Personal Vehicle
Diagnostic
Interpreter
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• # 1 Automobile dealers - new and used
• # 3 Auto repair shops
• # 9 Automobile dealers - used only
These three total 34,316 complaints for 1998.
Better Business Bureau http://216.46.241.4/advertising/alerts/20000201.asp
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Charging for repairs that were never done
• Replacing brand new parts
• Replacing more parts than necessary
• Some stores implicated :
Sears, Midas, Montgomery Ward, K-Mart Auto Center, Goodyear *
• Estimated $5 billion annual cost **
* www.carinfo.com/repair2.html
** California Department of Consumer Affairs, October 27, 1999
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Mike Raines
– Project Manager
• El Hammouchi M.
Hicham
– Hardware Analyst
• Stephanie Crumb
– Software Engineer,
Secretary
• Jen Daniels
– Webmaster, Graphic
Designer, Project
Coordinator
• Han Yi
– Hardware Analyst
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Easy to install and operate
• Reduce anxiety, stress, and inconvenience
• Increase personal safety
• Reduce mistaken &/or fraudulent repairs
• Save money on some motor vehicle repairs
• Aid auto parts retail salespersons
• Make a nice profit for the project team and investors
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

What’s up with that pesky yellow light?
Helpful to auto parts stores
Easy to use
PVDI is a handheld diagnostic tool made for regular everyday folks demo!
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• User may misinterpret the messages
• User may replace wrong parts
• Another theft opportunity
• Doesn’t work on cars made before 1995
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Only post 1995 cars
• Supports OBD II protocol only
• Not a mechanics substitute
• Not a common sense substitute
• Not supercede owners manual
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Competition beats us to the market
• Hardware cost more than initially thought
• Lack of demand
• Cost too much, consumers won’t want it
• Contractor/supplier delays
• New codes for cars added
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

Contractor development staff:
• 2 Programmers - $4K/month each - $48K *
• 1 Electrical Engineer - $4K/month - $24K *
• 1 mechanic - $2K/month - $4K
• Technical writer - $43K **
* Belfore, Dr. Lee A. Personal interview. 09 October 2000.
** www.technicalwriter.computerjobs.com
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

Consulting staff:
• 1 senior marketing consultant & advertising - $200K *
• Tech Support - $25K per person/year **
• 1-800 Number - $1,800 Month (10 cents a min, open
8am-6pm)
• Lawyer $18K part-time
* Sergio Diehl. EDO corp. Marketing manager. Personal interview. 12 October 2000.
Sharon Villines. Medical Marketing Inc. Personal interview. 11 October 2000.
AT&T customer service representative. Phone interview. 3 October 2000.
Sprint Sales Representative. Phone Interview. 3 October 2000.
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• OBD-2 cable/connector - $40 *
• Special-purpose processor - $10 **
• LCD device - $45 †
• RS232 interface - $65
‡
• Additional memory - $8/4 megs †
* www2.ari.net/avt-inc
** Belfore, Dr Lee A. Personal interview. 09 October 2000
†
‡ www.jameco.com
http://www.bb-europe.com/sercardchart.asp
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• 5 Personal computers - $6K *
• 1 AVT-716 multiple interface RST32 development tool - $1680 **
* CompUSA service representative. Personal interview. 14 October 2000
** www2.ari.net/avt-inc
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Large chain auto parts retailers
• Later, car manufacturers
• Break even @ 55 per state
• 130 million passenger vehicles in the states*
• Release date 18 months after 1st prototype
• www.bts.gov/ntda/nts/NTS99/data/Chapter1/1-9.html
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter

• Addresses societal problems
• Offers solutions to reduce these problems
• Can be built
• Can be profitable
• Should be built
PVDI personal vehicle diagnostic interpreter