OBDai reads the live data straight off the engine and talks it through with you — the most likely problem, why it thinks so, the cheapest fix to try first, and the exact parts to buy for that year, make, and model. Then it turns that same scan into the estimate, the approval, and the invoice, without retyping a thing.
Works on any 1996-or-newer US car. No adapter yet? The app ships with a built-in simulator — run the whole thing on demo data before you buy hardware.
Every car built for the US since 1996 has the same 16-pin port under the dash. The adapter goes in it; the app finds the adapter.
“P0420.” Great. That code has eight possible causes ranging from a $12 hose to a $1,400 catalytic converter, and the parts-store guy is going to sell you the converter. OBDai gives you the answer instead:
The single most probable cause, weighed from the codes, the live readings, and what you told it — not a list of everything the code can mean.
The reasoning, citing the actual numbers it read off your car. You can see what it ruled out, and argue with it.
The cheapest realistic thing to try before you buy the expensive part. Most check-engine lights don't need the expensive part.
A typical parts-and-labor range, so you know whether the quote you were just handed is fair.
It's a conversation with something that can reach into the engine while you're having it.
Trouble codes (stored, pending, permanent), live sensor values, Mode 06 monitors and readiness, VIN. It pulls a reading mid-conversation when a number would settle the question.
It reads the VIN on connect and confirms the year, make, model, and engine with you before giving model-specific advice — so you get the answer for your car, not the generic one. On VW/Audi 2.0T it also reads manufacturer data most scanners never show: boost, oil temp, fuel-rail pressure, per-cylinder misfire counters.
Voice mode, for when your hands are filthy and the phone's on the fender. Calm, short spoken answers — codes read out digit by digit, no walls of text read aloud.
Guided tests for things that need a condition — idle versus 2500 RPM, a vacuum-leak check. The app runs the safety checklist, tells you exactly what to do, times the capture, and says outright when a result was inconclusive instead of over-reading it.
Snap a photo of the part, the connector, the leak, or another scanner's screen and it looks at it.
A single reading can't tell you a temperature is climbing or a fuel trim is drifting as the engine warms. It samples over a window and reports the direction — and refuses to claim a trend it didn't actually measure.
Pick "Simulator (demo, no car)" on the connect screen and the app runs against a canned ECU — same reader path, same tools, same diagnosis. Kick the tires before you spend $15 on a dongle.
Every repair it recommends comes with tappable links filtered to your exact vehicle, plus a how-to video for the job.
RockAuto, Amazon, Walmart, AutoZone and eBay — picked by what the item is. Cleaners and fluids go to the stores that stock them; mechanical parts go to the ones with fitment filters.
An unconfirmed part number is never shown as confirmed and never dropped into an exact-number search. Until fitment is verified it searches by your year, make, model, and engine, so you land on results that actually fit.
The app never states a part price. You tap through for the real current price, from the store, today.
OBDai speaks to standard ELM327 adapters, so you are not buying our dongle — you're buying the cheap one that already exists. Everything below plugs straight in. No soldering, no bench, no wiring.
The workhorse. Any ELM327-compatible dongle works. If you're buying one thing, buy this.
iOS blocks USB and classic Bluetooth for this, so on iPhone you need a Bluetooth LE or Wi-Fi adapter specifically. Check the listing says BLE / Bluetooth 4.0+ / "works with iPhone".
For the tinkerers. An ESP32-based module that plugs straight into the OBD2 port — Wi-Fi and BLE, no soldering, and fully programmable if you want to build on top of it.
Prices are rough street prices, not quotes — check the listing. We don't sell hardware and we don't certify these sellers. On iPhone, Apple blocks USB and classic Bluetooth for this kind of accessory, so an iPhone needs a Bluetooth LE or Wi-Fi adapter. Android and desktop can use any of them.
The same diagnosis that tells a driver what's wrong becomes the estimate you send, the approval you collect, the invoice you get paid on, and the record you still have in four years when that customer comes back. Nothing gets retyped.
Vehicle → complaint → scan → estimate → approval → parts → invoice → payment → history
Flexible labor, parts, fees, and discounts. AI drafts the lines from the scan; you confirm every price.
Text or email the estimate. The customer approves each job and signs — the exact amount and time are kept forever.
Turn approved work into an invoice in one click. Take cash, check, card, or external payment.
Every complaint, note, photo, and scan attaches to the vehicle's permanent record. Nothing gets lost.
Work orders, tech assignments, and an audit trail of who changed what.
Years of symptoms, repairs, parts, and payments per vehicle — an append-only record you own and can export.
Start free. Upgrade when it's paying for itself — not at $199/month.
For side mechanics getting organized.
The primary plan for solo & mobile pros.
For a small shop with a few techs.
Multiple bays or mobile units.
AI usage is included in every paid plan. Additional usage sold in simple blocks — no token math.
The apps are in beta. Store listings are on the way; the built-in simulator works right now.
OBDai is advisory. It helps you interpret what your car is reporting; it is not a substitute for a mechanic. Confirm a trouble code before you spend money on parts.