FAQs

Please visit our Contact Us page for any information that you require. For any other details, please find a compilation of some queries regarding our services that we often receive from our friends, associates and patrons.

Cai

Will it work with my car?
Cai is compatible with all OBD-II compliant cars. Usually cars manufactured after 2008 should be compatible.

Can I install it myself?
Yes Cai is designed to be a plug and play application. It will take less than a minute to install Cai.

How do I install the Cai OBD-II dongle?
The Bluetooth 4.0 dongle plugs into the OBD port in your car. It is a standard port (trapezoidal shaped) available in all cars manufactured after 2008. It is located below/around your steering column or sometimes in the passenger side Glove Box.

Will it affect my car or its warranty?
No. Cai is certified to be safe to use with all cars and will not affect your car warranty or its health in any way. The purpose of the OBD port on your car is to provide you with access to the car’s on-board computer.

What is an Activation Code?
It is a unique code assigned to a user to authorize his/her App in their Smartphone.

What happens if my phone isn’t in the car when I take a Drive with the Bluetooth dongle plugged-in?CarNET would not have received any data and hence will not calculate any drive statistics. There shall be no engine monitoring either. EngineCAL is working towards bringing in the new generation of Bluetooth 4.0 dongles with logging capability.

What’s CarNET?
CarNET is the name of EngineCAL’s Connected Cars Cloud. This is where all the complex algorithms are processing engine data from your car to monitor your engine’s health and true service schedule. Cai communicates with CarNET to pull all engine statistics such as torque at flywheel, mileage, service details etc. Please be sure to fill in all your car service details in CarNET for Cai to work effectively. You will receive a username and password for accessing CarNET.

I am about to change cars – can I take my Cai device with me?
Yes you can. Your subscription is based on your phone’s unique ID. Just plug it into the OBD port, go to Settings in your app, perform a new vehicle setup for your new car. and off you go! Don’t forget to update CarNET too. And yes, you have to calibrate again for your new car.

Can I delete drives?
To ensure that the cloud based algorithms are accurate, a lot of learning happens from your vehicle. We need to keep the data intact for the engine health monitoring cycle.

How much data does Cai use on my phone?
Cai’s data usage is minimal. Depending on the amount of driving you do, the usual data usage is 75MB per month.

Where is my data stored?
Cai stores data in the CarNET – please see our data privacy policy for more details on the privacy page. Remember to get your username & password for logging into CarNET. In CarNET you can also see all your drive statistics and drive-locations. Your location data will not be shared with anyone and can only be viewed in your personal mobile phone and on CarNET using only the login credentials provided to you. It is a feature for you to track your drive. You can always switch off locations via your phone settings if you do not require this feature of Cai and CarNET.

How does Cai improve my efficiency?
Cai was designed to assist a driver real-time such that Eva (Engine & Vehicle Analytics also your in-car assistant) can guide you to use the accelerator pedal in an efficient manner coupled with the right gear (if equipped with manual transmission). The gear management and fuelling algorithms in Cai were developed after careful analysis of the Automotive Legislation’s Emission Driving Cycle where each take-off and acceleration contributes to the overall emissions. If you can beat our smart phone application by not hearing any audio warnings/advice you will definitely see an improvement in your fuel consumption and your engine’s overall performance. Cai streams all engine related data to our cloud where our analytics keep a check on your engine’s health.

For the most accurate statistics and best results for your engine’s overall health, please drive with Cai right from the point you crank the engine. That means you press ‘Play’ on the HUD at ‘Ignition ON’ mode and not just after the engine has been started. We check many aspects even during the point the starter motor engages with the Flywheel. Yes, no kidding.

I share my car with my partner – does she/he sign up themselves and link to the same device?
For now, Cai works with 1 device (phone of the subscriber) per car. You will have to buy another subscription for your partner’s phone.

I have an iOS phone – will the product still work?
iOS is a priority for us. We are aiming to have the iOS app released as early as possible.

I have some questions about this device before I buy – who can answer them?
You’ll find answers to most of your questions here in the FAQs. If the answer to your question isn’t there, you can email us at support@enginecal.com.

How safe is my data?
Data security is of utmost priority at Cai and you can be sure your data is safe with us. Our data privacy policy is available in the Privacy page.

What phones does it work on?
Cai works on all Android 4.0 and above versions. Caiwill soon be available as an iOS app.

 How does Cai make my driving safer?
Cai is equipped with a programmable maximum vehicle speed warning. You can choose the speed at which you would want to be warned. You will find the option under Alerts in the Settings page. This, together with our fuelling algorithm will assist you to drive smoothly and efficiently.

Does Cai work on motorcycles/mopeds?
The Cai App is designed for cars only, and does not work on motorcycles, mopeds or scooters.

Performance Tuning

Will my mileage be affected?
Your vehicle’s fuel consumption, depending on the Calibration that we jointly select, can improve by as much as 8-10% as long as your driving style is not altered after the power upgradation.

Will it damage my powertrain in any way?
The EngineCAL calibration philosophy stands for performance with reliability. Engine and Fuel Injection system design limits are always kept a close track on when we work on the machine entrusted to us. You shall not see any premature wear of any of your engine components with EngineCAL calibration.

What about the MECU itself?
The MECU is a TÜV certified product and comes with a warranty to affirm its performance in our road and environmental conditions. It is a robust unit with an all metal casing. It is in line with present ECU engineering and production methods and comes with a multilayer printed circuit, installed with Surface Mount (SM) components. In the rare event of a MECU malfunction it will power off and allow normal engine functioning.

What about installation, is it difficult?
The installation is easy because there is no need for cutting or twisting cables. All types of MECUs come with their respective standard male and female connectors for easy connection. It can be easily removed by the vehicle owner himself/herself.

Can a Diagnostic Tester pick up the presence of the MECU?
No it cannot. A Diagnostic Tester communicates with the Engine ECU to pick up all registered errors in the ECU memory. Additionally, certain precautions are taken when installing the EngineCAL MECU to ensure no ‘Open Load’ Error is registered by the engine ECU.

Will my vehicle’s maintenance cost go up?
No it will not. With the EngineCAL calibration philosophy of optimized performance and reliability, undue engine stress due to the added power is negated. Your regular service and maintenance schedule will not change with the installation of the MECU.

Is there any way to turn off the MECU without removing it from the engine bay? I especially don’t want it ON when my chauffeur is driving.
All EngineCAL MECUs come with a wireless remote control for switching from stock to performance mode and vice versa. The remote comes with all MECU’s and is not an additional component.