Patent ID: 8099207

Claim:
A method for determining the performance of at least one motor vehicle consumable selected from the group consisting of engine lubricant, fuel and tyres, in a motor vehicle having an engine with at least one fuel injection valve, a lubricating system and a CANbus network comprising at least three network nodes, each operably connected to a computer, which method comprises: operating the vehicle whilst supplying the engine with the fuel through at least one fuel injection valve and lubricating the engine with the engine lubricant characterised in that: a first CANbus network node transmits to the computer, a signal indicative of the engine fuelling rate based upon the opening time of at least one of the fuel injection valves; one or more second CANbus network nodes transmit one or more signals to the computer indicative of one or more variables indicative of the power output of the engine; one or more third CANbus network nodes transmit one or more signals to the computer indicative of the vehicle operating conditions; the computer calculates a variable (Corrected Power Output) indicative of the power output of the engine corrected for the vehicle operating conditions using the one or more signals transmitted to the computer by the one or more second CANbus network nodes, the one or more signals transmitted to the computer by the one or more third CANbus network nodes and a pre-determined algorithm; and the computer transmits and/or stores the Corrected Power Output and the signal indicative of the engine fuelling rate.