APPLES Car Clinic is introducing a new service under which data from an initial 'super tune' is stored on disk and held in the vehicle's glove compartment to be used for reference during future maintenance work. The disk also contains information on the performance of key electrical components, such as the alternator. This enables technicians to measure future checks against the original data and predict the lifespan of the part.

Managing director Gwyn Jones said manufacturer information and settings were excellent for new engines, but often did not take into account wear and tear. He said: 'Once we have arrived at what I call Utopia for an engine the information is downloaded on to a disk and placed in a special wallet for the customer to keep in their vehicle and hand over at the next visit to any of our branches throughout the country.

'Part of our programme includes what we call component performance tracking, which means that if you've got, for example, an alternator reading that drops from one service to the next then you can use the rate of decline to predict when it is going to need replacing.'

In future it is hoped the disks will also include data on areas such as brake condition and the replacement of wear and tear parts, in order to build up a complete history of the vehicle.