Indianapolis—
A new device promises to help drivers can track and analyze their driving. It also promises to help owners diagnose car troubles. CarCheckup is even smaller than most cell phones.Jennifer Funkhouser came up with the money saving device while at an Indiana University Business Meets Technology class. CarCheckup provides consumers with a personal pit crew that fits in the palm of their hand.
"You just take the device and just plug it directly into your OBII port which is required on all 1996 or newer vehicles. You plug it right into the port that is generally hidden just a bit under and to the left of the steering wheel, behind a plastic fuse cover," said Jennifer Funkhouse, CarCheckup CEO & Co-founder.
That's how the device connects to the brain of the car and records pretty much everything. Parents can even use it to monitor their teens' driving performance.
Carcheckup also records accleration and braking. According to the EPA, hard acceleration and braking can account for a 20% decrease in fuel economy. That equals hundreds or even thousands of dollars in gas that is wasted each year.
"It's a big money saver that can easily pay for the $150 price tag. First, it can help you save fuel because you can analyze your driving. You can also use it to easily track and deduct business mileage from your taxes," said Jim Hoff, CarCheckup Spokesman.
For example, if you drive 70 miles per week for business, you can get an $1,800 tax credit.
When you want all of the recorded information, simply turn off the car, wait for the green light on the device, unplug it, and then plug it into your computer at home. The device even has a built-in USB arm, so no cables are needed! After it's plugged into the computer, just log onto your account and download the data. You can even label the information for business purposes and then save it.
Another helpful aspect of the deivce is that it will give you the code and mechanic's explanation when your car's check engine light pops up. It will also given you the human translation. For example, the P0440 code, better known as the "Evaporative Control System Malfunction", may simply mean your gas cap is not on tight enough, so you give it another twist after reading the device.
"We actually had an ASE certified master technician go through the codes and we said, explain them like you would to your grandmother, don't use any of the mechanics jargon, just tell us what is going on," Funkhouser said.
CarCheckup comes with a one year subscription for one vehicle. Additional subscriptions can be purchased for $25 per year with a 30-day money back guarantee. It’s available for purchase online.
Right now, the device only works with a PC, not a Mac, but the creators said they're working at changing that. It works with all vehicles except hybrid and Subaru vehicles.
