> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Set up vehicle service plans
> Create recurring vehicle care plans so staff can track the services included in each storage or membership level.
Use this guide when your facility offers **recurring care** for stored vehicles.
A **service plan** is a named package of work that repeats on a schedule. For example, a **Premium Care Plan** might include an internal service every month, a dealer service every quarter, and a yearly condition review.
When plans are set up well, staff know what care a car should receive, and customers understand what their storage tier includes.
For a shorter guide focused on the **Service plans** section on [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events), read [Set up service plans](/docs/events/set-up-service-plans).
## What you will accomplish
* Create at least one service plan with a clear name, description, and repeating plan items.
* Assign the plan to vehicles on [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars).
* Confirm upcoming care appears on [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule).
* Know how to edit, deactivate, or archive a plan when your packages change.
## When to use a service plan
Use a service plan when:
* A storage tier includes repeating maintenance or inspections.
* Your team tracks monthly washes, battery checks, or fluid top-offs as part of membership.
* You want one label on a car record that explains all included recurring work.
Do **not** use a service plan for a one-time charge. Use [Create an invoice](/docs/payments/create-an-invoice) or [Manage recurring billing](/docs/payments/manage-recurring-billing) for money that repeats on a bill.
## Before you start
* You should be signed in as a team admin or manager.
* Open [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events) and find **Service plans**.
* Confirm services exist in [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events) (for example **Internal Service**, **Dealer Service**, **New Car Intake**).
* Decide the plan name customers and staff will recognize (for example **Basic Storage Check** or **Premium Care Plan**).
* If the plan ties to a paid membership price, review [Connect payment processing](/docs/settings/connect-payment-processing) first.
**Event types come first**
Each plan item must point to a **service**. If the service does not exist yet, create it under [Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events) before adding plan items.
## Open the Service plans section
Service plans are managed on **Services & schedule** — not on Operations — even though they describe recurring vehicle care.
Go to [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events).
Scroll down until you see **Service plans** and the dashed **Add a service plan** card.
**Expected result:** You see existing plans, or the add card if this is your first plan.
*Find **Service plans** on [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events). Click **Add a service plan** to create a recurring care package.*
## Create a service plan
Remain on [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events) in the **Service plans** section.
Click **Add a service plan**.
A window titled **Create service plan** opens.
**Expected result:** You see fields for name, description, active switch, optional linked price, and plan items.
In **Name**, type a short label staff will recognize on car records.
Good examples:
* **Basic Storage Check**
* **Premium Care Plan**
* **Climate Storage Plus**
**Why this matters:** The same name may appear when staff assign care to a vehicle.
In **Description (optional)**, write one sentence about what is included.
Example: **Monthly internal service, quarterly dealer service, and yearly intake inspection.**
**Expected result:** A new teammate can read the description and understand the plan without asking.
Leave **Active** on if staff should assign this plan to cars now.
Turn **Active** off while you are still drafting. Inactive plans cannot be assigned to new vehicles.
In **Plan items**, click **Add item**.
For each item, set:
* **Event type** — the kind of work (pick from your event types list).
* **Recurring schedule** — same options as the [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule) calendar (weekly, monthly, and so on). Leave **Until** empty for no end date.
* **Default start time** and **Duration** — when the first occurrence should appear on the calendar.
Example: **Internal Service**, repeats **monthly**, starts at **9:00 AM** for **60** minutes.
Click **Add item** again for each additional repeating task.
**Why this matters:** Each row is one kind of work that repeats on its own schedule. A premium plan might need three rows (monthly wash, quarterly dealer visit, yearly inspection).
Click **Save** at the bottom of the window.
**Expected result:** The plan appears in the service plans table with the item count and active status.
*Each plan item connects an event type to a repeat schedule (for example, internal service every month).*
*In **Plan items**, each row is one repeating task. Pick the **Event type**, set how often it repeats, then choose a **Default start time** and **Duration** so work appears on [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule).*
*After you click **Save**, your plan appears in the **Service plans** table on [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events).*
## Example plan items
A **Premium Care Plan** might include:
* **Internal Service** — every **1** **Month(s)**
* **Dealer Service** — every **1** **Quarter(s)**
* **New Car Intake** — every **1** **Year(s)** (yearly condition review)
A **Basic Storage Check** might include only one monthly internal service. Start simple; you can add items later.
## Link a plan to billing (optional)
If customers pay for a membership tier that includes recurring care, your admin can connect a **linked price** on the service plan.
Complete [Connect payment processing](/docs/settings/connect-payment-processing) and create products in [Manage products and services](/docs/payments/manage-products-and-services).
On [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events), open **Service plans** and click **Edit** on the plan.
If your team uses linked prices, select the product price that matches this care package.
**Expected result:** When a customer subscribes to that price, the matching plan can apply to their vehicle automatically.
If you do not see linked prices, you can still assign plans manually on each car record.
## Assign a service plan to a vehicle
Creating the plan does not automatically attach it to cars. Assign it on each vehicle that should receive that care.
Go to [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars).
Click the vehicle row, then choose **View** (or open the car from search).
Scroll to the area labeled **Service plan** (or service plans) on the vehicle detail page.
Select the plan from the list. Set the **start date** when recurring care should begin (often the storage start date).
Save your changes on the car record.
**Expected result:** The car shows which plan is active and when care started. The facility [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule) shows upcoming recurring appointments for that vehicle (like Google Calendar). Link a recurring [product](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/payments/products) to the plan to auto-apply when a subscription is tied to a car.
Open [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule) and look one to two weeks ahead for that vehicle.
**Expected result:** You see repeating appointments that match the plan items (for example, monthly internal service on the day you chose).
If nothing appears, check that the plan is **Active**, the car has a start date, and each plan item has a valid event type.
*Assign the plan on the car record so your team knows which recurring care package applies to that vehicle.*
## Edit or archive a service plan
Go to [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events) and scroll to **Service plans**.
Click **Edit** on the plan you want to change. Update the name, description, items, active switch, or linked price. Click **Save**.
Click **Archive** when the plan should no longer be assigned to new cars.
**Why this matters:** Archiving keeps history for cars that already used the plan while hiding it from new assignments.
## Helpful tips
Start with the plan your team uses most often. A simple plan everyone understands beats a complex plan nobody assigns.
Use customer-friendly names if customers may see the plan in the portal or on paperwork. Use the description field to explain work in plain English.
After assigning a plan to a few cars, open [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule) and confirm upcoming work looks correct.
## Troubleshooting
**Add item is disabled**
You may have no active services. Go to [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events), create or activate the service, then try again.
**I do not see a linked price**
Linked prices only appear when payment setup is complete and products have prices. You can still create and assign plans without a price.
**The plan does not show on the car**
Check that the plan is **Active**. Open the car record, refresh the page, and confirm you saved the service plan assignment and start date.
**Staff scheduled the wrong repeating work**
Edit the plan items on [Settings > Services & schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/events). Cars already assigned keep the plan name; review upcoming schedule entries after you change items.
## What to do next
* For recurring care from the Events docs path, see [Set up service plans](/docs/events/set-up-service-plans).
* Assign plans to other vehicles from [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars).
* If intake or pickup needs a checklist, set up [Create operations workflows](/docs/settings/create-operations-workflows).
* For parking layout, continue with [Set up parking spots and zones](/docs/parking-spots/set-up-parking-spots-and-zones).
* Return to [Configure operations settings](/docs/settings/configure-operations-settings) for the full Operations overview.
## Related topics
- [Set up service plans](/docs/events/set-up-service-plans.md)
- [Assign service plans on a vehicle](/docs/cars/assign-service-plans-on-a-vehicle.md)
- [Configure services and schedule settings](/docs/settings/configure-events-and-schedule-settings.md)
- [Understand tentative and service plan events](/docs/schedule/understand-tentative-and-service-plan-events.md)
- [View and edit vehicle details](/docs/cars/view-and-edit-vehicle-details.md)
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