Remote service evaluation and recommendation

An apparatus comprising a storage medium storing a program having instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

• obtain owner authorization to access diagnostic data associated with an automobile for a trusted, owner-designated repair technician with whom the owner has a preexisting relationship and who has performed repairs on the automobile in the past;
• obtain a diagnostic data using a mobile device, the diagnostic data for the automobile obtained using an automobile interface designed to provide diagnostic data;
• transmit, via a network connection, the diagnostic data to the owner-designated repair technician at a location remote from the automobile;
• receive, via the network connection, a recommendation from the owner-designated repair technician based upon the diagnostic data, the recommendation including a recommended service and a time for completing the recommended service;
• and
• schedule an immediate repair with a local repair technician identified by the owner-designated repair technician at a cost based upon a cost estimate provided by the owner-designated repair technician when the owner-designated repair technician recommends the recommended service be completed as soon as possible and further when the automobile is not local to the owner-designated repair technician.

Apparatus comprising a storage medium storing a program having instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

• obtain owner authorization to access diagnostic data associated with an automobile for a trusted, owner-designated repair technician with whom the owner has a preexisting relationship and who has performed repairs on the automobile in the past;
• obtain diagnostic data from a mobile device, the diagnostic data for the automobile obtained using an automobile interface designed to provide diagnostic data;
• receive, via a network connection and at a computing device associated with the owner-designated repair technician, a diagnostic data for an automobile associated with the owner;
• obtain a diagnostic evaluation for the automobile based upon the diagnostic data;
• transmit, via the network connection, a recommendation from the owner-designated repair technician based upon the diagnostic evaluation, the recommendation including a recommended service and a time for completing the recommended service;
• and
• schedule an immediate repair with a local repair technician identified by the owner-designated repair technician using a user interface on a mobile device, the repair to be undertaken at a cost based upon a cost estimate provided by the owner-designated repair technician when the owner-designated repair technician recommends the recommended service be completed as soon as possible and further when the automobile is not local to the owner-designated repair technician.