is the car's timeline. It helps your team answer, "What has happened with this car?"

On wide screens, the Activity Feed appears on the right side of the car detail page. On smaller screens, scroll down past Vehicle Details to find it.

1. Open the car record

   Go to Cars and click View on the vehicle.

   Expected result: The car detail page loads with Activity Feed visible on the right or below the main details.

2. Find the Activity Feed card

   Look for the card titled Activity Feed with the subtitle "All vehicle activity in one place."

3. Review each row

   Each row may show:

   • The event name (for example, dealer service, internal service, or vehicle transport)
   • The date or time
   • The status (scheduled, in progress, or complete)
   • Short summaries such as parking changes, listing updates, or completed work

   Read the newest rows first when you need a quick answer about recent work.

   Why this matters: Status labels tell you whether work is still planned, happening now, or already finished. Do not tell a customer a job is done if the row still says Scheduled or In progress.

4. Open the event if you need more detail

   Click an activity row when you need the full story — every photo, reading, signature, and checklist answer from that session.

   Expected outcome: A detail window or page opens. You can see the scheduled time, assigned staff, vehicle, customer, status, and any notes tied to that event.

   Why this matters: The feed shows a short summary. The event detail shows everything your team captured during that visit.

5. View all activity when the list is long

   If many events exist, click View all or View more activity at the bottom of the feed to see the full history in one place.

   Expected result: A larger list opens with search and filters so you can scroll through every parking move, service visit, and listing change for this car.

Understand activity status

Statuses tell you where an event stands. Look at the label on each row before you promise a customer that work is finished.

Review internal notes

Notes help teammates share context without relying on memory.

1. Find Notes

   Below the Activity Feed card, look for the Notes card with the subtitle "Internal notes and comments."

2. Read the newest notes first

   Notes usually show the most recent context near the top. Read enough history to understand the current situation.

3. Click Add note when you need to record context

   Click Add note. A window opens where you can type your message and choose who can see it.

   Why this matters: Notes stay on the car record for your team. They are not automatically sent to the customer unless you choose Customer visible.

4. Choose who can see the note

   At the top of the note window, pick one option:

   • Customer visible — the customer can see this note in their portal (use only for information you are comfortable sharing).
   • Internal only — only your staff see the note (default for shop talk, pricing, or sensitive details).

   Expected result: The toggle shows which option is selected before you save.

5. Save the note

   Type your note, then save it. Confirm the new note appears in the Notes list with today's date.

   Expected outcome: The next teammate who opens this car sees your note—and the customer sees it too only if you picked Customer visible.

Write useful notes

Good notes help the next teammate take action.

• Write what matters for the next step, not every small detail.
• Use clear names and dates when helpful.
• Explain special handling instructions, customer preferences, or follow-up needs.
• Keep the tone professional, even for internal notes.

Review photos

Photos appear when they were captured during a session (such as intake or inspection) or added to the car record another way.

1. Look for Latest Photos

   Inside the Vehicle Details section, scroll until you see Latest Photos. If the car has recent images, you will see small thumbnails with a count of how many came from the most recent activity.

2. Open a photo to inspect it

   Click a thumbnail to open a larger view. Use this when a customer asks about condition, when you need to verify a VIN or odometer photo, or when you are comparing before-and-after damage.

3. Check the related event when needed

   If you need to know why a photo was taken, open the related row in the Activity Feed. The session page shows every photo from that event in order.

   Expected outcome: You can answer customer questions with confidence because you saw the actual images tied to the work.

What success looks like

After reviewing activity, notes, and photos:

• You understand the most recent work or upcoming work for the car.
• You know whether there are internal notes your team should consider.
• You can find photos or know why none are available.
• You can take the next step with more confidence.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not assume a note was sent to the customer. Check whether the note was saved as Customer visible or Internal only.
• Do not rely on memory when a note should be added. If the next teammate needs to know it, write it down.
• Do not treat an unfinished session as complete. Check the status before promising a customer that work is done.
• Do not share photos outside your team unless your facility's policy allows it.

Troubleshooting

What to do next

• If details on the record are wrong, fix them with View and edit vehicle details.
• If the car needs new work, use Start a car session.
• If the car moved since the last note, update the spot with Move a car.
• To see the same event on the facility calendar, open Schedule.