Has anyone tried networkcar? In brief it's an electronic module which seems to be attached to your car's on-board computer and has wireless communications capability, and provides a bunch of features like tracking your car, remote smog certification, and other stuff. The monthly price is reasonable ($9 or less /month), especially if it lets you skip paying for smog certification and gets you a discount on your car insurance. I don't yet know what the upfront cost is. Bill
Bill. I'm not so sure the State of California will allow us to overlook the mandated procurement of a smog certificate no matter what clever attachment we find in the market place. :wink: We should be so lucky. Whatshisname
You're not going to need to take a smog test for a while in California. All new cars are exempt for the first 4 years (unless you sell it as a private party). I believe there is a way to get the car into "diagnostic mode" to see what the error codes on the car are. I'd be curious to see if the fuel efficency monitoring works. I heard that CarChip can't monitor the Prius because their programming used the engine's RPM as a guide to when a trip started (once the RPMs went from 0 to whatever, the car had been started), but with the Prius cycling the engine on and off, it can't tell. Of course the biggest problem I can see for me is that the service is linked using Cingular ... there are some well known deadspots, including everywhere I seem to go in Los Angeles, I had to drop them because I just couldn't get a viable signal in my home, at work or at my most common hangouts.
Diane, they have an installation outlet in Carson, CA! Advanced Motorsport Solutions, LLC 1035 East Bedmar Street, Carson, CA 90746 (310)763-8000 [from their website] for your info, and maybe a field trip to get you away from the office for a while.... hope your vacations have been good for you!
