CarDoc- Your Pocket Mechanic

Don't guess. Diagnose with the CarDoc!

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Inspiration

It started with a check engine light none of us could explain. We are three college students, with three unreliable cars, and zero budget for a mechanic. We'd been there before, stranded, stressed, and googling car symptoms at midnight hoping for answers to help us. We knew we weren't alone. Millions of people face the same problem every day, caught between a car they don't understand and a repair bill they can't afford. That frustration became our motivation. CarDoc is what we built so nobody has to feel that helpless again and now have a tool they could rely on.

What it does

CarDoc is a free, all-in-one car care platform built for everyday drivers who just want to get from point A to point B without the stress of unexpected repairs or costly mechanic visits. Accessible on any device, CarDoc gives you everything you need to understand, maintain, and repair your vehicle all in one place! Using our intuitive AI research power diagnosis tool, simply describe your issue and get clear, reliable guidance in seconds. Need to look something up? Our simple AI search feature puts thousands of car issues and solutions at your fingertips. For those who want to stay ahead of problems, our maintenance timeline keeps you organized with scheduled reminders and service history at a glance. CarDoc also features a personal Garage where you can store all your vehicles, log maintenance records, and track important details over time. Going deeper, our step by step repair guides walk you through fixes in plain language, no mechanical experience required. You can even scan your VIN to instantly pull up your vehicle's full profile and check for any active recalls that could affect your safety. And when a job is too big to tackle alone, our recommended mechanics feature connects you with trusted, nearby professionals so you always know who to call.

How we built it

CarDoc was built using Google/Gemini AI Studio, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS for a fast, clean, and modern frontend experience. Firebase powers our user authentication and real-time data storage, while Google Gemini API drives our AI-powered diagnosis tool. We integrated the NHTSA VIN Decoder API for instant vehicle lookups and recall checks, alongside the Geolocation API to connect users with nearby mechanics. Everything is bundled together with Vite and Node.js for a seamless, cross-platform experience.

Challenges we ran into

We struggled with APIs we'd never used before, to syncing Firebase, debugging errors, and designing a responsive UI from the start and building it up using AI. Every obstacle made us overall better developers and CarDoc a better website overall.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our biggest accomplishment was taking tools we'd never used before and turning them into something real. Mastering APIs, connecting every feature smoothly, and using AI to make CarDoc smart in a way not just functional is something we're really proud of.

What we learned

We came in knowing the basics and left with a whole new perspective on what's possible now. Working with APIs and LLMs showed us that AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful tool that can make everyday life easier for real people in big ways.

What's next for CarDoc- Your Pocket Mechanic

We want to grow this outside of this hackathon, working to make the GUI more smooth and faster when used. We hope to offically publish it one day as tool and hopefully debug some of the minor bugs that came up during this hackathon. We hope to grow it with more features and maybe even make it an app so it's truly on the go!

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