Most of us panic when our check engine light comes on – mostly because we have no idea what it actually means. Now a new app attempts to ease your mind and take the stress out of car repairs.
Invented by three Georgia Tech grads, FIXD plugs in easily below your car’s steering wheel and sends everything you need to know about your car directly to your phone via a free app (which has a 4.7 rating with over 3,000 reviews). FIXD is really a new kind of OBD2 reader that plugs into a port under the dash of any gas-powered vehicle made after 1996 (because they have these ports installed). OBD2 readers are usually big computers a mechanic would use to diagnose car troubles if say your check engine light were to come on. The code these readers produce show generally what needs fixing. What makes FIXD unique is that it’s so small and easy to use.
FIXD has been a smash hit on social media advertising over the last year. 100,000s of people have bought this small car health monitor device that plugs into a vehicle made after 1996 and communicates via. free app to your smartphone. Many people are suspect of buying this device as you are never quite sure what is promoted on Facebook or Instagram ads these days.
So, how does it work?
You plug the FIXD device into the port under your vehicle’s dash. You then enter the VIN number of your vehicle. Finally, you pair the app on your smartphone to the FIXD device plugged into your car. It automatically reads diagnostic information from your car and shows it on the app. You’ll get info such as mileage, maintenance that is coming due and an estimate for how much it will cost and most importantly if something needs to be fixed. It really comes most in handy when the check engine light is already on. That’s when this device really saves you time and money by showing you what the maintenance code means in plain english before you’d go see a mechanic. The idea is you will be way more informed before visiting a mechanic and thus less likely to get ripped off!
Yeah, but DOES it work?
The most recent reviews for the 2nd generation of FIXD are very solid (The first generation had some hiccups that have been largely sorted out now). Most people noted the ease of use. It’s a very easy product to install out of the box. In terms of functionality it does what they say it will. Some people were frustrated that it didn’t do more, like completely diagnose every issue with your vehicle. This is actually not possible as the vehicle’s computer only sends out repair codes for certain things.
Many customers reported liking the maintenance reminders, especially for their kids who are driving. Oil changes, tire balancing and rotation and every day maintenance that is important can sometimes be missed. The handy app shows reminders based on your car’s mileage. Plus the repair costs are estimated – but really these estimates are quite broad and not sure they are useful.
Overall a 4/5 rating with 402 reviews is really impressive. On social media people were harder on the product often calling it a scam or a piece of junk. However, many people didn’t like the advertising of the product, rather than actually trying FIXD themselves. Most of the negative comments were about the way FIXD had been advertised.
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