Automatic
When I was growing up it was all about learning how to drive a stick…or a manual transmission. Learning how to let the clutch out at the right time and trying not to blow the transmission away in the process. Now, it’s hard to find a manual and even worse, some models are having it discontinued all together.
So when I heard about a new product being produced for the automobile called Automatic, I figured it was about the transmission. But it’s really much more then that, as I will explain.
What is it?
Automatic is a small electronic data device (or dongle) that has built in Bluetooth and plugs into your automobiles OBD II Data Port. This port in all vehicles made past 1995 and is located on the drivers left side under the dash near the brake-hood release area. The port is there to allow mechanics, smog testers, enthusiasts and others to pull vehicle data like speed, check engine light codes, MPG data and much much more to see what your auto is doing.
It’s lightweight, easy to install and it’s self-configuring thanks to the app that you install on your iPhone 4S or 5 series phone. (Android is coming soon!)
Other then providing an interface between the car and the system, the true magic comes from what the device does with the data and how it syncs that up with the Automatic app on your smart phone.
Application
Once you have the app installed on your phone, turn on your Bluetooth and then fire up the Automatic application. The app will walk you through a simple setup procedure and then you are ready to begin.
As you can see in the above gallery, thanks to the OBD II data, it reads the VIN or Vehicle Identification Number of your car, and then looks up what kind of car you have, and stores it into a personal profile. If you move your Automatic device from one car to another, or have multiple Automatic devices, the app will keep them all together.
So your probably wondering, what now? Well, drive as you normally do! What Automatic does is track your driving data based on both auto and GPS data from your phone. Then it gives you feedback on how you drive in the app.
Are you a lead foot after a stop light? It can warn you that you are burning too much fuel. Are you a speeder? It can warn you if you are going over 10 miles over the limit, for example.
It will track your start and end points….ahem….Automatically! It does this by detecting when you turn the car on….and then when you get to your destination and turn off the vehicle.
At the end of it…if you have a lead foot or you are aggressive off the line, it will lower what they call a “driver score”. The higher the score, the better driver you are at being efficient at driving, and if you have a lower score, it will give you helpful tips on how to become a better driver and improving your gas mileage….which of course means more money back in your pocket.
Engine Codes and Help
Remember how I told you the OBD II data can also give you trouble codes? Well, if your car generates a “Check Engine” light, Automatic can you tell you what it means! So this way you can see if it’s something you can fix or replace on your own or if you have to take it in to the mechanic right away.
Thankfully I don’t have any codes, so I placed an example of one above, but as you can see, it’s quite informative!
Crash Alert
Finally, one of the features I didn’t test (thankfully) is something called “Crash Alert”.
Upon setup of the app, it will ask you for three people you would like the app to text and notify incase your in an accident (via text). The way it works is based on GPS and car data, it knows if all of a sudden you are involved in a serious crash (based on Air Bag deployment), very sudden breaking, sudden speed decrease with out braking, etc.
It will then contact your list of people to let them know your location and that you need assistance via text.
Like I said, I’m glad I didn’t have to test this function, but it’s a nice added piece of security to have on a unique application like this.
Conclusion
For someone who is like me who is obsessed with data and knowing what my car is doing and trying to make sure I’m maximizing fuel economy, this is a great device! Just for the “Check Engine” code reading alone is worth it to me, but it provides much much more then that.
It will also help you by providing useful data to improve your fuel economy and how you drive your car.
Lastly, it will give you a layer of assistance incase a really bad accident happens. (But, hopefully you will never need to use that feature.)
Totally worth it if your car supports it and you can head over to the Automatic web site to check their vehicle database and then pick it up if you’re interested!
Automatic is $ 99.99 and can be purchased on their site or on Amazon via our Affiliate Link.