RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Spiffy is moving beyond mobile car maintenance such as car washes and oil changes to providing a new device that serves as a “fitness tracker” for vehicles. The move also takes Spiffy national with sales via online, expanding it far beyond a footprint of five metro areas, and provides a new revenue stream.
Spiffy Blue app
Called Spiffy Blue, the new offering includes a Bluetooth-enabled device that serves as an on-board diagnostics sensor and provide customers with data through a mobile app. Selling for less than $50, Spiffy Blue plugs into the on-board diagnostics port, or OBD-II, of vehicles manufactured since 1996.
Spiffy Blue is designed to interpret information that triggers such warnings as “Check Engine” and inform vehicle owners without having to consult a mechanic.
“Knowing exactly what you need when you go to the shop puts the power back your hands,” Spiffy says. “You can work with service providers to ensure the right services are performed at a fair price.”
- More coverage: The back story behind how Scot Wingo turns a startup into a national car maintenance player.
The sensor, which CEO and investor Scot Wingo says is made in China, is touted by Spiffy as an “on-board diagnostics sensor that puts you in control, not your check engine light.”
Wingo explains: “Today’s cars are extremely complex. While most consumers don’t have the time or mechanical sophistication to ‘do it yourself’, they want to feel confident when they take their cars to the shop, Sonce 1996, every car in the US has been required to have an on-board diagnostics port, or OBD-II port, but up until recently only professionals had access to scanning technology.”
No longer.
Spiffy Blue can be ordered at Amazon.com and eBay.
The free app is available for Apple iOS & Android.
