Write Vehicle Concerns Technicians Can Actually Use

“Check noise” records a topic, but loses most of the conversation. Which noise did the customer mean? When did they notice it? Did someone at the shop hear it, or is the note describing only what the customer reported?

An intake note should preserve information for the next person. It should not turn a customer's explanation into a diagnosis. A useful structure separates the customer's words, remembered circumstances, prior work, and direct shop observations. These are different kinds of information, even when they concern the same vehicle.