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Pitstop

Available at: amazon.ca

Price: $49.99

You finally took the car in to have a funny noise looked at but the five-page bill at the end of the service was not very funny at all. You didn’t see the repairs coming and for that matter, didn’t know there was that big of a problem. However, if you had the technology to scan your vehicle’s health data, maybe you’d have been more proactive.

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Pitstop is available for $49.99 at Amazon.ca.Joanne Elves/Joanne Elves

Pitstop is a Canadian on-board diagnostic (OBD) creation that recently won awards for the innovative technology packed into the device and the app. Plug the device directly into the vehicle’s computer system mount under the dash, fill in the information on your Android or Apple smartphone and Pitstop does the work.

The proactive virtual technician records the data in the computer and notifies you of potential problems, oil change warnings, part failures and even part recalls. It suggests what maintenance is needed and will even help you set up an appointment with your service technician. The folks at Pitstop suggest this preventative approach could save billions of dollars of repairs due to unnecessary breakdowns. That is, as long as you respond to the notices the app sends you. Learn more about Pitstop at pitstopconnect.com.

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