This post brought to you by Zubie. All opinions are 100% mine.
You know what I love about a brand new car? Endless possibilities. A new car is like a passport to freedom: no car troubles to bind you to home, no mechanic bills to eat up all of your savings, and the wow factor? Well, it's pretty high.
I think Chris had his 2014 Camaro SS for a week before we were pulled over for his first speeding ticket. Fortunately, he wasn't even going ten miles over the limit and the state police officer let us off with a warning. But...that's not a habit either of us want to continue, so we really need to pay more attention to our driving! With a brand new car in the driveway and a teenager just itching to get her driver's license, I knew it was time to pay more attention to our cars, and Zubie is a great way to do just that!
There are so many factors that go into maintaining your car. After seven years with my Saturn, I've been known to be a little lax on the oil changes. You don't even want to know what my oil filter looked like the last time I took it to the service station...or how overdue that trip was!
So I will be receiving a key to test out Zubie for Chris's car so that we don't run into the same issues we have in the past and having fun testing out a cool new auto gadget in the process! I'll be blogging over the next year months while we try it out, so make sure you come back and check in for my updates!
What is Zubie?
Zubie is a new monitoring device that plugs right into the onboard diagnostics center in your car, and I promise, you won't even know it's there! I've used tools like this before and they are pretty inconspicuous. Zubie connects with a smartphone app that will help you get the most from your car through a variety of features.
Family Safety: AlwaysSmart™ location tracking and alerts when family members arrive at home, work or school.
Safe Driving: Track and improve your driving, and connect and compete with friends. Monitor and coach teen drivers.
Car Problems: Receive notifications when your car reports engine or battery problems. Avoid being stranded and know when your family members might need help.
I am especially excited about being notified when there are engine or battery problems! The biggest mechanic bills always revolve around the engine, and being notified BEFORE I am left stranded on the side of the road? That's amazing!
For $99 a year, Zubie helps you monitor your vehicles, diagnose repair problems and takes the hassle out of daily driving. Disclaimer: Zubie will not magically make rush hour traffic any less annoying. 🙂
What a great gift idea for the holidays - especially for a mom to a newly-driving teenager!
You can order today use code SAVE20DEC and SAVE 20% on your Zubie Key plus one year of service. Offer good through January 31, 2013. Shipping charges apply.
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For more information about Zubie, check out this video!
Ellen Christian
I have a 16 year old and a 20 year old. I need this!
Amy
Wow that's awesome! Love that car too! I would love to use something like this when my girls start driving!
Krystyn
What a great idea. I would probably drive way too fast in that fun little car, too! So, I would need the reminders.
Lindsey
That's a pretty smart gadget .A great gift for the young driver AND the parent.
brett
its a great gift for both the parents and the kids. i'm the youngest of 8 and my kids are grandkids 15, 16 and 17 in our family. the next youngest to my oldest is 16 this year- so there's a lot of young drivers in our family!
Melissa
Oh wow, this is brilliant! Every family should have one.
Candy
What an interesting application. I will have to look into Zubie more. Thanks!!
Liz
I would really like getting the heads up from an impartial third party like this app. Then when you go to get ifixed, you feel like you have some sort of knowledge so you don't get ripped off.
Demetra
I'll have two kids driving really soon so this really has my attention. For me I think it would be great to have a device that gives you an early warning for any problems that could arise.
Nicole B
This sounds like a dream service for moms with teen drivers. I know I'd feel a lot better with it if my kids were old enough to drive.
Henrietta
I really like the sound of this device! Being able to monitor my son's driving, the maintenance on my vehicle and my own tendency to go a little too fast, would be a great experience! I'll be checking this ap and device out!
Casey
That car is beautiful! I had to laugh at the speeding ticket because it brought me back to my teenage days when I "earned" my first one. The cost of the ticket was enough to shock me into following the law and driving at the appropriate speed, so hopefully the same will be true for Chris, especially if Mom is using Zubie to monitor his driving. 😉 lol
Jennifer Soltys
That is a HOT CAR!!! Love it. What a great service this is, too. Very good idea to have.
Janel
We are test driving a 2014 Sienna and it's making me have a lead foot, too. So hard not to speed, even in a mini van!
katherine
This is great to know! I try not to speed. I rarely go over 50.
Mistee Dawn
I have never heard of Zubie but it sounds like something I definitely need to look into. My hubby has the biggest lead foot, ever. Thank goodness my daughter isn't old enough to drive yet. lol
Tara
I have a teenager that will be driving soon. I am going to check this out for her.
Tammy
It is great that it can tip you off to unexpected engine repairs! What a great feature.
Angela
I sometimes forget to keep up with car maintenance, so this sounds pretty useful to me.
Lolli
I have a teen who drives about 2 hours a day. She has become so independent - with a job and an active social life - and this would come in so handy!
Nancy Lustri
Too cool! I have two teenagers and this is a necessity! Will definitely check it out! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Pam
I absolutely love that car. I am terrible about car maintenance (though my hubby is always on top of it) so this would be good for me.
Jennifer
Pretty sure I'd be getting all kinds of speeding tickets if I was the one behind the wheel of the beautiful car! Maybe Santa will bring me one? hehe
Ashley M
As a self proclaimed geek I love that this brings the tech factor to older model cars.
Daisy
Love that car! Do you think that Santa will bring me one? 🙂
Felicia
What a smart idea! I love how far technology has come for our cars.
Liz
I'm so glad things like this are available for those of us who panic at every noise and light on the car's panel.
Ashley
Wow, I had no idea that there was a diagnostic tool like Zubie that you could implement in your car to get a better feel for your driving experience! I have a husband who travels frequently, so the ability to have some background information when I need work done on my car is fantastic- thanks so much for sharing!
Tammilee
I can't wait to try the Zubie. So excited it will help with oil changes and mait.
Debi
I love this. I can not wait to get one for my husband. He drives for a living.
Liza
I'm looking into these for Ashley and Austin. Austin just got his license this year so it would be a good gift for him. And Ashley will be moving away in the fall for her teaching job and this would give us a little peace of mind for her commute.
Catherine
I think this is such a great idea. It would be great if it one day became standard.
Dawn
My daughter is getting her license very soon so this couldn't have come at a better time. Thanks!
Ty
I totally can't take my eyes off of that car, it's stunning! My daughter is getting her license next year, so I'll definitely be looking into this!
Rob
Now that we have a 17 yr old that drives our care this sounds like something I need for sure. I am really good with the car maintenance but there is nothing wrong with having something like this to help me out. Thanks for sharing.
Marina
Now that's a neat device. definitely a handy one to have esp if you have more than one car!
Karen Hartzell (
Zubie sounds perfect for people who aren't mechanically inclined for their own cars. I may have to think about getting it for my new car too!
Chrishelle
I have a 16 year old who drives an hour to school three days a week. Zubie would give me a little peace of mind.
Autumn
This is such a great idea! It would be a perfect gift for a teen driver (or the parent of a teen driver 😉 And $99 a year is not bad at all!
Kristin Wheeler
This will be great for when my kids start driving!!
Janeane Davis
It is incredible how much technology has changed so that we can easily monitor and keep track of a lot of information.
Kecia
Okay, I totally want Zubie now! With all the features, it sounds very well worth the price. It would be perfect for teen drivers too, but I have a while before I worry about that!
candice
wow! that is awesome! my husband tends to drive over the speed limit. thank goodness my girls are no where near driving age!
DeAnna Troupe
What a neat device. When we get a new car, this would be something I'd get. My husband is better than I am about remembering stuff like that.
Tim B
nice post! interesting product
Alison
I love Zubie! It rocks!!!