New MySmartCar(TM) Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign Strives to Make It Easy for Chevy, Chrysler and Ford Drivers to Use Android & iPhones to Diagnose Car Problems and Control In-Car Networks

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 7, 2014) - A new startup, based in Silicon Valley, announced its plans to develop a new automotive app called MySmartCar, which is designed for average drivers with absolutely no mechanical knowledge of diagnosing auto problems or working on cars. To fund the development, the engineering team launched a MySmartCar Smartphone App Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

The new MySmartPhone App will enable drivers to view the intricate details of their automobile's operation by analyzing the OBD-II and non-standard PID codes generated by their auto's on-board computer. These are the same codes that auto mechanics read when drivers take their car in when the Check Engine light comes on or when they take their car in for yearly state inspections.

"The difference between our advanced MySmartCar Smartphone app, and other OBD-II, cable-based readers is that we plan to go way beyond what is currently available in the marketplace," said Victor Nguyen, MySmartCar App's inventor and co-founder. "Today's smart cars now produce advanced non-standard PIDs, which are much more advanced that OBD-II Codes. They allow drivers to control everything that is attached to the in-car network such as touch screen dashboards, telematics or movie selection/sound volumes for backseat electronic amenities via their Smartphone."

"The reason that most developers stop at low-level OBD-II codes are the expensive licensing fees charged to utilize the advanced PID codes, which can cost up to $50,000 for one brand such as Chevrolet/GM," added Nagaraj Hedge, MySmartCar's Software Engineer. "As soon as we raise enough money to buy one license, we can finish developing our entire app line and begin selling it."

Many low-level code readers have been introduced over the years that allow mechanics to read what codes are causing problems, but they require bulky machines and a wire cable that has to be physically plugged into the car's OBD computer port. Mechanics then look up the code in an ASE code book to interpret what the codes meant.

The problem with this process is that drivers never know what was causing their check engine light to come on. Mechanics are free to take advantage of consumers because drivers have no way to know what is wrong with their car, but not anymore. The MySmartCar app will make it very easy for anyone to understand and control a wide variety of vehicle information before going to see a mechanic.

Any blog, print or broadcast media outlet that runs a story of Indiegogo's profile at www.indiegogo.com/projects/mysmartcar-the-ultimate-obd-ii-car-app and sends us the link to the story will qualify for a single MySmartCar App, one Bluetooth OBD/PID transmitter, and one key chain finder tag due out in September 2014.