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A tip for using technology to track your vehicle's fuel efficiency

posted by AskPatty - Auto Advice
Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 2:02pm CST

I'm a bit obsessive. I used to track my car's fill-ups,
every one of them, in a logbook. The gas receipts were tucked between the pages to show the price per gallon as well as the total paid for each tank, and a handy little spreadsheet I created in Excel helped me track my fuel economy. I also recorded my maintenance in there. I had two of these logbooks that tracked every single one of my Honda Accord's 147,930 miles per gallon and kept them in the glovebox. That is, until the car was totaled this summer, and I moved on to newer and better methods of being a fuel efficiency freak.

When I started driving my husband's Honda Odyssey six months ago, I tossed out the paper log and started tracking my mileage on my iPod Touch. There are a variety of online tools and downloadable apps available for such purposes, but lately I've been using a free tracker sponsored by FRAM. Titled "Gas Cubby by FRAM," this is a free, sponsored version of App Cubby's critically acclaimed iPhone app Gas Cubby, for which you can pay $6.99. All iPhone and iPod Touch owners can download the app and use it to optimize fuel economy and better maintain their vehicle.

Gas Cubby promises to be the ultimate tool for tracking gas mileage and vehicle maintenance. Whether you're a hypermiler, or just want a reminder to change your oil, Gas Cubby will help you save money and keep your vehicle operating at its peak. The free version released a couple months ago builds on the initial Gas Cubby app to provide a full range of services to support multiple vehicles. It offers a variety of services, including:

    * Records gas mileage and vehicle maintenance.
    * Informative charts track fuel consumption, gas prices, gas expenses, and service expenses.
    * Advanced search and filter capabilities allow for in-depth analysis.
    * Stores vehicle data such as VIN, license plate and insurance policy information.
    * Provides customizable service reminders.
    * Customizable tags allow grouping or categorization of records.
    * Users can tailor settings to display desired data.
    * Generates Excel-compatible email reports via CSV attachment.

Even if you don't keep your iPhone or iTouch in the car, just tuck your receipt into your purse, so you can easily update your records whenever it become convenient. It's as easy as touching a few buttons, and you're done.

The original Gas Cubby app was originally launched in the App Store in November 2008 by App Cubby and has been refined and polished ever since. It was selected by Apple as an "App Store Pick of the Week" and by CNN as one of the "Ten Best iPhone Apps for Dad" on Father's Day. It has also received hundreds of positive reviews from users and critics alike.

Gas Cubby by FRAM is now available for download at the iTunes App Store. For more information, visit www.appcubby.com/gas/fram.html.

By Brandy Schaffels
AskPatty.com Editor

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