Vehicles and tools are often the domain of the garage, and the iPhone offers several ways to enhance your use of both, as well as entertain you while in the midst of performing menial tasks. Here’s how:
Nothing helps pass the time spent working in the garage like some rockin’ tunes, and the Pandora Radio app is perfect for listening to your favorite artists and discovering new ones. The streaming radio app lets you input the name of an artist, group, or composer, and then generates a custom “station” filled with songs from your chosen act and others in the same vein. And it’s all completely free. Pandora Radio works well on both the iPhone and iPad, and pairs well with an iPhone speaker dock, though you can also simply crank up the volume on your iDevice of choice and let it rip while you clean the garage or work on the car.
Pandora Radio 3.1.6
Pandora Media
pandora.com
Free
Advertised as an “app for car guys and gals who like to wrench,” Garage Buddy is really for anyone attempting to tackle car repairs or other home maintenance. This reference app includes dedicated calculator functions for tire size, carburetor flow, belt size, and gear ratios, as well as tap drill and drill bit size charts, metal and wire gauge charts, and a guide to vehicle horsepower loss at varying altitudes. Garage Buddy doesn’t offer any bells and whistles—the text-based interface is as simple as they come—but it’s a truly helpful app to have handy when you’re toying in the garage, whether you’re already a car buff or just trying to learn the ropes.
Garage Buddy 1.0.4
Turtle Rock Studios
turtlerockstudios.com
$0.99
Garage Doors Direct was no doubt designed to sell homeowners on garage door replacements, yet this app actually doubles as a helpful resource on how to maintain and even install your own garage doors without a fee or purchase. The main screen offers up 20 helpful tips for choosing and maintaining garage doors, including checking springs and properly aligning tracks, while the gallery screen displays a series of other door options. But the most useful part of this app is probably the guides menu, which provides access to dozens of installation guides and brochures for garage doors from different manufacturers.
Garage Doors Direct 1.0
Enter.net
enter.net
Free
When your beloved car takes a hit or mysteriously starts slumping, it may be time to seek out a body shop for some dreaded repairs. AutoMD Mobile—no relation to WebMD, promise—lets you input your vehicle make and model and search for different types of repairs and preventative maintenance, then determines the estimated costs of doing it yourself or bringing it to a shop. If you opt for the latter, AutoMD will help you find nearby shops and even list the hourly rate for verified locations. But AutoMD also helps you tackle your own repairs by listing the necessary tools for each repair and including dozens of text guides that cover a wide variety of fix-’em-up projects.
AutoMD Mobile 1.3
AutoMD Inc.
automd.com
Free
Whether you have a tiny toolbox or a plethora of distinct home-repair gadgets, here’s one app that’ll come in handy in the garage and throughout the home. iHandy Carpenter compiles five simple tools that use the touch screen and accelerometer to mimic real-life tools. Included in the mix are a surface level and bubble level bar, a plumb bob (vertical reference), and a steel protractor and ruler. All five apps are attractively designed and look great on the iPhone 4, and while it may seem more practical to use the real-life tools, these digital substitutes can quickly come through in a pinch when you’re mounting shelves or measuring short distances.
iHandy Carpenter 2.0.4
iHandySoft
ihandysoft.com
$1.99
Thanks to the Viper SmartStart app, it’s now possible to start, lock, and unlock your car from a distance, as well as open the trunk, hit the panic button, and receive alerts when your alarm is triggered. You can also see where your car is parked, with GPS instructions guiding you back to the forgotten locale, as well as contact roadside assistance from within the app. Granted, you can’t just download the free app and expect your beat-up Civic to start responding to commands—you’ll need to purchase a Viper SmartStart Module or Remote Start System ($299-399). Versions for Clifford and Python systems are also available.
Viper SmartStart 2.1
Directed Electronics
viper.com
Free
Maybe you’ve had some great years with your car; on the other hand, maybe you can’t wait to be rid of its color/sound/smell/upholstery. Whatever the case, when it’s time to part with your current ride and consider something new for the garage, consult the Kelley Blue Book app. The Blue Book is the industry standard when it comes to determining the value of used vehicles, and it’ll give you a rough idea of what to expect if you’re trading it in or selling to a private party. The free KBB app also includes prices and details for new cars, and even lets you compare up to four vehicles on the fly. It will also point you toward dealers in your area for buying or selling, making this an all-in-one option for prospective car buyers.
KBB.com 1.1
Kelley Blue Book
kbb.com
Free
Keeping on top of routine maintenance for your car or motorcycle is absolutely essential for ensuring its longevity, not to mention its resale value, but memorizing dates and invoices “filed” in piles in the glove compartment is a hassle. Luckily, the super-’helpful Car Minder Plus – Car Maintenance and Gas Log keeps track of all that information for you, letting you log your most recent service and repairs, as well as track your typical gas mileage by adding information every time you fill up.
Multiple cars can be tracked within a single app, with repair and gas logs for each, and you can easily email the stored information if needed. Car Minder Plus keeps track of how often routine repairs are needed and displays a badge on the app icon when you’re running behind on repairs. Luckily, bike owners have an option of their own in the nearly identical Motorcycle Minder, which is just as handy. Each app sells for $2.99.
