David McKay, Managing Director of McKay and Associates, Loss Adjusters, a 20 year veteran in the auto industry is beta testing the web services Auto Data for the Jamaican auto industry. It is much like the US-based Car-Fax product, but specific to Jamaica and designed to help buyers make better buying decisions.
With Auto data a potential buyer will be able to get the specifics of the cost of repairs and spare parts replaced on a vehicle and if any accident damage has gone through an insurance agency that information will also be available. Additionally, with car stealing rings a feature here in Jamaica, AutoData will also help identifying stolen/chopped vehicles or spotting cases of tampered chassis and engine numbers.
Auto Data is valuable I believe as it has gotten the history and status of vehicles from players in the auto industry from government agencies to other loss adjusting firms, but the loop hole in all of this is that some Jamaicans get their vehicles repaired by operate from home, or under a tree mechanics primarily for cost reasons and those instances of repairs is lost information that will never make it to Auto Data. Nonetheless, Auto Data is much needed product for Jamaica. Now if someone can develop a pot hole tracker mobile app, I’ll be estactic.
