OBD-II DTC Code Decoder & Repair Cost Lookup 🔧

Turn check-engine trouble codes into ranked repair plans. Feed this Actor a list of OBD-II DTC codes — P0420, P0171, P0300 — and get back what each code means, the 3–5 most likely fixes ranked by probability, a DIY difficulty rating, aftermarket parts-cost ranges (USD), labor-hour estimates, step-by-step instructions, and matching replacement parts with catalog search URLs.

Powered by MechanicDB: this Actor carries the 9,249 SAE-universal codes — the ones that mean the same thing on every vehicle — with 32,767 ranked repair procedures and 44,588 parts mappings. No scraping, no external calls, instant results.

Manufacturer-specific codes (P1xxx, C1/C2, B1/B2, U1/U2) mean different things on different brands. Those 6,637 codes across 32 makes are part of MechanicDB OEM Complete — pass one here and you get a row telling you so, with the make list and where to license it.

What this DTC decoder does

• 🚗 Decodes every SAE-universal code — P0xxx, P2xxx, P34x–P39x, and the B0/C0/U0/U3 ranges: the codes that mean the same thing whatever you drive.
• 🎯 Never guesses — a manufacturer-range code means different things on different brands, so instead of inventing an answer this Actor returns an honest found: false naming the 32 makes OEM Complete covers.
• 🧰 Ranked repair ladder — rank 1 = the most common root cause first, so you check the $10 fix before the $1,500 one.
• 💰 Cost intelligence — parts-cost min/max (USD) and labor hours per fix (editorial estimates for US aftermarket parts and independent-shop labor).
• 🔩 Parts included — 1–3 aftermarket parts per fix with ready-made catalog search URLs.
• ⚡ Offline & deterministic — the dataset ships inside the Actor; a 100-code batch decodes in seconds.

Output — one row per (code, ranked fix)

Field	Description
dtc_code, oem_make, scope	The code, its make (empty for SAE-universal), sae/oem
short_description	What the code means
detailed_technical_explanation	How the ECM detects it and what typically causes it
fault_family, system_category	Diagnosis grouping + Powertrain/Chassis/Body/Network
probability_rank, fix_title	1 = most likely root cause
difficulty_level	Easy DIY / Moderate DIY / Professional Required
est_parts_cost_min_usd, est_parts_cost_max_usd, est_labor_hours	Cost matrix
step_by_step_instructions	•-separated repair steps
parts, parts_names	Aftermarket parts + catalog search URLs
found, reason, oem_tier_makes, upgrade_url	Honest misses: invalid codes and manufacturer-range codes explain themselves
dataset_version, source	Provenance

Export as CSV, JSON, Excel, or via API.

Input

{
  "codes": ["P0420", "P0171", "P0300", "Ford:P1000", "Toyota:P1155"],
  "make": "",
  "onlyTopFix": false,
  "includeParts": true
}

onlyTopFix returns just the rank-1 repair per code. make (e.g. "Ford", or a per-code "BMW:P1083" prefix) only affects manufacturer-range codes — it makes their upgrade pointer name the brand.

Use cases

• OBD-II scanner apps & dongles — code → explanation → ranked fixes without building a database.
• Repair-estimate and shop software — difficulty, parts-cost, and labor-hour matrices per code.
• AI mechanic co-pilots / RAG — structured, provenance-tracked diagnostic context.
• Fleet triage — batch-decode fault lists and sort by cost or difficulty.

FAQ

Where does the data come from? Code-to-definition mappings are compiled from an MIT-licensed SAE J2012-derived public compilation (attribution preserved); explanations, ranked fixes, difficulty tiers, and cost estimates are MechanicDB's original editorial content, built by a deterministic, test-gated pipeline with anti-template and no-fabricated-codes gates.

Are the costs quotes? No — they're editorial estimates for typical US aftermarket parts and independent-shop labor, meant for triage and ballparking.

What about codes the dataset doesn't have? You still get a row: found: false with the reason, and for manufacturer-range codes, the makes OEM Complete covers plus a link to license it.

Can I get the whole thing as a ready-made dataset? Yes — the full MechanicDB (CSV + Parquet + SQLite, commercial license, instant download) is available at mechanicdb.dataengineered.io, with a free 90-code sample (SAE + OEM) on GitHub and Kaggle.

⚠️ Safety: repair steps are educational reference material, not a substitute for the vehicle manufacturer's service manual. High-voltage (hybrid/EV) and SRS/airbag procedures must only be performed by qualified technicians.

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Keywords: OBD-II decoder, DTC lookup, check engine light, trouble code database, car diagnostic API, P0420 fix, repair cost estimate, automotive repair data, OEM diagnostic codes, mechanic API.