Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 12, 2026 · Last updated: October 13, 2026

This policy explains what data the Car Repair Cost iOS app (“Car Repair Cost”, “the app”, listed on the App Store as “Car Repair Cost: AI Estimator”) collects, why, and what you can do about it. Car Repair Cost is published by Obzena LLC, 30 N Gould St #45213, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA (“we”, “us”).

1. Data we collect

Data	Why	Linked to you?
Photos you take or choose (vehicle damage, parts, dashboard warning lights, or a repair quote)	To analyze the problem and produce a cost estimate	Processed for your request, not stored on our servers afterwards
Text you type (for example a description of a noise or symptom, or quote details)	To produce or refine your estimate	Processed for your request
Vehicle details you enter (optional: make, model, year, mileage, and VIN if you choose to scan or type it)	To match parts and labor to your vehicle	Stored with your reports; linked only to your anonymous identifier
Approximate location (optional: a city or ZIP/postal code you type, or city-level location if you tap “Use my location”)	To localize labor rates and currency	Only city/ZIP level; you can decline or change it at any time
Estimate reports (results, vehicle, date, a small thumbnail)	Your report history	Kept on your device and backed up to your anonymous account so it survives app updates
Anonymous identifier (Firebase Authentication)	To keep your reports and recognize your subscription	Yes, but it does not reveal who you are
Purchase status (via Apple and RevenueCat)	To unlock Car Repair Cost Premium and restore purchases	Linked to your anonymous identifier
Support messages (your message and the email address you write from)	To answer you	Linked to your email, only because you wrote to us
Usage and diagnostics (app events, crash reports, device model, OS and app version, approximate region from the IP address)	To keep the app working and understand which features help	Linked to your anonymous identifier (crash reports carry it so we can fix problems); not used for tracking or advertising

We do not collect your precise location, contacts, health data or advertising identifier (IDFA). The app does not ask for App Tracking Transparency permission because it does not track you.

2. How an estimate is produced

1. You take or choose one or more photos and, optionally, add vehicle details and a description.
2. The app sends them over an encrypted connection to our backend (Google Cloud Functions for Firebase). Firebase App Check verifies that the request comes from the genuine app.
3. Our backend sends the images, your description, your vehicle details and your approximate location to OpenAI's API, which returns a structured estimate (likely repairs, parts, labor and a price range). OpenAI acts as our service provider: it processes this data only to produce your estimate, and it is not used for tracking, advertising or to build a profile of you.
4. The estimate (not the original photos) is saved to your report history. A small thumbnail is kept with the report.

If you scan or enter a VIN, it may be decoded using the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public vPIC database to fill in your vehicle's make, model and year. Under OpenAI's API terms, data sent through the API is not used to train OpenAI's models. OpenAI may keep API inputs for up to 30 days to detect abuse, then deletes them.

3. How we use data

• To provide the app: estimates, report history, garage, and your subscription (App Functionality).
• To fix crashes and errors and to keep the service secure and protected from abuse.
• To understand, in aggregate, which features are used and where estimates can be improved (Analytics).
• To answer your support requests.

We do not use your data for advertising, we do not build advertising profiles, and we do not sell or rent your data.

4. Service providers

We share data only with providers that help us run the app, under their own privacy terms:

• Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Cloud Functions, App Check, Analytics, Crashlytics): firebase.google.com/support/privacy
• OpenAI (photo and text analysis): openai.com/policies/privacy-policy
• RevenueCat (subscription status): revenuecat.com/privacy
• Apple (App Store payments, App Attest / DeviceCheck for App Check): apple.com/legal/privacy

We may also disclose data if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users or of Obzena LLC.

5. Device permissions

• Camera: only to photograph your vehicle, damage, dashboard, a repair quote or a VIN when you start a scan.
• Photo library: only when you choose to analyze an existing photo.
• Location (optional): only if you tap “Use my location”; it is reduced to your city before it is used. You can type a city or ZIP/postal code instead, or skip it.

Each permission is requested only when you use the feature, and you can change it at any time in Settings → Car Repair Cost.

6. Retention and deletion

• Photos: not stored on our servers after your estimate is produced (see section 2 for OpenAI).
• Reports, vehicles and location setting: kept until you delete them. Swipe to delete a report or remove a vehicle in the app.
• Support messages: kept as long as needed to handle your request, and no longer than 24 months.
• Analytics: kept by Firebase for up to 14 months; crash reports are kept for up to 90 days.

Delete everything in the app: open Settings → Delete account and data and confirm. This immediately deletes your reports, vehicles and settings on the device, the backup of your reports and estimates on our servers, and your anonymous account. It cannot be undone.

Deleting the app removes data stored on your device only. If you can no longer open the app, or you want us to confirm the deletion, email hello@obzena.com with the subject “Car Repair Cost data deletion”, and we will delete it within 30 days. Deleting your data does not cancel a subscription; manage that in your Apple Account.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA or KVKK), you may have the right to access, correct, delete, export or restrict the processing of your personal data, and to object to processing. Because the app works without an account, please tell us the approximate dates of your estimates and your device model so we can find your anonymous record. We respond within 30 days. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.

Our legal bases (where the GDPR applies) are performance of our contract with you (providing the app and your subscription), our legitimate interests (security, crash fixing and aggregate analytics), and your consent where required (for example for optional location).

8. International transfers and security

Our providers process data in the United States and other countries. Where required, transfers rely on safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and access to our backend is restricted. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work to protect your data.

9. Children

Car Repair Cost is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you believe a child has sent us data, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes and contact

We may update this policy when the app changes. The current version is always on this page, with the date at the top. Material changes will also be noted in the app.