Connected Services are increasingly prevalent in modern vehicles, and once you understand what they are, it’s very easy to see why – they’re an excellent revenue-generator for the manufacturer and their dealer network.
Originally only present in the premium marques, these are now filtering down to the more middle-of-the-road manufacturers like Vauxhall. Essentially Connected Services entails your vehicle having an in-built telematics system, that transmits data about your vehicle directly to the manufacturer for use by the dealer network.
On the face of it, this does have a number of key benefits for the end user, particularly in terms of safety and convenience. If you get into an accident, the car calls the emergency services and transmits your location. If the car breaks down, it informs the breakdown service where you are, and what’s wrong. If you have a fault with your vehicle, the car transmits that to the manufacturer so you can book into a dealer for repairs without them having to then waste time doing diagnostics when you get there.
However, it’s important to remember that this service will always direct you to a dealer network, and as we’re well aware – that may not be the cheapest or best way to go, particularly if your car is out of warranty.