The CarCheckup device is a data-gathering device that plugs into your car’s OBD II connector. Once installed, the CarCheckup device records telemetry information about the vehicle’s operation, such as:

• Miles Driven
• Time Spent in Various Speed Bands
• Maximum Speed
• Trip Start and Stop Times
• Hard Acceleration and Breaking Incidents
• Present and Pending Trouble Codes
• Approximate Trip Start and End Times  

If there are pending or present trouble codes, you will be provided not only with the same trouble code information that you mechanic will see, but also an easy to understand explanation of what could be causing the issue, what your mechanic will likely need to do to fix it, and possibly information regarding what things to be wary of when you take your car to the shop.

The CarCheckup System has been carefully designed and tested to be compatible with most 1996 and newer cars and light trucks sold in the USA. It is possible that some vehicles will not be compatible with the CarCheckup System, or a vehicle subsystem (ECM, ECU, various sensors, etc) may be malfunctioning.  There are manufactures that also do not fully implement all aspects of the OBDII protocols correctly. 

You must refer to the Known Compatibility Issues list to see current list of known compatibility issues.

The CarCheckup System has been tested on numerous vehicles and is though of as reliable and safe.  There is however, by nature, a risk when using any after market product that it may affect vehicle operation or drivability.

If, at any time while you are using the CarCheckup System, you notice abnormal vehicle behavior

1. Pull off the road and out of traffic as soon as it's possible to safely do so
2. Disconnect the CarCheckup device from your vehicle and see if the problem clears
3. Call an ASE certified mechanic or your local repair shop and speak to a professional
4. Contact CarCheckup Support and notify them of the issue.

Though the CarCheckup device was designed to work on the broadest range of vehicles, there are some vehicles  that do have interior trim that will interior and stop the CarCheckup device from connecting without an extension cable.

These OBDII extension cables are available at a, very reasonable price, from our online store

Vehicles Known to Need an OBDII Extension Cable can be found on our "Known Compatibility Issues"

No!

"Black Boxes," also referred to as Event Data Recorders or "EDR", do have some similarities with the CarCheckup System in that they both record telemetry data....that's where the similarity ends.

EDR are normally "snapshot" devices that are triggered by an event like an air bag deployment and record only a few seconds of data pertaining to the instant directly before the triggering event.

EDR are also not usually accessible to the general public, with the tools and software needed to access them being limited to manufactures and accident investigators.

The CarCheckup System is designed from the ground up to put the same cutting edge automotive technology that mechanics have used for years into an easy to use system to empower consumers in both automotive repair situations  AND monitoring driver performance!

All cars manufactured for sale in the US since 1996 have a OBDII diagnostic port as mandated by federal law.  This connector is within 3 feet of the steering wheel and must not require tools to access.

Normally this port is located just under the dashboard above the gas or brake pedal.  It can normally be located by simply looking under the dashboard or running your hand along the bottom edge of the dashboard until you "bump" into the connector.

There are other instances where the connector is behind a cover panel to make it's appearance more appealing.  In these cases it's necessary to open that panel to gain access to the OBDII port.

More information on finding your OBDII connector can be found here:

In the picture below you notice that in this case the OBDII plug is under the dashboard and above the brake pedal:

The CarCheckup device connects through it's built in USB connector to any available USB port on your Windows XP/Vista based computer.

To access the built in USB connector, turn the CarCheckup device over and swing out the USB arm.

In most cases, this built in USB connector is all you will need! No extra cable to get lost or tangled!

For those who have USB ports on their computer that are hard to reach,
we offer USB extension cables in our online store for your convenience

Visit our Store by clicking here

The CarCheckup Device is designed to have enough memory to hold 30 days worth of data for the average driver.

However, different vehicles make varying amounts of information available.  Some manufactures support just the minimum required data, others go far and above and provide many, many data points.

These differences in manufactures implementation of OBDII directly impacts the amount of data that can be stored on the device. 

The device will, however, overwrite the oldest data if it reaches capacity.  This will ensure that you have the newest trips data, but could leave missing or partial trips stored on the device.

That's up to you!

Here are some suggestions based upon the experience of current users:

If you are primarily concerned with monitoring your teen driver -

We recommend downloading data daily or weekly so as to be able to provide feedback to your driver.  By reviewing the telemetry data (ie speed, rpm, hard accelerations, hard breaking) with your teen in a timely manor, you can both gain insight that can be used as an aid to correct bad driving habits.

If you are primarily concerned with what is causing your "Check Engine Light" (also know as MIL or Malfunction Indicator Light) -

Most users find that downloading the data from the device on a weekly basis.  This will help keep download times small and allow CarCheckup to provide insight into various maintenance tasks.   Of course, your "Check Engine Light" comes on, simple restart your car!  The device will automatically record all pending and present trouble codes.

It should be noted that the CarCheckup System is designed to perform a data storage in a rolling manor.  That is to say that if the memory gets full, data from the newest trip will overwrite the oldest trip.  While this does allow you to have the most recent trip data, the device will discard older trips to make room for new data. 

This can lead to incomplete data for old trips if the data is not downloaded before the device is full.

not updated. please check back soon.

CarCheckup can help you prepare for your emissions test by allowing you to see issues and get them fixed BEFORE you have your certification test.

The OBDII technology that CarCheckup uses was actually mandated by the EPA to help control emissions!

By using CarCheckup you can see if there are any drive train problems that would keep you from passing the test.  Simply use the CarCheckup system and upload the data from your vehicle to our systems.  Our systems instantly process the data and report the health status of your car.

If the CarCheckup system does not report and pending or present trouble codes on your vehicle this is a good indication that you can be confident going into your emissions test.

If, however, the system reports present or pending trouble codes it will assist you in determining what the problem is and what needs to be done to correct it.

With this knowledge in hand you can tackle the repairs your self if your so inclined, or you can have an idea of what's wrong before you speak to your auto service professional.

Your welcome!!! CarCheckup JUST saved you the hassle and cost associated with failing your emissions test and retaking it! 

Emissions testing is handled differently in different states, so it's highly advisable to contact your local emissions testing agency, the department of motor vehicles, or the license body of your area. They can make sure you have the latest information.

The CarCheckup system requirements are actually quite simple...You simply need the following:

Supported Operating Systems

• Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)

• Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

• Windows Vista (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate)

Other Requirements:

• An internet connection is required

• a broadband connection is  HIGHLY reccomended (cable mode, DSL, etc)

• A USB port is REQUIRED

• Mouse, Monitor, Keyboard required

• Printer is optional for printing reports, etc.

Macs are not currently supported.  We think Macs are great, so supporting the Mac platform is on our developement roadmap.  In fact, some of our best programming geeks use Mac! 

If you are disapointed that it is not currently supported we welcome your feedback as we try to adapt our developement efforts to meet our users needs.

Please let us know by sending an email to help@carcheckup.com.  When you do, please include in the subject "Request for Mac Support" and include information about your hardware and the verison of OS you are running.

Linux is great too!  If you are disapointed that it is not currently supported we welcome your feedback! We try to adapt our developement efforts to meet our users needs, and your "vote" for *nix support can help determing where our developement priorities!

Please let us know by sending an email to help@carcheckup.com.  When you do, please include in the subject "Request for Linux Support" and include information about your linux flavor and version (this goes for the unix flavors too).

Macintosh Systems -

Macs are not currently supported.  We think Macs are great, so supporting the Mac platform is on our developement roadmap.  If you are disapointed that it is not currently supported we welcome your feedback as we try to adapt our developement efforts to meet our users needs.

Please let us know by sending an email to help@carcheckup.com.  When you do, please include in the subject "Request for Mac Support" and include information about your hardware and the verison of OS you are running.

Linux based systems -

Linux is great too.  If you are disapointed that it is not currently supported we welcome your feedback as we try to adapt our developement efforts to meet our users needs. 

Please let us know by sending an email to help@carcheckup.com.  When you do, please include in the subject "Request for Linux Support" and include information about your linux flavor and version (this goes for all of the unix flavors too!)

not updated.  Please check back soon.

If you have not already done so, you need to create your CarCheckup account.  You can do this by going here.

Once you have your username and password, you can log into you account by clicking on the "Log - In" sign at the top of any page.  Also, you can log in directly from the home page on the left side of the screen. 

To log in from here, Click Here.