OBD Reader or Scanner choice
August 15th, 2009 | 
Author: 
What OBD II reader should I go for?
I have a 2000 Subaru legacy and the check engine light came on. This has happened before so I took it to the dealer and they told me that the gas cap had come loose, and it wasn’t a big problem. The light came on again, and I don’t want to pay the dealer $100 for diagnostics, when a cheap odb reader costs less. There is one at Kragen for $70, but it seems kinda cheep considering that “pro” readers are thousands. What are the differences between these price points? Any suggestions on what kind of a reader to get? Would a USB reader be any better than one that just gives a print out code? Do all readers work, or do I need a reader for imports?
A Code Reader does just that, it reads the code(s). Some might even tell you what the code description is.
What they do not do is give you diagnostic tips describing what needs to be done to determine why the code was set or what to do to go about fixing it. Code readers also don’t provide real-time performance data, relevant TSB’s etc, etc, etc.
That’s what you pay the big-bucks at the dealer/local shop for. The tools and the experience and expertise to use them.
I should add that last year one of my junior mechanics, who was on a tight budget, opted for a $200 code reader instead of spending several thousand dollars on a diagnsotic scanner. After a couple of months he sold the code reader. He found it next to useless as a diagnostic tool, even with all of the other diagnostic tools, software and data we had in the shop to add extra help.
If you just want your codes read, take the car to a parts store that does it for free. Don’t spend the money on a code reader.
Car PC Project in Celica 2/3
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