TECH

Waze co-founder launches car maintenance app
One of the biggest headaches of those who have a car is their maintenance. Few know the mechanics and electrical and electronic installations of the vehicle to the point of identifying the causes of a problem - or anticipating it. More distressing is finding a mechanic who conveys confidence and who, in the opinion of the consumer, covers a fair price."The mechanic can give a diagnosis that may not be the correct one," FORBES Brazil's Uri Levine told Videoconference from Israel. He is co-founder of the Waze location app and now Engie, a vehicle maintenance app that performs real-time diagnostics and bridges consumers and mechanics.Engie was founded in 2014 in Israel and is also available in the UK, USA, Spain and Mexico. The solution was launched on November 30 in Brazil, and is available on Android and iOS platforms. Over 20,000 downloads were made in the first week. In addition, according to Engie, 10,000 devices were purchased OBDII, small hardware that, connected to the electronic central of the car, sends the information via bluetooth to the user's smartphone. The price of the device is $ 59.90 for Android and $ 79.90 for iOS.More than 10,000 items can be checked in different parts of the car, such as engine operation, fuel consumption and the operation of the electric part (including battery condition). After identifying the problem, the application shows the driver a list of mechanics previously registered and evaluated. "He compares the price of the mechanics without having to go to them," Levine explains. This, he said, could lead to a reduction of up to 30% in maintenance cost.

Source: forbes.com