Don’t just ignore it. Find out what’s wrong with your car, without paying the mechanic.
I’m thinking it. You’re thinking it. We’re all thinking it.
#@$&!
For anyone who owns a car, the moment that orange, yellow, or amber light comes on is a stressful one. You know something is wrong with your vehicle – but what? How bad is it? Unless you’re a mechanic, you can only guess what the real issue might be. And even if you go straight to a mechanic, you’ll end up paying close to $75 – just to diagnose the problem! Whatever you decide to do….
Don’t Ignore The Light!
The “Check Engine” light is your engine computer’s way of telling you that something is wrong. It could be something relatively small, like a missing gas cap. Or it might be something that could potentially leave you stranded, such as:
- A failing catalytic converter
- Bad spark plugs and spark plug wires
- An overheating engine
The fact that there are so many options is not only frustrating – it puts you at risk of being taken advantage of by auto mechanics.
Why Auto Mechanics Call It “The Idiot Light”
Whenever something requires more “technical knowledge” than the average person has, business people have been known to take advantage of those who know less than they do.
Look at the movie “The Big Short”…
Wall Street bankers created a financial crisis by hiding bad bonds inside of financial products that no normal person understood and ended up causing the world economy to collapse.
That same “knowledge gap” exists in the car world when it comes to the check engine light…but instead of the world economy being risk, you are!
Mechanics refer to the check engine light as “the idiot light” because whoever brings their car in hoping for an honest answer is the idiot.
They know you probably don’t have a background with cars so when you bring it into the shop, the shady ones will tell you your car needs something expensive like a new catalytic converter ($1,400) when all you really needed was a $35 spark plug.
Some mechanics even say that their shop owners pressure them to upcharge you:
“We have to. We don’t make money on oil changes and tire rotations. There’s a reason it’s called the idiot light…because you’re the idiot if you listen to us. We’re told to go after the people who most likely don’t know about cars made after 1996…which means women and people over the age of 40.”
Your lack of knowledge about cars puts you at a severe risk of being taken advantage of…at least it used to. Now there’s a solution that tells you what you need to know and stops you from being ripped off by shady mechanics.
The Inexpensive Tool Created By College Kids That’ll Keep You From Ever Being The Idiot Again
Three students from Georgia Tech saw the amount of people being taken advantage of by crooked mechanics and decided to do something about it. They created a tiny device called FIXD that plugs into your car, tells you what’s wrong with it, and gives you an estimate of what you should pay.
Whenever your check engine light comes on, you simply use your smartphone to translate the previously indecipherable technical information shady mechanics used to hide behind into simple, easy-to-understand terms.
Armed with this information you can feel confident heading to the shop because you know what needs to be done and what you should expect to be charged.
Here’s how it works:
- Plug it into your car’s diagnostic port – takes less than 60 seconds and anyone can do it – no professionals or tools needed!
- Sync it with your phone – Using their free app (available on Android & iOS)
- Open the App and Press SCAN – just like that, FIXD sends your phone notifications based on your SPECIFIC make and model about upcoming maintenance, engine problems, and more!
FIXD tells you the problem in plain English.
BONUS Feature: You can actually turn off the ‘Check Engine Light’ yourself. It’s quick and easy and prevents you from facing those shady mechanics to begin with!
2. See How SEVERE The Problem Is
That generic ‘Check Engine Light’ can’t tell you how critical an issue is. It only knows ‘On’ and ‘Off’ – not very helpful. But FIXD actually tells you how severe the problem is and it even tells you what the consequences are if you ignore the problem.
3. Oil Change & Maintenance Reminders
As soon as you plug FIXD in, it syncs up with your car’s make, model and its current miles. Then based on the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance timeline, FIXD sends updates to your phone when it’s getting close to take your car in.
No more looking up codes or being duped into unnecessary repairs at the repair shop – never again! You can also turn off the check engine light right from the FIXD app if the problem is not serious (e.g. you didn’t screw the gas cap on tight enough) or if you want to see if the light comes back on after further driving.
So How Much Does It Cost?
Something like this should cost a few hundred dollars, right?
Surprisingly, no.
You can get FIXD for less than a diagnostic at the mechanic – just $59. You can purchase it on their official website here.
Where Can I Get Mine?
Just go to their official website here.
