AA app will predict breakdowns before they happen
New app also helps breakdown organisation tailor its services and can track vehicles if they are stolen.
Roadside assistance organisation the AA is launching a mobile app that can predict breakdowns before they happen.
The new Car Genie app uses a transmitter that can be plugged into the car’s on-board diagnostics port by the member, read emissions and engine fault codes, then feed the data back to both the AA and the driver. This means that minor faults can be dealt with before a breakdown occurs.
For example, the system will show members their battery status, which the organisation hopes will help reduce the number of callouts for flat batteries, as members will know that the car just needs a jump start and a long run to bring it back up to full power.
The AA’s connected car manager, Gareth Adams, explained other situations in which the system can reduce the need for callouts.
“When there is a breakdown, the technical helpdesk can contact the member and advise them that, for example, it’s just an oxygen sensor that’s turned the warning light on and it’s safe to drive,” he said.
According to the AA, the system will also read other engine and emission codes, such as diesel particulate filter faults, and alert drivers that the filter will need regenerating to prevent a breakdown.
The AA tested the system with 10,000 members over a year-long period and found that common faults included issues with the exhaust gas recirculation valve, mass airflow sensor and ignition coil. All three are more complex and more serious issues than oxygen sensor and diesel particulate filter faults, but the AA claims that telling workshops exactly what part is required means the work can be done more quickly and at less expense to the customer.
As well as helping the AA predict breakdowns, the system will also help the recovery service make better decisions regarding how best to assist with the incident.
“It means we can deploy patrols more quickly and with more suitable resource,” said Adams. “For example, if we knew a breakdown couldn’t be repaired at the side of the road, we could send a recovery truck in the first instance so the member wouldn’t have to be waiting for one resource, then another.”
As well as offering support for breakdowns, the new app will provide GPS tracking that can locate a car if it is stolen, as well as a driving style monitor that helps members improve their fuel economy.
The Car Genie app will launch in May and costs £29 on top of the annual AA membership fee.
