Electronic Service Book

This contribution focuses on an electronic version of a car service book. Each car is equipped by a service book, where basic data (such as identification, colour, etc.) are written, and operating data are added during a car's lifecycle. These records clarify how many kilometres/miles the car travelled, whether service periods were kept regularly, and what repairs were done during its operation. At the next sales the service book is a valuable document that illustrates the lifecycle of a car. Since the business of used cars is not always ideal, it frequently occurs that the service book 'gets lost' and it opens a door for manipulating with an odometer, identification data, but also for hiding important repairs, service period breaches, etc. The paper introduces an interesting alternative of a classic service book, which can rapidly reduce the aforementioned dishonest behaviour an Electronic Service Book (ESB). The main idea is that the records about a car and its lifecycle are stored in the memory inside the car electronic system. The memory mode is 'write-once', so the records can be neither modified nor erased. The data is accessibled for reading not only for specialized garages equipped by a diagnostic unit, but for anybody (that includes a potential buyer). The interface for data reading is an USB port. For instance, Volkswagen already equips new models with the USB interface for loading MP3 files for the car audio system, and this trend will probably grow. The content of the ESB can be exported on demand in standard (XML-based) format on USB flashdisk. The data can afterwards be suitably visualised by simple freeware software. The paper is concerned as well with problems with ESB unit exchange and mechanisms of inspection whether the authorised garages respect the rules of recording, and also other operating issues. An alternative to the integrated ESB is a web service book (WSB). The basic principles are identical however the data is stored on a webserver of an external authority that guarantees that the data has not been faked. The access to the data is implemented through the personalised Internet portal. The WSB can be used to advantage for the types of car that are not quipped by the ESB unit. The paper extends the ideas of ESB/WSB with the proposal of feedback to a car designer via connection with a PLM system.