Mechanic Advisor - ODBII Connection Key

Summary

Founded in 2006, Mechanic Advisor had built a solid reviews business helping consumers find quality, local mechanics. By the fall of 2014, the company aimed to innovate by leveraging the open scanning port in vehicles manufactured after 1996 (ODBII). If you've ever had a mechanic "scan" your vehicle, they're connecting to the ODBII port. By developing the Mechanic Advisor Connection Key and the associated iOS app, significant knowledge could be put into the hands of consumers. The key itself, a hardware device that included ODBII scanning and Bluetooth capabilities, was designed and produced by other vendors.

Core Tools

• Customer journey maps
• Wireframes (Axure)
• Prototypes (Axure)
• User stories (index cards and Basecamp documentation)
• Functional application flows (Omnigraffle)

Problems

Due to the lack of easy-to-understand documentation and the increasing technical complexity of modern vehicles, consumers are often at a significant disadvantage when discussing vehicle problems with mechanics. Does the "Check Engine" light indicate a critical malfunction or something trivial like a loose gas cap? How does the consumer feel when paying over $100 to find out the issue is merely the latter? Furthermore, common maintenance tasks (oil changes, tire rotations, brake inspections) are often neglected, compromising safety and vehicle longevity. We sought to develop a system that would alert consumers with appropriately emphatic warnings regarding both ad hoc problems and scheduled maintenance tasks.

Solutions

The Connection Key and associated iOS app address these problems by creating a mobile application environment that maintains constant contact with the vehicle whenever it is turned on and in range via Bluetooth LE.

ODBII Codes

ODBII codes number in the tens of thousands and often differ by manufacturer. Once a comprehensive vehicle catalog database was built from freely available documentation, significant value could be delivered to users. For Mechanic Advisor, this meant cataloging the codes, assigning severity levels, and building an interface that alerts users in real-time when a code is generated by the vehicle.

Maintenance Awareness

In addition to reporting ODBII codes, the Connection Key continuously monitors the vehicle's odometer mileage. Using this data, we created interfaces that alert consumers to upcoming maintenance tasks, which, if addressed timely, extend the vehicle's life. The system also measures and reports battery voltage, adding another layer of preventive maintenance awareness.

2024 Update

Note: As of this writing in 2024, it appears that Mechanic Advisor no longer supports this ODBCII key.