7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Centralized Certified website & app that keeps vehicle maintenance records from ALL repair and maintenance shops.

• Opportunity: Thousands of cars are in and out of repair/maintenance shops, but yet most of those shops aren't registered with Carfax (the only 3rd party car record website).
• The Who: People with cars
• The What: People who get their cars repaired or maintained at any of the smaller independently owned car shops most likely isn't going to get their service put on record with CarFax. 
• The Why: CarFax is a large company that keeps vehicle records, but yet doesn't sign deals with smalled car shops in order to make it "appealing" to go to the big expensive dealerships to get your car services. 
• Testing the who: This applies to anyone who finds it important to keep vehicle maintenance records and also likes to have a choice in where they go for their car service.
• Testing the what: Most independent car service shops aren't on CarFax's roster, but yet are still dependable and reputable. People want to see the money and care they put into their car, go on record.
• Testing the why: The level of interest a person might have in keeping a record of their cars service history will mainly stem from their interest of keeping its value as high as possible - both for personal and resale purposes. Another factor that plays in is that the car owner wants to be able to choose the car service shop they want to use. 

Interviews:

1. Allison Guzman: Allison said that when she needs get her car services, she goes to the dealership because of its still under dealership. She has yet never experienced anything outside the dealership and has not experienced getting her service not added to her cars records. When I asked if it bothered her that most independently owned car service shops don't get reported to Carfax she said doesn't affect her because she doesn't plan to sell her car. But if it was a lease or if she was planning to sell it shes sees how this would be problematic. She said she also likes to have the option to choose mainly because there are so many more economical places to get your car serviced but would definitely still like to see them report the car service. 
2. Sean Vuu: Sean has gotten his car repaired many times so he was a great candidate. He explained to me that he goes to the same local guy over and over and that he is not CarFax certified, so his repairs do not go on record. He said he was fine with that because he saves money, but when I mentioned it could be hurting his resale value, he had a look of shock on his face. It was something that didn't occur to him. We went on to discuss that it is probably really hard for independent car shops to get a carfax certification. Beyond that, he believes that he still has saved more money by going to his local guy, than he could of by keeping his cars value up. 
3. Caroline Herrera: Caroline leases her car and has gone to the dealership a few times. As part of her lease agreement, she can only go to the dealership. She doesn't face the issue many of us have when it comes to going to the dealership for services vs local independent shop. However, after explaining to her the situation that many people go through, she liked that not all shops had a carfax certification. She said it separated those who really value their car and those who rather save money.  
4. Luis Hector: Luis said that although he used to go to the dealership while his car was under warranty and get the service reported to CarFax, he now goes to independent car service shops. He mentioned that it was nice to see the service history on his carfax from the dealership, but that it wasn't nice enough for him to keep going to the dealership just for that, especially because they are so expensive. He said that he does not feel strongly about keeping a record of his cars service history since he does not plan to sell it. However, he did admit that when he was looking to buy a car he checked the carfax to see how well maintained it was kept. And that a good maintenance record sort of served him as a warranty. 
5. Sasha Safavi: Sashas answers to my question had a unique approach. He studies law and when I asked if CarFax should expand its list of car service shops he said that he is fine if CarFax stays where they are cause it is their right to work with whom they want to and its also their responsibility to their share holders (????? Lawyer talk). But when I mentioned that not having your cars service history on record could hurt your resale value he got a little more interested. He then mentioned that if it helped keep his car's value while saving him money - by not going to the big dealerships - that he was definitely interested in it. 

From these interviews, I can conclude that the problem isn't as big as I imagined it to be, or as it is to me. People agree with me if they are trying to sell their car in the future, and see a benefit in it. But it seemed that majority didn't plan on selling their car. I can now think of a more targeted market group that might be into this idea. People who like to switch their cars every two years or so, but aren't always in a lease. 

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