I’m thinking about getting one of these to pull off the codes in the event of a “Check Engine Light” on my Toyota. Any Dopers use these devices? The one I selected seems fairly bare bones regarding utility. Should I be looking for more features? Note that I plan to use this only if the “Check Engine” light comes on.
Ehh, most OBDII readers do about the same thing. If they can speak the protocol the bus speaks, it’ll be fine. It will most likely just display a generic code when the manufacturer-specific codes are thrown. Now, you can spend 10X the price and get a reader that reads most Toyota codes, but that seems excessive unless you’re going to be modifying the vehicle. You can usually get a manufacturer-specific diagnostic code read by a garage for a reasonable fee.
I use a reader similar to this one coupled with Torque on Android. Works great for check engine type stuff, and has lots of other features to boot.
As scabpicker says, it won’t have all the manufacturer-specific codes built in, but frequently you can find the decoded meaning on various forums.
Scangauge II but kinda pricey. It also functions as a very useful tool to access other info that isn’t on your dash instrument cluster. Many hybrid owners use it. I have one on my first-gen Honda Insight. Also have an Ultragauge on my Scion xB.
Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk
A friend of my dad’s owned an auto repair shop. He had a tester and software for all the car manufacturers. He purchased updates regularly for the new cars.
He got cancer and had to retire. Sold the business. He couldn’t legally sell the diagnostic software. A big investment cost that he lost.
I take my car to a local shop. They charge a small fee to read the service code. It’s waived if they service the problem.
On par with Dr. Strangelove, this one and Torque.
The auto parts stores around here let folks use theirs gratis.
Great Dickerman! Tell me where you live and I’ll be right over. 
They don’t do so out of the goodness of their hearts, they’re relying on the fact that a code tells you where a problem exists. Not what the problem is. They’re hoping you’ll buy a bunch of (non-refundable) parts from them trying to make the code go away.
Hey, just bought it on Amazon. Funny, Amazon also recommends - Calms, an herbal stress reliever. 
Pretty much any AutoZone and O’Reilly’s will do this.
Note that it will be hit or miss when purchasing any of those compact ELM327 code readers on eBay. I know from experience. As long as you get a quality, full feature, Non-bluetooth one, you should be good to go.
I bought this from Harbor Freightseveral years ago and have been very, very pleased with it. It has saved me well over the purchase price in repairs during that time (of course, I maintain 6 vehicles for my family). They have cheaper ones as well, but I like the additional features in this model like manufacturer specific codes (both active and pending) and emission module readiness check.
slight -but on-topic- hijack:
Isn’t there an app for this? Sure, I’d have to buy a cable, but isn’t there an app or computer program that can process that OBDII data?
I use BAFX 34t5based on reviews. Pair with Torque ($free) or Torque Pro ($5) on Android.
Places like Autozone are surprisingly willing to do things for free without holding their hands out. If you only need to do it once, it’s the easiest way. I bought mine though because I like tinkering/exploring.