Hi,
I've been thinking I'd like to be able to collect more data about my driving, wondered how useful anyone else thought these data points might be...
Average speed as given by trip computer, I've been collecting this info for ages and it'd be nice to be able to see how many hours I've spent behind the wheel. It can also be compared against the mpg as it will indicate roughly the proportion of motorway vs urban driving.
Average MPG as given by trip computer, just so we can see how far off the car's estimate is. And we could find out which manufacturers were more accurate.
There's been a collection point for tyre pressure, but only 1. All the cars I've ever owned have different pressures for the front and rear, can we have 2 boxes?
Tyre wear, this one's a little complicated maybe. But being able to mark when brand new tyres were fitted, to which axle, and the make and model of tyre could be invaluable. You could label each purchase of tyres with a number, then if you move that tyre from the rear to the front when you buy the next pair you'd be able to track the total mileage of the tyre and how many miles it was on the back and then the front. Something like.. Front-1,Rear-1;Front-1,Rear-2;Front-2;Rear-3;Front-3,Rear-4;Front-5,Rear-5 etc etc. If you could also collect the cost of the tyres, you'd get another data point for cost of motoring. Numbering the tyres should also enable you to include summer/winter tyres, as you recycled through them over the years, thinking of north European countries where it's mandatory.
Servicing / Maintenance costs included with the following fuel-up. Tick boxes for Minor/Major service, cam belt, water pump, brake pads and discs, clutch and DMF, routine stuff. MOT, smog, ITV, HU, etc.
Then we'd be able to see how long a clutch actually lasted in various vehicles, and what the average cost to have it replaced was! Having just spent £1400 on a clutch, DMF, cam belt, drive belt, water pump, and rear brake pads, it'd be interesting to know how that price compared.
I'm on a roll now
Car insurance cost? Road tax. Car wash!!
With all the maintenance, fuel, insurance and tyre costs collected, we could then know just how expensive owning our cars is!! Ooh. Initial purchase price and then final sale price, or deposit and monthly payment? TCO of your vehicle.
Obviously some of that info you may not want to make public, but for personal use? And maybe as anonymized data you'd be able to compare different vehicles on TCO info, is it cheaper to run a diesel vs a petrol, is it cheaper to buy new or second hand. Which cars eat tyres quicker than others, which tyres are more durable than others.
You could then have a counter that showed you current total cost per mile and compare it with others to see just how expensive your car was compared to everyone else's.
If this makes the input screen too complicated, you could have an advanced page, maybe when you're editing the info you've put in on the fuel-up page. Then just those people that want to fully geek out can spend the extra time filling everything in.
Is my obsessive-nous showing?
Spoonfed
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