When was the last time you turned on your car, pulled out of the driveway and suddenly noticed the engine light pop up on your dashboard? You probably just ignored it and drove to your destination. Maybe the next day you spent some time trying to get to the bottom of the issue, only to come up short. Everything seems fine, so what’s going on?
A new device called FIXD aims to figure that out. After plugging in the $59, palm-sized widget into your car’s onboard diagnostics port – the same one mechanics use to find potential issues – it can communicate with a free app to tell you precisely what’s wrong with your vehicle. You can determine why your engine light is on, how serious the problem is, and whether it requires emergency repairs, all without risking being ripped off by shady mechanics. If necessary, the device can actually turn off your engine light right from the app, making it a nuisance of the past.