German researchers at BMW have patented a system that could be used to assist garages to service their customer's vehicles.
In operation, a driver would use his mobile phone to first establish a wireless connection between an electronic unit inside his car and another wireless-enabled unit at the garage.
The driver would be identified in the process by the service facility based on his or her mobile telephone number, a SIM card, or internet address of the mobile telephone.
During the communication process, data relating to the health of the vehicle in question would then be transmitted to the garage.
The garage would then analyse the data and use it to determine which one, or more, electrical or electronic components within the vehicle might need to be replaced. In addition, the data could also indicate which vehicle service should be carried out as well as whether any new software updates to the vehicle's on-board systems should be downloaded.
After the data transmission had been completed, the telecommunication connection would be terminated.
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