Implementation of an Integrated System for Preventive Maintenance Management and Alerts in Light Vehicles

Inadequate vehicle maintenance management is one of the main causes of road accidents and elevated operating costs in light vehicles. This paper addresses this problem through the development and implementation of a low-cost integrated system for preventive maintenance management and alerts. The device, based on an open-hardware architecture (Arduino Mega 2560), integrates Global Positioning System (GPS) and mobile communication (GSM/LTE) modules to monitor distance traveled in real time and notify the user via SMS about the proximity of critical services such as oil changes, brake inspections, and timing-belt replacements. Its technical contribution lies in the integration of non-intrusive virtual ignition, filtered GPS-based odometry, configurable MicroSD-based persistence, and progressive SMS alert logic into a low-cost aftermarket system for conventional vehicles without OBD-II dependence. Experimental validation was conducted in the city of Guayaquil using a 2012 Hyundai Accent. Field tests were carried out in three scenarios: a dense urban route, a peripheral road, and interurban routes. Results showed satisfactory accuracy with a global average percentage error of 3.98% compared to the vehicle’s odometer and 100% effectiveness in sending alerts under the tested conditions (20/20 events; exact 95% binomial confidence interval: 83.2–100.0%). These results provide strong evidence of technical feasibility for the proposed architecture under the tested conditions in a representative single-vehicle proof-of-concept, while broader cross-vehicle validation remains necessary before generalizing the system to the wider diversity of aging fleets.