Automotive Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner

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An Update on 3 Automakers: Nissan, Ford, Toyota

Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, recently said, in a speech in Washington, Nissan Motor Co. will offer a diesel version of its Maxima sedan in 2010. It will be powered by a Renault-designed engine.

While fuel prices rise, fuel economy and emissions rules would continue to toughen around the world. Ghosn explained the decision to introduce the car was partly based on this belief. He said the Maxima diesel will get an estimated 30% better fuel economy than the gasoline version.

Still to mention Nissan, according to the first-quarter 2007 model-year Global Quality Research System report by the RDA Group, the automaker together with Toyota has the same quality of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Some reports say consumers might not believe it. But that was revealed by the said market research firm based in Bloomfield Hills.

For every 1,000 vehicles, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury brands had 1,456 problems. Nissan and Toyota, on the other hand, had 1,457 and 1,453 problems, respectively.

The RDA Group’s report, released in the middle part of this week, surveyed more than 30,000 new owners of 2007 model-year vehicles after three months of purchasing them from the car dealers.

The survey did not include the owners of the newest 2008 vehicles, such as the Ford Edge or the new Ford Super Duty, as the research’s population size. But new vehicles like the 2007 Ford Expedition and Fusion helped float the results. Ford stopped selling the said pickup temporarily to fix a problem that caused flames to shoot out the exhaust system of some units. Ford also delayed delivery of the Edge late last year to ensure top-level quality of the product.

On a brighter side, Ford Motor Co. said this week it had reached a preliminary agreement to sell three glass plants as the automaker looks to shed its unprofitable Automotive Components Holdings group.

The company said it reached a “memorandum of understanding” with Glass Products for plants in Nashville, Tenn., Tulsa, Okla., and its Vidriocar unit in Juarez, Mexico. ACH Glass operations employ about 1,600 and supplied glass for about 2.7 million vehicles last year.

Still on a brighter side, Ford Motor Co., according to Bennie Fowler, Ford’s vice president for global quality, reduced its corporate problems by 8%, better than the overall industry improvement of 2%. He further said the company’s improved quality will have a very vital role in their future marketing strategies.

Toyota, on the other hand, seems to have problems on Georgia Emission tests.

Some reports say Toyota is soaring high in eco-friendliness with its Prius hybrid car. However, this seems to be ironic for Georgia emission testing equipment. Toyota Prius hybrids are now being required to go through emission testing to complete yearly registration procedures. But these fail the test.

The emissions test requires that a probe be placed in the vehicle’s exhaust pipe to measure the particulates emitted while the engine is idle or at the use of OBD-II to test 1996 and newer vehicles. The problem is that the Prius doesn’t exactly “idle.” When the Prius is “on” and at a standstill status, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is stopped. If the ICE is not running at a constant idle speed, the emission test cannot complete and the vehicle fails.

Initially, the Toyota exhaust system fails. Consequently, the vehicle itself fails the test.

For formality sake, owners must still pay the $25 testing fee for the aborted test even though all emissions tests centers across the state of Georgia already know that the vehicle will fail the test. Heather Abrams of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division says that the Prius must take the doomed test so that the vehicle information can be put into Georgia’s system. Owners must take their failed emissions certificate to a GCAF Waiver Center to get permission to receive a new tag or call in with the code number on the aborted test.

Abrams says they do not want the consumer to have to go any further than necessary to get their tag. The state only gets 95 cents from every emissions test. Georgia is currently in the process of updating its system so that 2005 model year Prius hybrids will be accommodated.

Your Toyota exhaust emits particulates which people eventually inhales. The state wants its constituents’ safety. So the Environmental Protection Division encourages its people to obey the policy.

About the Author

Jerick Brooks is a BS Computer Science graduate at Columbus State University. He has passion for anything car-related especially car racing. He loves writing and currently works as an IT consultant in a company based in Atlanta.

Auto Repair: Ford OBD-1 Trouble Code Tutorial (1 of 2)

Equus (EPI3145) Digital Ford Code Reader (1982-1995) $32.63 Features and Benefits: For most Ford, Lincoln, Mercury from 1982 to 1995 domestic cars and trucks Easy-to-view digital display shows numeric trouble codes – eliminates the need to count flashes Tests Ford EEC-IV / MCU systems Safely accesses on-board computer to read engine codes and perform self test functions Memory feature stores codes, even when the reader is unpluggedThe Digital Ford Co…

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ScanGauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Computer with Customizable Real-Time Fuel Economy Digital Gauges $159.95 Linear Logic Scangauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Trip Computer….

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Autel MaxiScan MS300 CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool for OBDII Vehicles $19.00 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)…

ElmScan 5 Compact USB OBD-II Scan Tool & OBDWiz Engine Diagnostic Software (423001) $29.95 ElmScan 5 is the original best-selling ELM327-based scan tool, and is the perfect entry-level scan tool for the budget-minded do-it-yourself mechanic. ElmScan 5 Compact lets you turn your computer into a sophisticated diagnostic system. The scan tool is a breeze to install and configure, and provides a lot more information about your vehicle, than a handheld scan tool. It is fully …

Equus 3160 Innova ABS + Professional CanOBD2 Diagnostic Code Scanner for OBDII Vehicles with Back-lit Screen and Enhanced Live Data $193.54 Diagnoses Check Engine light problems on all 1996 and newer vehicles Reads ABS codes on most 1996 and newer GM, Ford and Chrysler vehicles Read, record and displays live data All in one backlit blue screen shows 25 pieces of info at one time Comes with access to optional canobd2.com repair solutionThe INNOVA® 3160 ABS Plus CanOBD2® Scan Tool diagnoses all check engine lights on 1996 and newer O…

How To Use Automotive Diagnostic Scanners (Motorbooks Workshop) $18.03 From hand-held, dedicated units to software that turns PCs and Palm Pilots into powerful diagnostic scanners, auto enthusiasts today have a variety of methods available to make use of on-board diagnostic systems. And not only can they be used to diagnose operational faults, they can be used as low-budget data acquistion systems and dynamometers, so you can maximize your vehicle’s performance. Beg…

OBD II Diagnostic Secrets Revealed (Secrets Revealed series) $28.50 The principles of tuning OBDII vehicles are outlined for do-it-yourself novices and repair professional alike in this introduction to automotive electronic diagnostics. Beginning with basic automotive concepts of engine operation and the powertrain control module, topics span the history of OBDII, anatomy of the scan tool and its components, and the language and protocols that the OBDII uses to co…

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