DIY car diagnostics for students – scan issues with your phone, fix cheap or call help.
Budget-strapped students can't find affordable mechanics for their frequently breaking old cars, lacking access to mobile repairs or reliable DIY diagnostic tools.
CarDiagStudent uses your phone camera and AI to diagnose common old car problems instantly. It provides step-by-step DIY guides or matches to the cheapest local fixers. Save hundreds by avoiding unnecessary mechanic visits.
Budget-strapped college students owning old, unreliable cars
AI tuned for 1990s-2000s beaters common in student fleets, with student-voted repair guides.
supportive
Point phone at engine/dashboard for AI diagnosis.
Generates plain-English diagnosis with confidence score.
Video/text steps for common fixes like spark plugs.
One-tap to nearby cheap mechanics.
Log past diagnostics for trends.
Links to cheap used parts on eBay/Craigslist.
Ask other students about issues.
Bluetooth OBD scanner support.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| car_model | text | Yes |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| user_id | uuid | No |
| issue | text | No |
| confidence | float | No |
| photo_url | text | Yes |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| issue_type | text | No |
| steps | text | No |
| video_url | text | Yes |
/api/scanUpload photo for AI diagnosis
/api/historyFetch user scan history
/api/guidesList guides by issue
No history
No
No
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 200 | 2% | $80 | $960 |
| Month 6 | 1,500 | 4% | $1,200 | $14,400 |
Phone scans + DIY guides save students $100s on repairs.
Share MVP link in car subreddits like r/MechanicAdvice and r/college, targeting students; run $50 FB ad to college emails; interview 10 for feedback.
Hardware accuracy
Hardware cost barrier for students
Phone-only, AI for old cars, student pricing
Data moat from student scan history improving AI.
AI vision models mature; students driving more amid public transit cuts.
AI diagnosis inaccuracy
Confidence scores + human guides
OpenAI costs
Usage limits on free tier
Success: 75% accuracy
Success: 20% upgrade rate
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