With your busy schedule it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of everything you have to do in life, especially when it comes to little things like maintenance. So you might not remember that you’re due for an oil change until a light suddenly pops up on your dashboard or your engine starts to smoke. Does anyone really remember to mark their upcoming services on the calendar at 3-month intervals or track the mileage to make sure they don’t exceed 3,000 miles between oil changes? No, most people wait for a phone call from the mechanic to remind them (or disaster to strike). However, there is one eminently easy way to track all the maintenance your car requires without relying on Scotty down at the auto shop to buzz you with a reminder. And it starts with downloading the Car Minder Plus application.

This app has a lot more to recommend it than a simple schedule with reminders for upcoming services. Consider for a moment how most people track maintenance. If you’re a really good record-keeper you might actually have a file folder stuffed with a giant stack of papers of your car’s service history. But most people just throw these away. So what happens when you blow a tire and get towed to the nearest shop? Do you know when or where you purchased your tires or whether they’re under warranty? For many drivers the answer is no on all counts, meaning you could be spending more than you need to for basic repairs. But with Car Minder Plus you’ll have all the information you need right at your fingertips.

Not only can you input dates of maintenance as a way to populate future service schedules, but you can also enter data into the repair log so that you always know exactly what was done. This makes it easy to find out when you last had your fluids changed, how long it has been since your tires were rotated, and which parts got replaced after that nasty accident last year. With a comprehensive log for maintenance and repairs on call wherever you find yourself, you’ll always be sure that you’re not paying for unnecessary service. And of course, it’s nice to get instant notifications when you’re due for a service so you have one less thing to try to remember.

But there’s even more. This app not only offers reminders, but also helps you to mind your car. For example, you can use the “gas log” feature to input your car’s fuel consumption (in miles per gallon or liters per kilometer) to track performance and graph fuel economy. You can also email reports to yourself, although every time you sync with iTunes on your computer your data will be backed up, as well. And you can use this handy app to track multiple vehicles, making it ideal for households with more than one driver. It may not be able to give you automobile insurance quotes or help you calculate a way to pay off your car loan faster, but Car Minder Plus will get you on track with maintenance and repairs so you can keep your car in ship-shape.

Editor’s Note

Thanks to Evan Fischer for this guest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.

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