by Tammy Williams
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Fall 2010 Issue

It’s another hectic morning at your house. You put away breakfast dishes, gather up backpacks, dog toys, school lunches, two sons, an ever-spoiled puppy and your always-trusty iPhone. Then it’s jump in the car so you can drop the kids off at school, Scruffy at doggie day care and, hopefully, leave time for a trip to Starbucks before you continue on with the rest of your day.

You get everyone buckled up, run through your mental checklist to make sure nothing critical is left at home and turn on your ignition. Ding, ding—there’s that message you’ve been seeing for two days now, reminding you that you need to change your oil.

Wouldn’t it be great to get one more thing checked off your to-do list? If only there was a shop somewhere between Starbucks and doggie day care, you could get your oil changed while you enjoy your coffee and Scruffy enjoys a few more minutes with you. That’s when you…reach for your iPhone.

Once again, your iPhone lives up to its title of always-trusty, with a little help from the Oil Change app. Oil Change allows you to find an automotive service center right from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, without having to drive all over town, make a dozen phone calls or visit website after website.

Oil Change will automatically map your area and show you service centers close to you. You can also sort centers by price, distance, services or qualifications.

This app can help you save money, as you are able to see instant coupons, deals and incentives from your favorite shops. And, best of all, this data is updated by the shops in real-time.

“We’ve all seen the guys standing out by the street with the sign that says, ‘$5 off your oil change right now,’” said Scott McHugh, founder of myBeepBeep Media. “Well, Oil Change is basically a high-tech version of that.”

Plus, if you find a shop that’s convenient or a deal you just can’t pass up, you can call the shop right from the app, with just one click.

This app also might come in handy if you find yourself away from home and in need of maintenance work. You can pull out your iPhone, go to the Oil Change app and, voila, it will automatically map the service centers closest to you.

“People have the confidence and convenience of choosing from several, reputable shops, whether they’re on a road trip or in their backyard,” McHugh said.

If you are one for having your iPhone help you find your next oil change, you can get the Oil Change app by going to the iTunes store and searching Oil Change.

Oil Change—it’s a good thing to know to help make your day a little less hectic and give your vehicle the TLC it needs.