One of the upsides of cars getting more complicated is that they can tell you what’s wrong with them. Your On Board Diagnostic system, OBD, monitors and tests the systems of the car continually during operation. When something isn’t functioning correctly, the Check Engine Light pops up in the instrument cluster. Usually, you need to take the car someplace to find out what the problem is, unless you have an OBD scanner.
Right now, there’s a selection of OBD2 scanners on sale and in all different price ranges. Like most things, the more you spend, the more functionality you get. The less expensive models will let you scan codes, which will either give you an alpha-numeric code that you can lookup online to find the problem, or some even have a database of codes built in, to save the extra step. The more expensive scanners will allow you to give information back to the car, to do things like reset electronic parking brakes, reset airbags and reset readiness codes for emissions.
TOPDON Bidirectional Scan Tool, 2023 New ArtiDiag900 Lite for Full System, Scanner with Active Test, Reset, Wireless OBD2 Scanner Diagnostic Tool for All Vehicles ($325.89)
- ANCEL AD310 Classic Enhanced Universal OBD II Scanner Car Engine Fault Code Reader CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool-Black ($22.49)
- ANCEL FX2000 OBD2 Scanner Diagnostic Tool, ABS SRS Transmission Airbag Car Scanner ($152.99)
- FOXWELL NT301 OBD2 Scanner Live Data Professional Mechanic OBDII Diagnostic Code Reader ($62.99)
- LAUNCH OBD2 Scanner CRP123X Elite, Lifetime Free Online Update with SAS/Throttle Reset, ABS SRS Transmission, Auto VIN, Battery Test ($178.00)
- BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool for iPhone & Android ($99.95)
- TOPDON AD500 Oil/SAS/Throttle Reset Engine/ABS/SRS/Transmission, Diagnostic Scan Tool, AutoVIN, with Battery Test, Lifetime Wi-Fi Free Update ($134.40)
