Quick Start Guide

Is that calibration really needed? Get an answer with its source.

TrueCal runs on your phone like any other app. Enter the vehicle and the repair that was done, say which sensors are on the car and which ones the shop is charging for, and TrueCal tells you whether each calibration is required, not required or self-learning. Every answer shows the manufacturer's own sentence and a link to the document, so you can check it yourself.

1Build the knowledge base

2New check

3Read the ruling

4Report

Set up (once)

On your phone, open Chrome or Safari and go to the TrueCal address you were given.
Tap the Share button (or the browser menu) and choose Add to Home Screen. TrueCal now opens like an app.
When asked, tap Allow for the camera (scanning VINs and taking photos) and the microphone (dictating notes).

Everything stays on your phone. Your checks, photos and review answers are saved on the device as you go. Only the VIN is sent out, to the free US government VIN lookup, and that needs internet.

Step 1 — Build the knowledge base

TrueCal only gives answers that a person has checked. Before the first check, review the findings it has collected from manufacturer documents. You can do a few now and more later.

Open the menu ☰ and tap Review findings. Each card shows one sentence found in a manufacturer document.

Tap Open the source ↗ and find that sentence in the document.
Check the boxes under it: the make, the repair, the sensors it applies to, and the result. Fix any that are wrong. Add years if the document limits them.
Tap ✓ Yes — factual, keep to make it a rule, or ✗ No — hide it if it isn't.

Skip for now moves on without deciding. Undo last takes back your last answer. The Kept and Hidden tabs list your answers; you can hide a kept one or restore a hidden one at any time. Nothing is ever deleted.

Say Yes only if all four are true

The source is the manufacturer (or an industry body quoting it), not a blog or forum.
The exact sentence says it. If you have to guess, say No.
The vehicle matches: the make, and the model years if the document names them.
There is a date or version on the document. If not, you can still keep it, but be cautious.

A review card showing a quote, source link and the boxes to check — A finding to review: the sentence, a link to the source, and the boxes to check.

When in doubt, say No. A hidden finding only means TrueCal says Unverified for that case. It never gives a wrong answer from something you rejected.

Step 2 — Check a claim

From the home screen tap + New check.

1Describe the vehicle

Enter the Claim / RO # and your name. For the VIN, tap the barcode icon inside the VIN box and point the camera at the barcode (usually on the sticker inside the driver's door). TrueCal reads it, checks it, and fills in the year, make, model and trim. If the scan won't work, tap Use a photo or Type VIN.

Compare with the car. The VIN lookup is very good but not perfect, and it never overwrites what you typed without asking.

The vehicle card with the VIN scan icon inside the VIN box — The icon inside the VIN box starts the scanner.

2Say what was done

Choose the repair (for example Front bumper R&I, Windshield replacement or Wheel alignment).

In the sensor list, tick On vehicle for each sensor the car has. Tick On shop quote for each calibration the shop is charging for. The VIN lookup may pre-tick sensors that are standard equipment; confirm them on the car.

Under Conditions, tick anything that applies, such as Sensor or bracket disturbed. Enter the model too: the I-CAR lookup needs it.

3Add evidence (optional)

Tap 📷 Add photo to attach pictures, and Dictate note or type in the Notes box.

4Get the ruling

Tap Get ruling.

The repair, sensors and conditions card — Tick what is on the vehicle and what the shop quoted.

Step 3 — Read the ruling

Each sensor gets one card. It shows the result, the exact quote from the manufacturer, and a link to the source with the date. Tap the link to read the original.

Result	Meaning
● Calibration required	The manufacturer (or I-CAR's matrix, if marked so) says to calibrate. The method (static, dynamic or both) is shown when the source states it.
○ Not required	The manufacturer says no calibration is needed for this repair, often "unless the sensor or bracket was disturbed".
◐ Self-learning	The system recalibrates itself in normal driving.
? Unverified	No reviewed source covers this vehicle, sensor and repair. This does not mean calibration is unnecessary. Ask the shop or the manufacturer. If you get a requirement from the shop or a dealer, tap Add our own record to save it with a reference. It is always labelled not OEM-verified, and a manufacturer source overrides it.

If you ticked On shop quote, each card also compares the quote with the ruling:

Label	Meaning
MATCH	Required, and the shop quoted it.
CHALLENGE	The shop quoted it, but the ruling says it is not required. Ask the shop to justify it.
MISSING	Required, but not on the quote.
ASK FOR PROOF	Quoted, but there is no source either way.

A ruling card with the manufacturer's quote and source link — A ruling: result, the manufacturer's sentence, the source link and the quote comparison.

Step 4 — Report and share

On the ruling screen tap Report. The report lists the vehicle, each ruling with its quote, the sources with dates, your notes and photos, and a disclaimer.

Share sends a text summary (or copies it, on a computer).
Print / PDF makes a printable page you can save as a PDF to challenge or confirm a shop's quote.
Edit on the ruling screen lets you change the check and get a new ruling.

Past checks are on the home screen under Recent checks, and See all lets you search by VIN, claim, make or model.

The printable report — The report you can share or print.

Good to know

Where the rules come from. First TrueCal checks the rules entered from manufacturer documents (Honda and Acura aiming job aids, GM, Nissan, Subaru and Volvo statements). If a sensor has none, and the lookup service is running, TrueCal checks I-CAR's public calibration matrix for that exact vehicle. Each ruling shows the exact sentence, a link, and a Basis line saying where it came from.
The I-CAR lookup needs the TrueCal lookup service. It runs on a computer, not on the plain website, so on the plain website sensors with no rule stay Unverified. Ask whoever runs TrueCal if it is turned on.
What I-CAR results mean. A listed repair is shown as Required, from I-CAR's matrix. If I-CAR lists nothing, the sensor stays Unverified, and the card shows what I-CAR does list. "No requirement found" means the manufacturer's manual doesn't say, not that none is needed. For some vehicles, such as a Mercedes E-Class, I-CAR only says to use the manufacturer's scan tool.
Coverage is still incomplete. I-CAR's matrix covers 2016 and newer vehicles and is not complete. Honda and Acura rules are the most detailed. When nothing is found, the app links to I-CAR's page for that make and its ADAS articles.
A rule applies to every model and year of its make unless the document names years or models and you entered them in the review.
Always confirm against current manufacturer service information before approving or denying a calibration. TrueCal is informational.
Works offline for saved rules and past checks. The VIN lookup needs internet.

If something doesn't work

Problem	Try this
Everything says Unverified	No rules have been kept yet, none match that make, sensor and repair, or the I-CAR lookup service isn't running. Open Review findings and keep some, check the make and repair, and ask whoever runs TrueCal about the lookup service.
"I-CAR has no model called…"	I-CAR names models differently (for example E-Class instead of E-450). Tap the closest model in the list shown.
VIN scan won't read	Hold steady with the barcode filling the frame, try Use a photo, or type the VIN. Not every VIN has a barcode (the dashboard plate usually doesn't).
Year, make and model didn't fill in	The lookup needs internet and doesn't know every VIN. Enter them by hand.
Camera or microphone doesn't start	Check the browser's permission for TrueCal in your phone's settings.
App looks out of date	Menu ☰ → Check for updates.

Privacy

Checks, photos and your review answers are stored only on your phone. TrueCal sends the VIN (not your name, claim number or photos) to the free US government VIN decoder to fill in the vehicle. Export review decisions in the menu saves your yes / no answers to a file you can keep or share.