The Simple Version
Think about how a doctor uses a stethoscope. They know what a healthy heart sounds like, and they can hear when something's off. They also consider your age, medical history, and current symptoms before making a diagnosis.
We do the same thing for your car's engine. We listen to it, compare what we hear to what a healthy version of that exact engine should sound like, factor in things like mileage and temperature, and then tell you if something needs attention.
The difference? A mechanic might miss subtle changes that happen gradually. Our AI catches patterns that human ears can't detect — often months before a problem becomes serious (and expensive).
Sound → AI Analysis → Clear Report
Why This Matters
⚠️ The Current Problem
Your car's computer (OBD system) only triggers a warning light after something has already failed or gone significantly wrong. For example, a worn timing chain won't trigger a code until it's stretched so far that it causes engine damage — at which point you're looking at thousands in repairs.
✅ Our Solution
By listening to your engine's sounds, we can detect wear and developing problems before they trigger any warning lights. This gives you time to schedule maintenance on your terms, not when you're stranded on the side of the road.
How It Actually Works
No PhD required. Here's what happens when you use Techanic to check your engine.
You Record the Sound
Hold your phone near the engine while it's running at idle. The app guides you to record from 3 specific spots (about 10 seconds each) — near the top of the engine, near the timing chain/belt area, and near the exhaust.
We Turn Sound Into a Picture
Your phone's microphone picks up sounds you can't consciously hear — tiny vibrations, subtle rattles, minute timing differences. We convert this audio into a visual pattern called a "spectrogram" — essentially a fingerprint of your engine's sound.
AI Compares It to "Healthy"
Here's where it gets clever. We've trained an AI on thousands of recordings from healthy engines of the same type as yours. The AI has learned what "normal" sounds like for your specific engine family.
When we feed your recording in, the AI tries to recreate it based on what it knows about healthy engines. If your engine sounds healthy, the recreation will be nearly identical. If something's off, there will be differences — and those differences tell us what might be wrong.
We Adjust for Real-World Factors
A car with 100,000 miles is going to sound different from the same car with 10,000 miles — that's just normal wear. A cold engine sounds different from a warm one. An engine that's been driven hard sounds different from one that's been babied.
We pull data from your car's computer (via a $20 Bluetooth OBD adapter) to understand these factors: mileage, temperature, how the car has been driven. Then we adjust our "what's normal" baseline accordingly.
If Something's Off, We Identify It
If the AI detects an anomaly — a sound pattern that doesn't match what a healthy engine should produce — a second AI kicks in. This one has been trained specifically to identify different types of problems: timing chain wear, bearing issues, valve problems, and more.
It tells us not just "something's wrong" but "here's what it probably is."
We Double-Check with Your Car's Computer
Before we tell you anything, we cross-reference our audio findings with data from your car's sensors. For example, if we hear signs of bearing wear, we check if the oil pressure is also low (which would confirm it). If the audio says one thing but the sensors say everything's normal, we flag it for extra review.
This prevents false alarms and gives you a diagnosis you can actually trust.
What Makes This Different
Other apps read error codes. We actually listen to your engine.
Works with Your Phone
No expensive equipment needed. Your smartphone's microphone is sensitive enough to capture the sounds we need. Just add a $20 OBD Bluetooth adapter for the full experience.
Adapts to Age & Mileage
Unlike other systems that cry wolf on older cars, we understand that engines change over time. We adjust our expectations based on your car's specific history.
Catches Problems Early
Detects developing issues before they trigger warning lights — often months before they'd become serious. Preventive maintenance is always cheaper than emergency repairs.
Built-In Reality Check
We don't just trust our ears. Every diagnosis is cross-referenced with hard data.
Audio Analysis
AI-powered sound pattern recognition trained on thousands of engines
OBD Sensor Data
Real-time readings from your car's own sensors and computer
Cross-Validation
Audio findings must match sensor data before we confirm a diagnosis
Confidence Scoring
Every result includes a confidence level so you know how certain we are
What We Can Detect
Problems that would otherwise require an expensive mechanic visit to diagnose.
Timing Chain Wear
Bearing Problems
Valve Train Issues
Exhaust Leaks
Piston Slap
Fuel Injector Faults
Combustion Issues
Belt Wear
Patent-Pending Technology
Application No. 63/917,287 • Filed November 2025
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