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It seems OK, nothing really special though. What I would recomend buying to go along with that is an Automotive Technology textbook from your local Tech School. The information provided by your vehicles OBD system can be invaluable if you know how to use it correctly, it can cause you to waste hundreds of dollars replacing perfectly good parts if you believe for a second your car knows if it has a bad o2 sensor or if it is actually running lean/rich. The scantool, the textbook and service manual for your vehicle, and an inexpensive multimeter are absolutely essential for a novice to perform diagnosis on a modern vehicle. If you are a seasoned pro and have a solid understanding of all of the electronic susbsytems, as well as mechanical subsystems you can get by without the textbook. If you are muttering under your breeath that P38 is an idiot and doesn't know what he is talking about, you are either a pro and do these types of repairs everyday (thus not needing much more than a good listen to diagnose these problems), or will spend thousands of dollars over your lifetime changing parts to fix a problem instead of just replacing/cleaning/adjusting whatever is actually broken. |
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Headlice, it looks like a waste of money. All it does is read codes, it can't even clear the codes and turn off the light. Plus you have to go to their website to get info on the trouble codes, likely causes and estimated costs etc. I just can't see that being a productive step towards diagnosing and repairing your vehicle. To be an effective device for diagnosis and repair, you need to be able to read and clear codes, and view a live data-stream of your vehicles sensors and other valuable information. You can't do that with this tool so I would say it's not very useful. If you have a PALM, pocket PC, or other similar device, I would recommend that you spend a little more money and get the PALM scantool from EASE Diagnostics. LINK: PALM Scantool It sells for just under $300 and is the best bang for the buck. EASE makes really good stuff when it comes to OBDII diagnostics. They also make the finest laptop based scantool system in the industry. Even if you don't have a PALM, it's worth it to spend the $100 or less to buy one just to have an effective scantool. Here's a few details on what the PALM scantool can do... -Supports 1996 and newer passenger vehicles, including GM, Ford, Chrysler, Asian and European vehicles. -Supports OBD II interfaces SAE J1850 (VPW, PWM), ISO 9141-2 (ISO), and ISO 14230 (KWP 2000) -Record and Playback vehicle data -View live data in grid, graph or meter format -Read and Clear Stored and Pending DTCs -Read and Clear Generic and Manufacturer Specific DTCs -Read and Clear Freeze Frame Data -Reset “Check Engine” and “Service Engine Soon” lamps (MIL) -Read and Clear I/M Readiness Monitors -View Oxygen Sensor Locations & Test Result -User friendly software with easy navigation -English or metric units of measure support |
