Founded 2023 · Austin, TX
GLO Auto started in a garage off East Cesar Chavez when one of the founders got tired of paying a tuner shop $400 to install $60 worth of LED strips. The install required dropping the dash, fuse tapping, and splicing into a wire that — if done wrong — would set off a check engine light. There had to be a better way.
There was. The OBD-II diagnostic port. Every car since 1996 has one, it's powered by the same 12V system as your accessories, and it's already wired for "stuff plugs in here." We built a controller that pulls signal from the port, hosts the LED brain, and routes power to four independent zones — no splicing required.
Car culture isn't just for people with $80K builds. Your daily driver should feel like yours. Whether it's a Civic, a Camry, or a 2014 Forester, you should be able to turn your interior into something that matches the energy of whoever's in it.
We spent eight months getting the controller right. The first prototype caused random check engine lights on Subarus. The second one drained batteries overnight. The third one is what we ship today: sub-5mA sleep current, automotive-grade SMD LEDs (not the cheap consumer kind that dim in 6 months), and a controller that's been load-tested in 40+ vehicle makes.
The app took another four months. We wanted music sync that actually feels synced, not flickering noise. We wanted scenes that save. We wanted it to work offline. It does.
22,000+ kits installed in driveways from Vermont to Hawaii. A 4.7-star average from 6,400+ verified reviews. Featured on a couple of car-tok accounts we won't name-drop and used as the in-house ambient lighting at one tuning shop in Houston (they switched from a $200 competitor).
If you're new here, welcome to the glow-up. If you're back for a second kit because your friend wouldn't stop bringing yours up, thank you. Word of mouth is how we got here.
— The GLO Auto team