CarKit App for Checking MOT History, Tax Cost, Valuation

[tomcb 0]

Hey, 

I've spent the last 6 months working on an app for checking the MOT History of any UK-registered vehicle. I released a similar app last year for Android called MOT History Check which exploded with support and feedback, especially from car dealers who used the app the most and sent emails requesting features. What I found was that casual car buyers were typically only using the app a few times while they were hunting for a new car, while car dealers were using it many times per day.

With that in mind I tried to make CarKit more tailored to car dealers, with the ability to store lists of vehicles for selling/buying or set up watch lists. It has some additional features like vehicle valuations, tax status, tax band and tax cost. 

I was wondering if you'd be able to give me some feedback on the first version of the app. Car dealers are the primary users of the app so I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts on it.

Thanks,

Tom.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Becca Chaplin
Sorry, we don't allow links to external websites.

[russp 10]

Hi Tom.

Nice looking app.

You say that it will display tax band and tax cost?

I cannot see this.

I can see the graph which is a good idea as you can see at a glance if there is any irregularity.

I can see where it staes when the vehicle is taxed until.

Also, the history function could be useful rather than entering it all again.

2 very useful features for me would be number of previous owners and date of last owner change.

Many thanks.

 

[tomcb 0]

Thanks for the feedback russp  

The tax band and cost is viewable on the tax remaining screen. If you click the tax cost it displays all the prices (for direct debit, 6 months, 12 months payment, etc). There's a screenshot of it Here

It keeps a history too of previous searches, so if you don't manually add it to a list in 'My Garage', it will still be in the search history (and saved offline) so you don't lose anything.

I hadn't considered the number of owners and last owner change but thats a great idea. I'm always wary of cars for sale that changed owners less than 2 weeks previously. I'll see if I can grab this data from somewhere and incorporate it into the app.

[russp 10]

No problem.

I am still struggling to find the tax cost.

When I click the 'TAX' tab it tells me what date the vehicle is taxed until but clicking that doesnt seem to do anything.

The number of previous owners is available DVLA information as is the date of last keeper change but is not available on any DVLA information.

The only way of getting it that I have worked out is eBay will tell you the number of previous owners if you enter the reg number as if you are selling the vehicle.

Cazana give date of change of keeper.

Both of the above are obviously available if you do an HPI check but you dont always want to do that straight away.

With those 2 pieces of information plus what you have already it will be a very useful little app.

Nice work.

[tomcb 0]

Would you be able to share the registration with me? I could try find out why its not displaying the price correctly.

Thanks for the links to the data, I definitely agree about the HPI Check. I wanted CarKit to try distill down your options for free before you have to eventually pay out on a HPI Check. I'll be sure to add those features in the next update as soon as possible.

[russp 10]

I have tried it on several cars and cannot get the tax cost or band up.

For instance LV58 EUW

It shows it as untaxed which is correct but pressing that does nothing.

Thanks.

[tomcb 0]

Thanks for the Reg. I'll look into it and see why it's not displaying right.

[metcars 397]

I thought this looked quite interesting, but I'm guessing that as I'm the only person on the planet that doesn't have an Iphone is the reason I couldn't find it. Even after bringing in 'tech support' from my 18yr old daughter it was still a fail.

[russp 10]

there is an android version

[tomcb 0]

Hi metcars, sorry about that, the Android version is called 'MOT History Check'. It has the same icon so it shouldn't be too buried on the app store.

[metcars 397]

9 minutes ago, tomcb said:

Hi metcars, sorry about that, the Android version is called 'MOT History Check'. It has the same icon so it shouldn't be too buried on the app store.

Hi, no problem. I'll have to wait for 'tech support' to sort it out for me later on

[tomcb 0]

23 minutes ago, metcars said:

Hi, no problem. I'll have to wait for 'tech support' to sort it out for me later on

Haha no worries  

[Scooby who 41]

What's the name of the app guys?...... 'Carkit'?

 

Can't find it in the app store for some reason

[tomcb 0]

Hi Scooby, Its 'CarKit: Tax, MOT & Valuation Check' on iPhone and 'MOT History Check' on Android. Same icon as my display picture 

Thanks.

[betginge 73]

18 hours ago, metcars said:

I thought this looked quite interesting, but I'm guessing that as I'm the only person on the planet that doesn't have an Iphone is the reason I couldn't find it. Even after bringing in 'tech support' from my 18yr old daughter it was still a fail.

 

I dont have a iphone either, my phone cost £9..9 new from car phone warehouse, it has a torch on top and snake 2. I cannot possibly see what else anyone would need

Just now, betginge said:

 

I dont have a iphone either, my phone cost £9..9 new from car phone warehouse, it has a torch on top and snake 2. I cannot possibly see what else anyone would need

£9.99 I would of edited the post but the edit button is still on vacation with the like button

[Rory RSC 596]

You only have to charge those phones up once a week don't you. Takes about 15 mins to charge, and they never really break.

[tomcb 0]

8 minutes ago, Rory RSC said:

You only have to charge those phones up once a week don't you. Takes about 15 mins to charge, and they never really break.

Nokia re-released the indestructible 3310 a month ago, although it looks a bit strange:

 

[metcars 397]

Good news! I managed to download an app, but I'm not sure its the one I was supposed to, so perhaps still a fail?

[tomcb 0]

Haha, it should look like either of these:

Screenshot - Search

Edit: actually thats an old screenshot, but it mostly looks the same 

Edited April 12, 2017 by tomcb

[James Bush 95]

Downloaded and tried a couple of times, can seen it been quite A useful app, thanks. Just one thing, the moving background is soooooooo annoying, makes my eyes go funny, but I am a speccy (speccy emoji)

And what does the pro version get us?

[RS-Autos 3]

I've downloaded it but what's the pricing structure for it as I think we'd need to see the Pro version to give worthwhile feedback.

[whitestone679231 113]

could be a useful APP will save time having to get onto DVLA site, don't you just love privates who say they just had car MOT recently but cant find certificate, their recent was 9 months ago,,,,

[tomcb 0]

4 hours ago, RS-Autos said:

I've downloaded it but what's the pricing structure for it as I think we'd need to see the Pro version to give worthwhile feedback.

Hey, currently the Pro version is £0.79 and removes ads and provides unlimited valuations, and Tax & MOT reminders for multiple vehicles. There's still lots more features in the works, for example one idea was to use the service codes from MOT advisories and failures (something like 3.1.2) and open the MOT testing manual at that section to give a more detailed explanation as to why it failed or was listed as an advisory. Its pretty unique and as far as I know no other app or website does this currently.

For example, one of the failure items on my car is:

'Rear Brake Pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c).

For someone who is perhaps less experienced with car maintenance it might not be very clear, but the MOT Inspection Manual gives nice descriptions: 

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe so that its wall thickness is reduced by 1/3 (e.g. approximately 0.25 mm for typical hydraulic brake pipe) is a reason for rejection. 

I'd like to incorporate this into the app in the future. I think it would be useful if your buying a car with advisories on its last MOT, and you want to know what needs to be done to fix it. Is this something that would be useful?

Edited April 14, 2017 by tomcb

[RS-Autos 3]

A one off 79p ??

I'll have it if that's all it is.

[justina3 518]

3 hours ago, tomcb said:

Hey, currently the Pro version is £0.79 and removes ads and provides unlimited valuations, and Tax & MOT reminders for multiple vehicles. There's still lots more features in the works, for example one idea was to use the service codes from MOT advisories and failures (something like 3.1.2) and open the MOT testing manual at that section to give a more detailed explanation as to why it failed or was listed as an advisory. Its pretty unique and as far as I know no other app or website does this currently.

For example, one of the failure items on my car is:

'Rear Brake Pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c).

For someone who is perhaps less experienced with car maintenance it might not be very clear, but the MOT Inspection Manual gives nice descriptions: 

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe so that its wall thickness is reduced by 1/3 (e.g. approximately 0.25 mm for typical hydraulic brake pipe) is a reason for rejection. 

I'd like to incorporate this into the app in the future. I think it would be useful if your buying a car with advisories on its last MOT, and you want to know what needs to be done to fix it. Is this something that would be useful?

very useful having mot info on there, the last few mot's advisories can tell a lot about how a car has been locked after, for example i was looking at a c1 today in the block and for the last 4 years every year the car has failed or advised brake pads and tyres on the front, makes you wonder if they can not do the basics right there is not a hope in hell on the thing being serviced or looked after in any shape or form, I skipped it and my mate bought it spoke to him a while after and yep as i thought he said its a right pig.

so yep that would be a great feature to add.

How do you find the pro version i cant seem to locate it