Automotive App of the Week: iLocate - Auto Detail

Chances are you share your vehicle with family, friends and significant others who don't care if Starbursts get stuck in the carpeting, if coffee spills over into the cupholders or if there's dog hair everywhere. But messes like that can take a toll on your vehicle and your relationships. Dirt, dust, grime, drive-through food detritus and the occasional mishap between a pet and your paint job can, of course, leave your ride looking and smelling a little rough inside and out.

Once you decide that your vehicle needs a deep cleaning, the iLocate - Auto Detail app for iPhone can help, saving you from some drastic (but futile) measure like banning all in-car eating or travel with your pooch. And the $1.99 app may pay for itself by helping you shop around for the best deal on a detail for your car.

Car Cleaners Close to You
iLocate - Auto Detail combines a database of auto detail shops with your iPhone's GPS capability to find car cleaners closest to you. The app's premier feature is its one-touch capability. When you launch the app, it presents a list of auto detail locations in the immediate area, with a one-line display showing the name and address of each one. Click on a listing and you get one-touch tabs for calling and getting directions. Another tab takes you to Google Places for info such as reviews.

You can also search by entering a ZIP code or place name, which locates auto detailers as pins on an iPhone's Google Maps app. Tap a pin and you get to the screen with the call, directions and Google Places tabs that are used in the list format. You can also add and save locations using your Google account information.

Get the Best Price
Of course, you can easily find auto detailers by just using Google Maps and other search apps on an iPhone. But the iLocate - Auto Detail one-touch search makes the process more streamlined and convenient.

We're not sure if that justifies the price of the app, but it does allow you to more easily shop around for the best price on a detail job. It can also come in handy when you're in a hurry. And maybe in return for your business, you can ask the detail shop for a bit of a discount to cover the $1.99 it cost you to download the app.