University of South Carolina alumnus Julian Sikkes, who graduated in spring 2025 with an international business degree, built a website that uses AI to help diagnose car issues and provide ways to fix them.
He created MechanicAid to provide an easy way for people to get accurate and timely information, reducing the need for expensive mechanic visits, he said. Sikkes also said it provides step-by-step guides for repairs, making it accessible for anyone who wants to use it. Users type what is wrong with their vehicles, and then the AI uses that information to provide a diagnosis.
The website helps diagnose check engine lights, strange noises, performance issues and more. The diagnostic system “combines machine learning with automotive engineering expertise for reliable results,” according to the MechanicAid website. The site states its AI is trained on “millions of real repair cases, manufacturer service data” and “technical service bulletins” to make sure the information is accurate.
According to the website, over 10,000 people have used the tool. Sikkes said, on its busiest day, around 175 people were using the site.
The idea came about after he had issues with his brake rotors and had to go to a mechanic.
"I had some car trouble, and then the mechanics quoted me a price to repair my car for more than I paid for the car," Sikkes said.
He then went to a forum for his car brand, and someone responded in 20 minutes with an easier way to fix the car.
"Why do I have to go online, go to a forum and then hope that somebody replies something that makes sense?" Sikkes said. "That's when I was like, 'Maybe I should just create an AI where, if I want to repair my car, or I don't know what's going on, it can tell me exactly what I have to do."
Darla Moore School of Business associate professor Joel Wooten's innovative and design class involved a competition in which students tested their business ideas, Sikkes said.
Wooten said the students used an AI coding program called Lovable to create the website. A few sites the professor saw in the class last year involved social calendars, pets and travel planning, he said.
Wooten advised his students to create a website that played into their individual interests.
"There's never going to be a better time than right now to start experimenting with tools," Wooten said.
He added that, with the capabilities of AI now, the process of coding is easier for students that do not have a specialization in coding.
"I think that has opened up a lot of paths to generate successful businesses and bring (their) ideas to life," Wooten said.
However, one local mechanic questioned the use of AI as a car diagnostic tool over a real person.
Drake Williams, owner of Columbia RPM Mobile Mechanic, has been a mechanic there for 30 years. The shop does in-person repairs as well as take mobile calls, Williams said. According to Speed Wrench, an automobile repair service, mobile mechanics come to a customer’s location with the equipment needed to diagnose the issue.
Williams said both methods of diagnostics (in-person and AI) go through the same process.
"But maybe with the human ingenuity, we tend to look ahead a little bit quicker,” Williams said.
Regarding mobile calls, he said they are somewhat difficult since customers are not always going to find what they’re looking for, so their vehicles would get towed to the shop.
"But on the other hand, being mobile, I enjoy it because I see the satisfaction in a lot of my customers. They appreciate the fact that we come out, don't really interrupt their life that much," Williams said.
He said he would choose person-to-person over AI assistance.
"You can look someone in their face and let them know, 'Hey, this is what you need,' or you can explain it to them," Williams said.
However, Sikkes said he’s heard horror stories involving in-person visits.
"I think almost any car owner can say that whenever they go to a garage, they feel scammed," Sikkes said .
One of Sikkes' goals is for people to "have the ability to arm themselves with information" on the repairs they need, he said.
He added that people he spoke to in class said they still call their fathers when they have car issues, since they do not want to feel taken advantage of by mechanics.
"That's something MechanicAid can help you with because it allows you to diagnose your car problems, and then it also tells you exactly what you need to fix," Sikkes said. "It allows you to not be scammed as much as possible because you know exactly what's happening to your car."
Sikkes said the MechanicAid site is easy to use, and people do not need to make an account or pay for anything.
"It's very accessible to anyone," Sikkes said. "So my advice is just to go out and try it ."
Anyone can go to https://mechanicaid.com/ to check out its features.