What is Fixd?
Fixd Automotive is a Georgia-based company created by three Georgia Tech grads that offers a solution for consumer-level and enthusiast vehicle users, enabling them to better monitor and understand the health and maintenance status of their vehicle via its on-board computer systems. Consisting of a hardware and mobile app combo, Fixd is yet another contender in the admittedly large space of consumer and enthusiast-grade OBD scanners and software apps. So, is it any good? That’s what we find out in this article.
Firstly, a little refresher on OBD. The OBD or On-Board Diagnostics system was initially developed in the eighties as an emissions-monitoring mechanism, as states such as California started enforcing increasingly tough emissions laws. Such systems were intended to continuously monitor the emissions of vehicles and alert their drivers to any anomalies or malfunctions via an indicator lamp. The first standard of OBD was quite confusing because manufacturers decided to create their own interfaces.
OBD-II entered the scene in 1996 and specified a unified standard and interface for all vehicles. Thanks to OBD-II, we can purchase an OBD scanner and use it on a myriad of vehicles from different brands, provided that the vehicle has an OBD-II port. Don’t worry, most vehicles built after 1996 have this port, and it became mandatory equipment on all gasoline vehicles produced after 2001 and diesel vehicles produced after 2004.
OBD-II scanners vary from simply pocket-sized adapters that communicate wirelessly with a smartphone all the way to professional workshop-grade equipment that requires a desktop or laptop computer, interfaces with the vehicle via a thick cable, and costs four figures or more. Thankfully, Fixd is from the first category. This small and compact solution consists of a Bluetooth OBD scanner that plugs into your car’s OBD-II port and wirelessly connects with a mobile device of choice, such as your smartphone, which runs the Fixd app.
Which vehicles work with Fixd?
This is the most important question for anyone seeking a consumer or enthusiast-grade OBD scanning solution – is their vehicle supported?. Therefore, it’s one of the first things you should check out before purchasing. Thankfully, the Fixd website has a simple form-based system where you can select your vehicle’s year of manufacture, manufacturer, and type of fuel, and it will simply tell you if Fixd works with your vehicle or not. While it does not drill down into a model-specific level, it will at least let you know if your vehicle’s basic information can be read. This is thanks to the OBD-II standard’s generic codes which are common across all vehicles. There are also manufacturer-specific codes, which are customized for manufacturers depending on the features that they have built into their vehicles.
What kind of problems can Fixd identify?
The diagnosis function of OBD scanners and apps is arguably the most important and is the reason why many consumer and enthusiast-grade users buy these devices and install these apps. Vehicle onboard computer systems have error or fault memories that record faults that occur across the myriad of systems that they are controlling. Certain faults trigger the illumination of the warning or ‘Check Engine’ light. If this light is illuminated, you should run an OBD scan on your vehicle as soon as possible. Even if it’s not illuminated, there could be minor issues that, if left unchecked for a long time, can compound into major problems. That’s why it’s recommended to periodically scan your car.
Fixd claims to be able to read all generic OBD codes and most manufacturer-specific codes, and user reviews seem to back up this claim as well. Therefore, with Fixd you can diagnose problems with your vehicle’s critical systems such as emissions control, powertrain, body control module, and safety systems, as well as other systems depending on your vehicle make, model, and year of manufacture.
How do you use Fixd?
To get started with Fixd, you need two things. The first is to have the Fixd app installed on your smartphone. The app is available for Android and Apple iOS devices, and a free version can be downloaded to try out the features.
Secondly, you need to purchase the Fixd OBD scanner, as this ensures a seamless and reliable connectivity experience with the app. Once you’ve purchased this, simply plug the Fixd OBD scanner, called the Fixd Sensor into your vehicle’s OBD-II port, ensure that the OBD scanner and your phone are paired, fire up the app, and you’re ready to go. Pairing is typically a seamless experience, no different from pairing a Bluetooth headset. Start your vehicle, tap the relevant icon in the app and you’re good to go!
If you’re wondering where the OBD-II port in your vehicle is, it’s usually located inside the cabin, and will be quite close to the driving position. It might be in a storage cubby, inside the glovebox, center console box, or beneath the steering wheel. If it’s here, it might be pointing downwards so you might need to get your head into the footwell with a torch and have a look. Or you could just save yourself the trouble and refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual which will almost certainly reveal the location of its OBD-II port. If poring over a thick-ish book bores you, Google is your friend. At the worst, it might be behind a trim panel in the footwell that needs removing but given that the OBD-II port is an essential piece of diagnostic kit, manufacturers do not actively seek to make it difficult to find, rather they place it in an inconspicuous area.
How much does it cost?
The Fixd app’s free version is, well, free! You can do quite a bit with the free version too. However, you need to purchase the Fixd Sensor, and that will run you $59.99 for one sensor from the Fixd website. At the time of writing, Fixd was offering a bundle of two sensors for $88, and three sensors for $118, so that makes sense if you want to purchase sensors as a family or group of friends, for multiple vehicles. The Fixd sensor comes with a warranty and tech support from Fixd too.
Fixd also offers a premium version of their app, starting at $5.83 a month if you subscribe for a year, and that offers you access to Fixd’s mechanic hotline where you can actually talk to a mechanic and obtain help and advice. Issue forecasting, confirmed fix and cost, incident history report and emissions pre-check are some of the other listed features of the premium version of Fixd’s app. If you choose to purchase the premium version on a monthly basis, that will run you $8.99, so purchasing it for a year at once is the more cost-effective solution.
Considering that an average OBD scan at a workshop can run you approximately $30, and it’s recommended to scan your vehicle once per quarter, or even more frequently if it runs high mileages, you can easily offset your Fixd purchase cost plus the cost of one year of premium app use after just four scans. This is why such consumer and enthusiast-grade solutions are so popular. Of course, Fixd won’t ensure that you don’t need to visit a workshop at all, there is no OBD scanning solution that can do that, but it will at least let you know if you need to visit a workshop or not.
Where can I buy Fixd?
Fixd’s app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store for Android, or Apple’s iOS app store for Apple devices. The paid version can be purchased from here as well, and payment plans can be set up via the saved payment methods under your app account. It’s highly recommended to download Fixd (and other apps) from the official app stores, as third-party app stores may host copycat software that may come with malware and other nasties.
Purchasing the Fixd Sensor can be done from Fixd’s website itself, where you can pay via PayPal, American Express, Visa or Mastercard. Whilst you may find the Fixd Sensor for sale on other outlets for less, it’s best to steer clear unless these are recognized outlets such as big-name stores or online marketplaces which have verified the product as being official. OBD scanners are one of those categories where there are a lot of fake and copycat devices that can actually do more harm than good to your vehicle, so it pays to be safe and stick to purchasing from official and legit sources.
Fixd Reviews
What are users saying about Fixd’s app and the Fixd sensor? We took a trip down internet avenue to find out. Fixd’s website itself claims that over two million Fixd sensors have been sold and they have received over 10,000 five-star reviews. Let’s check that out.
On Amazon, Fixd has received over 16,300 reviews at the time of writing, of which 60% are five-star reviews and 15% are four-star reviews. Users praised the reliability and diagnostic prowess of the device, but some pointed out that the app was cluttered and a bit confusing, and the free version had ad pop-ups.
On the Google Play store, the Fixd app has a rating of 4.4, with over 17,000 reviews of which the majority are five-star. Turning to Apple iOS, the rating is 4.5 with over 7,000 reviews, once again the majority are five-star.
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Latest Reviews
It never finds something on my ford fusion se 2015! 2 lights are on, but this device finds no errors! Stay away! Waste of money and time! If I could return it i will!
Not impressed at all. I plugged in and did a scan. All it told me was there were no problems detected. I checked further into the app and it does do a live reading, but only for speed, O² voltage, engine load, and RPM. I have guages that already tell me 2 or those, engine load is useless, and the O² sensor is the only one I care about that it shows. There’s no live readings for fuel level, for MAF sensor, throttle body percentage, and many other sensors are missing that cheap code readers find.
Was quick and easy to connect and set-up and it diagnosed the car’s problem quickly. It also made a number of recommendations to guide you toward repairs. Definitely something someone would want to make sure they are not getting ripped-off by bad mechanics.
First time I used Fixd followed the easy instructions and in no time I found the confirmed answer to my SUV’s problem. I was shocked when it resit my check engine light as I continued to follow the instructions. I highly recommend the piece. It’s very affordable too. You will save thousands of dollars. Best car detector device concerning mechanical issues.
