Owning a car is something which can only have one effect on your bank balance, and that is to reduce it.
Whether it is filling it with gas, replacing a punctured tire, and simply taking it through the car wash, they all cost.
One of the biggest costs for car owners is maintenance and repair, with some of the more serious problems running into the thousands of dollars to put right.
Many drivers simply shrug their shoulders and accept these costs as a necessary part of owning a car, but that no longer has to be the case.
Thanks to the FIXD Car Monitor & Diagnostic Tool and sensor, car owners may now be able to dramatically reduce the cost of car repairs and maintenance.
FIXD is basically two products in one.
The first element is a sensor which is plugged into your car's 'On-Board Diagnostics' port or OBD port as we will now call it. This unit monitors your car engine and then communicates this data to the second element.
This is a free app which you download to your smartphone or tablet, which then displays the data which is being sent from the sensor in your car and allows you to take the necessary action required.
Once plugged into your car's OBD port, the sensor can then be sent a 'Scan' instruction from the app on your phone.
One of the most likely times this will be done is while the car is in motion and the 'Check Engine' light comes on. The sensor scans your car and carries out a number of diagnostics.
Once complete, the sensor sends the data to the app where you'll get notifications about any engine problems, issues that have resulted in the 'Check Engine' light coming on, and any maintenance which is due to be done on your car.
FIXD will diagnose any problems which it has found, and it will suggest a course of action, which could include pulling over if the problem is serious enough.
If FIXD detects an issue is likely to require a car mechanic to carry out repairs on your car, FIXD will display an estimated cost for that work, so that when you enquire at local garages you can compare what they are quoting for their work and FIXD's estimate.
Before we go into the specifics of what FIXD does it is only fair to highlight just how simple this product is to use.
Not every car driver is a mechanic, and for the many of us who wouldn't know an oil filter from a radiator cap, the fact that all you need do to install FIXD is plug it in it will surely come as a relief.
Downloading and installing the app on your smartphone is also an easy task.
Further to that, once you have FIXD installed and it is connected to the app, the information it provides is simple to understand, easy to read, laid out in an uncomplicated way, and is genuinely user-friendly.
One of the main premises behind FIXD is that it monitors your car continuously and can identify over 7,000 different issues that your car engine may have as they happen. These issues usually lead to your car's 'Check Engine’ light coming on.
Often drivers will either ignore the light, which is not a good idea, especially as the fault could something that has the potential to cause an accident. Others will panic, head straight to their nearest garage, and often pay a lot more for repairs than they need to.
The beauty of FIXD is that the details of the fault will be displayed in the app, what the consequences could be, with the suggested action that should be taken.
It will also give you an estimated price of any possible repairs.
This means you can be confident that when you do take your car to the garage, you are only going to pay for the repairs that are needed, rather than what the mechanic would like to charge you for.
One of the best ways to avoid repairs and faults is to service your car regularly and maintain it as per the manufacturer's recommendations. To help you do so, FIXD tracks when you have carried out any of these tasks, and your mileage.
It will then alert you when any maintenance or servicing is due. You are able to track everything as FIXD keeps a log of all diagnostics, faults, and service dates.
For families with more than one car, you can purchase a FIXD unit for each one, but then link them all to a single account and keep all the data for each one within a single app on one phone. Otherwise, each car user can download and use an app for their specific car.
Dona thinks FIXD is one of her 'favorite gadgets of all time' mainly because it alerted to her to a problem which her mechanic told her would have led to very costly repairs had she not brought it in when she did.
P. Kean loves the fact that:
"FIXD tells you what the problem is BEFORE you go to the mechanic."
Kaiser Bill has compared FIXD to other apps and thinks:
"FIXD beats them all due to its easy to read app and simple interface."
Mario Burges was quoted $1,400 for a repair to his wife's Kia Sedona. He installed FIXD and to its amazement, and delight, it highlighted a fault which only cost $220 to fix, meaning FIXD saved him $1180.
Kris Henderson was fed up paying $120 just to have a diagnostic done at his local garage.
"Now FIXD does diagnostics time and again, merely for the one-time cost of the unit."
One complaint that often arises is that FIXD doesn't work with every car or truck model. There are several perfectly logical reasons why that is the case.
In terms of older car models, many of them simply do not have the engine management technology that is needed for diagnosis and data feedback. This includes not having an OBD socket which the FIXD sensor can be plugged in to.
There is also the problem with many trucks that were manufactured out with the US, not having compatible engine management systems, or having different configurations because they have a larger gross vehicle weight.
It is only fair to point out fair to say that FIXD is compatible with the vast majority of vehicles in the US, and that includes all gas and hybrid-powered cars that were built after 1996, and diesel-powered cars manufactured after 2008.
FIXD will also be suitable for any truck which has been sold in the US, is powered by gas, and has a gross vehicle weight under 14,500 lbs.
Even if your knowledge of car engines only goes as far as knowing how to turn the key to start them, you'll still benefit greatly from FIXD.
Their simple to install unit and easy to follow app ensures you are able set up FIXD within minutes and thereafter to fully understand the data that it provides.
Whether it is our bodies or our cars, the old adage that 'prevention is better than the cure' applies in equal measure to both.
Hopefully, you look after your body to minimize illness, and now with FIXD, you have the means to do likewise with your car.
You can keep track of when it is due servicing, and should a fault arise within your engine it can quickly diagnose it so you can take the appropriate action.
This can often save you thousands of dollars as it means small faults are fixed before they escalate into expensive garage repairs or worse potential accidents due to your car running with dangerous faults.
You can clear 'Check Engine’ light codes by following the instructions, however, if the relevant issue has not been resolved, the light will come on again, and you should take action to have the fault fixed.
Due to federal regulations, you cannot clear codes with FIXD if the issue is emissions related.
FIXD uses very little battery power when not communicating with the app so you can leave it plugged in.
If your car is going to be sitting unused for more than a few days, for example, if you fly off on vacation for 2 weeks, you should unplug the unit during that time.
In theory, you could, but it is going to prove to be very inconvenient having to plug and unplug the unit, then connect it with the app each time a different car is used.
To use FIXD for more than one car you should purchase a unit for each car. You can then check all the cars on a single device as the app can display data for multiple cars.
The FIXD car diagnostic monitor tool is a one-off cost and the FIXD app is free to download.
FIXD has introduced the FIXD Maintenance Club which is free to join and being a member allows you to purchase car parts from them should you wish to carry out any repairs or servicing yourself.
FIXD also have a monthly fee service called Vehicle Protection Plan which operates similar to AAA in terms of offering emergency roadside assistance, windshield protection, key replacement, and other benefits.
The best place to buy FIXD is on their official website through this link. This ensures you get a legitimate product instead of a knockoff, and also their 30 day money back guarantee and customer support in case you have any questions.