Buying A Good OBD Autoscanner
July 17th, 2010 | 
Author: What To Look For When Buying A Diagnostic Autoscanner
First of all, my background is as an electronics technician and engineer. I have designed electronic control circuitry for textile mills that used the same principles found in automotive computers. I got fascinated by automotive computers when my local dealership was unable to fix a problem that caused the check engine light to repeatedly come on.
Before buying a scanner, I read everything I could get my hands on, about automotive computers and looked very closely at the different scanner choices available.
Nothing prepared me for what this scanner actually does. The main 3 automotive manufacturers all build some diagnostics into their computers.
This scanner will let you take advantage of any other on-board diagnostics that exists. If you own a Ford product, the on-board computer and this scanner will perform a very impressive range of diagnostics that nobody else has mentioned in their reviews, and product descriptions don’t describe, such as a ‘wiggle test’ to see if you have a bad connector between a sensor and the on-board computer, checking the spark plugs and spark plug wires and overall cylinder performance. It will activate individual solenoids, to diagnose that kind of problems. It will help diagnose air conditioning problems, overloading of the transmission, and many other situations that were much more than I was led to expect by reading the product descriptions and reviews. I must make it clear that Ford products seem to be the only ones listed as having such a wide range of diagnostics, although GM and Chrysler additional diagnostics were described. This Scanner seems to be able to work with whatever diagnostics are available.
I had planned to connect it to each of my vehicles and take sensor readings before I had problems, to help me spot anything out of range when a problem occurred. It turns out that I didn’t need to. It already has normal ranges for just about any make and model of car or light truck, including Asian or European.
I was blown away. Tell this scanner what make and model you are connecting it to, and already has a wide library of information available to compare with what you are seeing, tell you if anything is out of range, and make use of whatever on-board computer diagnostics are available.
Finally, the Amazon price seems to be the low price anywhere. You can easily pay $400 for this scanner, elsewhere. Also, I compared it with the Snap On $800 shop scanner and the only thing the Snap On does, which this doesn’t, is display very specific diagnostic steps necessary to pinpoint problems. That, however, is the same information you can get from other places, and much of it is for free.
This is an excellent choice for anyone.
By M. Pitoniak
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TRENDnet USB to RS-232 Serial Converter TU-S9 (White) $9.06 Connect a RS-232 serial device such as a modem to a USB portEasy installation with universal plug-and-playSupports multiple operating systems USB 1.1 pliantSupports RS-232 serial interfaceSupports up to 500kbps data transfer rateDetects USB suspend conditionWindows and Mac pliantInstall as a standard Windows COM port full RS-232 modem control signals RS-232 data signals; TxD RxD RTS CTS DSR DTR DC… |
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CarMD 2100 Vehicle Health System and Diagnostic Code Reader for OBDII Vehicles $93.99 This product offers peace of mind for anyone who has ever worried about car maintenance and repairs. The easy-to-use device, which fits inside a purse or glove compartment, empowers drivers to monitor their vehicles health. The CarMD tool can be used to quick-check an unlimited number of vehicles. Within seconds, its color-coded (green, yellow, red) vehicle health monitor LED’s tell you if your ve… |
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Hewlett Packard Laserjet CE866A Wireless Color Printer with Scanner and Copier $455.00 The HP Pro 100 CE866A LaserJet Multifunction Color Printer is Ideal for home office and small-business customers who want a low-priced, compact color laser MFP, wireless and Ethernet connectivity, mobile printing options, and features that help conserve energy. The HP Pro 100 CE866A LaserJet Multifunction Color Printer Produce professional-quality, and easily prints, scans and copies, using HP’s s… |
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Total OBD & ECU Auto Diagnostics Software $197.00 Quickly, Easily and Safely Communicate With Your Car’s OBD I & II System and Tune or Remap It’s ECU Chip – Just Like the $150/h Professional Mechanics Would Do… =========== TOTAL OBD & ECU Auto Diagnostics(TM) is a DVD that’s jam-packed with dozens of the most advanced, comprehensive and powerful “car-manufacturer-approved” OBD software applications that’ll let you diagnose … |
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BAFX Brand – ELM327 BLUETOOTH – OBDII OBD2 DIAGNOSTIC SCANNER – CAN ELM 327 SCANTOOL – CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAR CODE READER $23.99 Features The program lets you perform the following operations: ?Read diagnostic trouble codes, both generic and manufacturer-specific , and display their meaning (over 3000 generic code definitions in the database). ?Clear trouble codes and turn off the MIL (“Check Engine” light) ?Display current sensor data, including: |
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Autel MaxiScan MS300 CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool for OBDII Vehicles $17.99 Display: Backlit LCD, 2-line, 8 characters Operating Temperature: 0 to 50 C (32 to 122 F) Storage Temperature: -20 to 70 C (-4 to 158 F) Power: 10.0 to 15.5 Volts provided via vehicle battery Dimensions: Length Width Height 113 mm ( 4.4″) ???74 mm ( 2.9″) 21mm (0.83″) NW: 0.25 Kg(0.45lb), GW: 0.27Kg(0.50lb)… |
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Soliport ELM 327 Bluetooth OBDII OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner $11.31 * Works with all OBD-II compliant vehicles * Wireless (Bluetooth) * Software included for Windows PC * Software included for Windows Smartphone * ISO15765-4 (CAN) * ISO14230-4 (KWP2000) * ISO9141-2 * J1850 VPW * J1850 PWM Note: pls be sure that your car compatible with these agreement before you buy Functions: * Read diagnostic trouble codes, both generic and manufacturer-specific, and dis… |
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ELM 327 USB CAN-BUS Automotive Vehicle Car Diagnostic Interface Code Scanner ELM327 OBD-II OBD2 $18.30 Description: This program is very user-friendly, and easy to learn. Allows you to use your PC and a hardware interface to get the information from your car’s computer. It is also very easy to install: simply extract the files into a folder on your computer’s hard drive, and you’re ready to go. To uninstall the program, simply delete the entire contents of the folder where the program resides. Soft… |
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Automotive Vehicle Car Diagnostic Interface Scanner CAS0804 Code Reader Tools $39.99 The CAS0804 code reader supports all OBD2 protocols,including the newly released Controller Area Network(CAN) protocol. Though it is small, it is able to retrieve same information as large expensive scannersFeatures: Works with all 1996 and newer vehicles that are OBD2 compliant(including 11bit CAN and 29bit CAN) Reads and Clears generic and manufacturer specific Diagnostic Trouble Codes(DTCs) and… |
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Slim USB VAG K+can 1.4 Commander Full OBD Obdii 2 Interface Diagnostic Equipment What Can You Do with This Interface: Monitor and Log dozens of real time parameters; Check and clear engine fault codes before going to an expensive auto shop; Adjust the timing and idle; Power balance testing; Reset the self-learn codes; Control idle air valves, relays (AC, fans, etc), timing; Diagnose customer vehicles on-site; Speed up troubleshooting of electronically monitored components; No … |
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