The FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner suits first-time car owners who want a check-engine light translated into plain English by a free app on a low-priced sensor. Its free tier covers unlimited scans, severity ratings and maintenance reminders, and FIXD backs the sensor with a money-back guarantee. It reads engine codes only, though, with no ABS, airbag or transmission access, and the best extras sit behind a Premium plan that owners report being charged for after the trial.
Pros
- Plain-English code explanations with severity ratings
- Free app with unlimited scans
- Low sensor price
- Simple Bluetooth pairing
- Maintenance reminders by make and mileage
- Money-back guarantee
Cons
- Engine codes only, no ABS, airbag or transmission access
- Best features sit behind a Premium subscription
- Owner complaints about billing after the trial
- Cluttered app with heavy upsell prompts
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Disclosure
Overview
A lit check-engine light costs nothing to ignore and often a diagnostic fee to investigate, which is the gap the FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner goes after. The small sensor plugs into the OBD-II port under the dash, pairs with an iPhone or Android phone, and the FIXD app turns each fault code into a plain-English description with a severity rating. FIXD’s own site lists gas vehicles from 1996 and diesel vehicles from 2008, and the Amazon listing marks electric vehicles as incompatible.
The catch is what happens after the sensor is bought. The free app reads and clears engine codes without limits, but OBDAdvisor reports that FIXD reads engine codes only, with no ABS, airbag or transmission access at any tier, and that its most useful extras sit behind an annual Premium plan. That makes it a beginner tool priced like one, with a recurring cost the hardware price does not show.
Key Specifications
| Connection | Bluetooth to iPhone, iPad or Android (FIXD app) |
| Vehicle coverage | Gas 1996 and newer, diesel 2008 and newer (per FIXD); light trucks under 14,500 lb GVWR (per OBDAdvisor) |
| What it reads | Standard OBD-II engine codes, 7,000+ decoded into plain English; no ABS, airbag or transmission modules |
| Free app | Unlimited scans, severity rating, freeze frame, maintenance reminders, multiple vehicles |
| Premium (optional) | Repair cost estimates, mechanic hotline, issue forecast, emissions pre-check, vehicle history reports |
| Premium trial | 1–2 weeks (FIXD’s own site shows both) |
| Size / weight | About 1.5 x 0.5 x 1.8 in, under 1 oz (per OBDAdvisor) |
| Guarantee | Money-back guarantee, per FIXD |
| Price (USD) | $39.99 |
FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner Code Coverage & Plain-English Diagnostics
Translation is FIXD’s strongest argument. According to FIXD, the app decodes more than 7,000 error codes into plain English and marks each as minor or major, so a P0420 stops being a string of characters and becomes a sentence a driver can act on. OBDAdvisor lists basic code reading and clearing, maintenance reminders, plain-language explanations and freeze frame data in the free tier, and it counts the low entry price and beginner-friendly explanations among FIXD’s genuine strengths.
The ceiling is low, and OBDAdvisor is blunt about it: FIXD reads standard engine codes only, cannot reach ABS, airbag or transmission modules at any price tier, and has no Mode 6 support. A lit brake or airbag warning is invisible to it. The BlueDriver review on this site covers an adapter that does reach those systems on 13 make groups, and that access is the practical dividing line between the two.
FIXD Premium Subscription & Billing Complaints
Premium is optional, and FIXD’s site says the sensor works without it. It adds repair cost estimates, a mechanic hotline, vehicle history reports, an emissions pre-check and issue forecasting, and the site lists the plan at $5.85 per month billed annually. The Track Ahead cited $99.99 a year and OBDAdvisor rounds it to about $100, so the price a buyer sees appears to move with promotions.
The complaint pattern concerns how the plan is presented. OBDAdvisor says multiple verified owner reviews describe being enrolled in Premium after the trial, sometimes without realizing it, and that billing disputes proved hard to resolve; it totals ownership at about $160 in year one and about $360 by year three for a buyer who keeps the plan. The Track Ahead’s reviewer, Scott Lam, called the upgrade prompts aggressive and the app cluttered. Trial length is also inconsistent: FIXD’s own site shows both a one-week and a two-week free trial, The Track Ahead cites one week, and the Amazon listing text mentions 14 days. A calendar reminder to cancel is cheap insurance.
Pairing, App Experience & Who It Fits
The basics hold up. The Track Ahead reported that the sensor paired with the app without hiccups, that the app ran smoothly, and that reading and clearing codes worked without issues. FIXD says its maintenance alerts are built from the vehicle’s make, model and mileage, and the free app can hold several vehicles, so one sensor can be moved between a household’s cars.
The Track Ahead recommends it mainly for people unfamiliar with cars and expects experienced mechanics to find it underwhelming, a fairly ordinary Bluetooth scan tool wrapped in an app they would not enjoy. That split matches the hardware: it explains a problem, and it stops there.
How Does It Stack Up Against the Competition?
FIXD has one of the lowest hardware prices here but is the only option with a recurring plan behind its best features; BlueDriver and OBDLink cost more up front and charge nothing afterward.
| Feature | FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner | BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro | OBDLink MX+ | ANCEL AD310 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (USD) | $39.99 | $139.95 | $139.95 | $23.99 |
| Ongoing cost | Optional Premium plan | None | None | None |
| Coverage | Engine codes only | ABS, SRS, TPMS on 13 make groups | Engine plus ABS, SRS on GM and Ford networks | Engine codes, live data, EVAP test |
| Works with | iPhone, Android | iPhone, Android | iPhone, Android, Windows | Standalone handheld, no phone |
| TTP Review | This review ↑ | Read our review → | Read our review → | — |
Prices change frequently — always verify current pricing before purchasing.
Is the FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner Worth It?
It suits a driver with one or two ordinary gas cars who has never pulled a code and mostly wants the check-engine light explained. The free tier does that job, FIXD backs the sensor with a money-back guarantee, and treating the Premium trial as a decision to make rather than a default keeps the recurring cost optional. It is a weaker fit for anyone who plans to keep Premium for years, because OBDAdvisor’s three-year total for that path passes the up-front price of adapters that need no plan at all.
Anyone chasing a brake or airbag light, or wanting live data on a graph, should look at BlueDriver or OBDLink MX+, both listed as subscription-free by OBDAdvisor. A handheld reader such as the ANCEL AD310 handles engine codes, live data and an EVAP test with no phone and no plan, per ANCEL’s product page, for people who want the cheapest possible way to read a code.
Check the latest price for FIXD Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner
Check Current Price on AmazonReader Poll
Would you pay a yearly plan for repair estimates and a mechanic hotline, or want a scanner with no ongoing cost?
Help Our Editors Know What Matters to You
Explore on Amazon →
