Automatic Link available at Apple retail stores and online

I'm in.

 

Bribes??? Tony!!!

 

Darn nice review.

 

When I entered the Automatic website to find out if the prius C is supported, it shows it is but the info it can provide is already built into the C intelligent display anyways. Perhaps Automatic is useful to find the car when parked, call 911 in case of emergency, or check CEL codes. I maintain my wife's car, a 2004 MBZ C240 and the CEL code feature would have been nice but turns out Automatic does not support that vehicle so for $100 is not worth it for me at this time.

 

Here's a review of it I'm working on:


This is a great idea and there is a lot of potential here however the product is not quite 'there' yet.

The install process for me was a bit kludgy and I had to re-insert the device to my car OBD II port a few times before it could be recognized by the app. Then, it still would not work right until I restarted my iPhone. Further, in the app, there is supposed to be a crash report feature where you can set it up to notify someone of your choosing in case of an accident, however that feature is no where to be found within the app!

This app will read any fault codes output by your vehicle and tell you what is wrong. It will also let you turn off the 'check engine' light. I have not had any car trouble yet so I haven't had a chance to try this aspect of the device and app.

One feature that is very clearly missing from the app however is the ability to use it as a standard OBD II terminal for advanced programming of vehicle options. My Toyota Prius for example, allows one to program disabling of reverse beeping by entering in some coding when connected to the OBD II port using a text terminal. But, Automatic doesn't allow for this functionality.

I believe this platform has a lot of potential for improvement and am excited to see that they (and third party developers) are able to accomplish with it in the future. I would like display of more real time engine information like RPM, temperature, etc. As it is now, the app is basically meant to not display anything while you drive and only calculates a report for you after you turn off the car.

And because of the fact that my car already gives me most all of the MPG and driving feedback built-in, this add on is not as useful to me than it would be to someone who has a car that doesn't already have these features built-in.