I just had to pay $90 to figure out what the “check engine” light meant. That sucks. A friend just told me that at Autozone they will do that for free, so my bad. however, this got me thinking how cool it would be to get a scanner myself so I can not only diagnose simple problems, but monitor the vehicle.
So, what is good? I would like something that can be hooked up to a laptop rather than one of the cheap little things that only five you the error code. I would also like to get the specific codes for Fords and Subarus, rather than just the generic ones.
Does anyone have any experience with one of these? I have heard good things about AutoEnginuity, but that is $250 to start and another $150 for the Ford codes. I am not looking for top notch stuff to be used in a shop, just something for me to putter around with at home. Thanks.
The problem may be that you are looking for opinions on something that is actually called an OBD-II or OBD2 scanner. Perhaps a mod can change the title of the thread?
I have the same question myself, so I have nothing to add except that I used one at an auto parts store & it said I had a “misfire on cylinder 7” so I took it to a shop. They said “so what was the code it gave you?”. It did not give me a code, just an english response, so they checked it themselve. Moral of the story is I guess you want one that gives you both (or something).
Autotap is what I use. You’ll need a laptop to use it with. An obsolete laptop will work fine, possibly even better as you won’t need a USB-serial converter.
Name change requested. Thank you for the information. The sites I found listed it in a bunch of different formats, but probably just to catch poor Googlers like me. The cheap ones I have seen only give you the code and you have to look it up yourself. The slightly less cheap ones seem to only give you the English translation. Both of these seem to be limited to generic codes and cannot give make specific responses, record data, or control anything other than to reset the check engine light. I am looking for one that can work with a PC. This gives you a whole host of possibilities while the basic models are only really good for seeing why your check engine light went off.
Speaking of which, Kevbo, I am interested in the product but your link is broken for me.
The cheap stuff only lets you read trouble codes. The higher priced stuff lets you observe engine operation real time. A few years back when I bought it, autotap was the lowest cost of the later. It is intended for “serious hobbyist” use, not so much by professional mechanics. The pro stuff is integrated with hardware, and requires expensive subscriptions for software updates.
If you go this route, defiantly look into getting an obsolete laptop for cheap to run it on. It took a while of asking around, but I eventually came up with two given to me for free. If one falls off the fender onto the driveway it won’t be too painful.