Imagine driving down a highway when you see the “Check engine light” is on.
After pulling into a rest stop, you then diagnose the problem from your phone, in this case an app called Automatic reports that an air flow sensor may be malfunctioning. You then decide whether to drive on and set up an appointment with your mechanic, or call a tow truck right away.
These helpful apps are become more common. Apps like Automatic plug into your vehicle and use the data that is being collected by your car’s computer to put you in the know about your car’s performance. These apps are aimed at young drivers, those that drive for business, and those that just want to know how their car (and driving) is.
Here are some of the Apps currently available through Automatic:
· YourMechanic: Want a mechanic sent to you when your car needs it? This app and Automatic team up to monitor issues with your vehicle. You get push notifications from mechanics in your area when issues with your car arise. When major issues arise, you will also get an estimate on cost to fix it.
· unMooch: This is a carpool’s dream. The app tracks mileage for trips and allows you to charge a price per mile and split the cost of a trip with those in your vehicle. The app uses Venmo to exchange payments. Also great for those long trips with friends.
· Nest: If you have this app to automate your thermostat you already know how great it can be. Now Automatic allows you to track with your car activity. You can tell Nest to turn your heat up as you leave your office every day and other variations to better automate the temperature for your arrival.
· License+: This app helps coach teens through their first solo driving experiences on the road. The teen driver selects a coach who has access to data that includes: speeding, hard braking, smooth acceleration and more.
Automatic is not the only company that is expanding the app market for your vehicle. All over the app store for iPhones and Androids you will find apps that help with things like maintenance monitoring, carpool finding, and accident witnesses.
Check out some other apps on the market to help with all your car needs:
· RepairPal: Is your one-stop repair needs app. It can help you with roadside assistance, price mechanics in the area, find a shop nearby, and even track your repairs once your car is in the shop.
· Witness Driving: This app turns your phone into a dash cam with the help of an iPhone dash mount. This can help in the event of accidents, serving as a witness for what happened by using the video-recording, accelerometer and GPS capability to capture accident data.
· CarMinder: This is the app the Seinfeld gang wish they had in that parking garage episode. Simply drop a market where you parked and then this tool will capture your location and give you your route back to your car later.
· aCar: This is an Android app that does it all. It helps track fuel mileage, tracks trips, and can help track maintenance. Aside from tracking fuel costs you can also track parking and maintenance costs for an overall expense view.
· Carticipate: Are you a commuter? Carticipate is an app aimed at creating a social network to allow fellow commuters to find people to ride with. A great way to secure a carpool partner or group or even to find someone to ride with last minute.
In addition to all of the great apps out there, there are also devices you can install in your car that can help you monitor and track your driving. These are perfect for those old-school drivers who don’t have a smartphone yet and those people that would prefer to use a device instead.
What are you using to monitor your driving? How do you see Apps and devices like those above teaming up with car insurance companies to (hopefully) help with your rates, accidents, and more? Use the comments field below to share your favorite apps or tell us about them on InsuraMatch’s Facebook page or @InsuraMatch on Twitter.