PALM DESERT, Calif. (Aug. 12, 2016) — AskPatty.com Inc., a website that provides advice and information on auto purchases and maintenance with a focus on women consumers, is partnering with CAARMO, a vehicle telematics company, to develop a tool that would connect drivers, cars and service providers in real-time.
The CAARMO service uses a telematics-enabled on-board diagnostics (OBD) device that plugs into the customer's car and monitors the vehicle for trouble codes and other messages.
The device links to a smartphone app and, if the vehicle generates a trouble code, a message is sent to the customer's phone, and to the service center, describing the error and what the code means, the companies said.
This communication provides the customer with an instant notification of what is causing the trouble and enables the service center to reach out to that customer to offer help.
Additional features include instant “vehicle health reports” for both consumer and service center, a running history of maintenance and repair visits, and the ability to send maintenance alerts, specials and other communications directly to customers via the smartphone app, according to the companies.