The most useless feature of the two new vehicles I’ve recently purchased is the low pressure tire notification.   The light notification seems to come on every couple of months and 9 times out of 10, the notification light is for the spare tire too low on pressure.

If auto manufacturers want to put something useful into cars, how about putting little numbers or symbols for WHICH tire is low on pressure.   Every time the light comes on, I have to get out and check all five tires for pressure which is a colossal waste of time.

If Steve Jobs and Apple can make an “app for that” then I’d like for the auto manufacturers to write a apps that read the tire pressure from all five tires via blue tooth or wifi and tell me which one is freaking low on pressure!    How about telling me how low on pressure the tire is!?

I’d also like to see an app for more detail diagnostics rather than “check engine” or “check fuel” or other primitive information that hasn’t changed in 100 years since the auto has been invented.   Why is there no innovation with auto manufacturers?   Why can’t these knuckle heads learn anything from Apple?

Rather than pay for OnStar, GPS, LowJack, XM, and other gadgets, just make them into Apps on the iPhone and pump them all through a big internet pipe from WiMax or G4 or whatever.

Honestly, I frequently feel like I’m living in the dark ages or maybe there are too many older workers there doing things the same way they’ve been done for the past 50 years.  Someone out there needs to create “The Total Car App” for the iPhone.  Here are a few suggestions it should include:

1. Maintenance calendar: oil checks, tire rotation, hose changes, brake changes, etc.

2. Tire pressure check with useful information – Don’t just tell me the pressure is low tell me HOW LOW it is!

3. Built in GPS: traffic, weather, location, driving directions, projected fuel usage when going on trip, etc.

4. Accessory store:  how about a direct link to goodies specifically tailored to my auto models?

5. How about a running cost on the cost of ownership?  Every time I fill up my gas tank, a sensor should upload the cost of fuel into an app and add up the cost, keep a running total.   Ditto for oil changes and other maintenance costs.

All of the above would make my life easier and provide real value but instead I’m sure GM, with their tax payer billions, will continue to make crap.