Every driving school has had this Monday: instructor arrives, turns the key, the car coughs and dies. The morning batch sits on plastic chairs while the owner calls every workshop in the area. By the time the car is back, six lessons are lost and at least two students have already decided to switch schools.
This piece is the maintenance calendar our best-run partner schools follow. The schools that adopted it cut unplanned downtime by roughly 70% in the first year.
The weekly check (every Sunday, 15 minutes per car)
- Tyre pressure (all four + spare).
- Engine oil level.
- Coolant level.
- Wiper fluid.
- All lights — headlights, brake, indicator, reverse.
- Horn, AC and seat-belt locks.
Log who did the check in Driving Sathi. Pattern of skipped Sundays = problem instructor.
Every 2,500 km (or monthly, whichever first)
- Tyre rotation.
- Brake pad visual inspection.
- Wash + interior clean (students notice).
Every 5,000 km
- Engine oil + filter change.
- Air filter inspection (Kathmandu dust shortens its life dramatically).
Every 15,000 km
- Transmission oil.
- Brake fluid.
- Spark plugs.
- Battery health test.
Annual
- Suspension full check.
- AC re-gas.
- Clutch assessment.
- Insurance renewal.
- Pollution check.
The hidden saver: utilization tracking
The schools that beat the average cost-per-km do one extra thing: they track which instructor drives which car. Aggressive starts and hard braking show up as 25–40% faster wear. Rotate instructors across cars and the wear evens out.
The Driving Sathi maintenance log
Every car has a maintenance card. Each entry captures: date, km reading, work done, cost, vendor. After three months you have a per-car total cost of ownership. After a year you know which model to buy next.
Book a demo and ask to see the vehicle module — bring your fleet list, we will pre-populate it during the call.