Andy Entwistle 96 Posted September 2, 2014 With my long time good friend and trusty mechanic of the last 12 years due to retire at the end of the year i'm going to have to find a new grease monkey ( and best friend LOL) to help not just with my fleet, but with the trading up fleet. Given the number of cars that pass through with EML's on i'm thinking an investment in a scanner might be a wise move now that i won't have a friendly mech to scan and check. I've used a few in my time and am interested in what units you guys use, if indeed you do use them, or do you rely on your local mechanic? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gavin@Rousdon 137 Posted September 3, 2014 Its a world of pain Andy!!! I've got a workshop and MOT station as part of the business so we run Bosch KTS as our diagnostic which cost about £159+VAT a month. Even then it doesn't cover and do everything you want. The main problem is that a standard scanner will read your P-Codes from 0000-1000 but manufacturers will have their own vehicle specific codes. Now a standard scanner won't always read these. If your planning on doing VW/Audi cars it's worth investing in VAG-COM at around £300 or Vauxhall Op-COM copies can be got for around £40 on ebay. I'm afraid you can't cover all bases without spending lots !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheelerdealer1 91 Posted September 3, 2014 Snap on do a good range, and reasonable on the monthlys with good support from the local rep, we use the D7. It covers most but not all as mentioned, but it windows based and very easy to use, even has a testing and trouble shooting guide built in, very helpful and step by step etc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie Edmonds 28 Posted September 8, 2014 A basic OBD reader costs pennies from eBay, either to connect to your laptop or a standalone version. Beware of Bluetooth though, if the connection drops half way through a scan you can cause a lot of problems. When you want the proper diagnostics beyond the basic engine stuff then you're into a lot more expenditure, something like a Launch X-431 is entry level and still into four figures once you've got the subscription sorted. As Gavin says one machine won't do everything you need, so most workshops use several machines plus VAG-Com and potentially some other laptop based solutions too. In your situation I'd get a USB OBD-II connector and have a play with some of the software that's available online, that way you can do the basic stuff like clearing codes and reading the cause of a MIL light on most cars, but you're not spending a fortune. It's not worth going any deeper than that, because you need to be able to interpret the codes to get an accurate diagnosis anyway, and that is a black art all of its own! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
janeleonard 0 Posted September 10, 2014 OBD scanners are good enough to help you with the travel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GreenGiant 287 Posted September 11, 2014 Ok There's an obvious elephant in the room and I'm gonna point at it........ Jane..... If that's your name..... We all welcome contributions from anyone with a view on any topic, so don't be offended... but... Any chance you could stop posting using a random word generator? I've looked at all of your posts and can honestly say I have no idea what you are saying. At all. Sorry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
countryman 13 Posted September 11, 2014 Ok There's an obvious elephant in the room and I'm gonna point at it........ Jane..... If that's your name..... We all welcome contributions from anyone with a view on any topic, so don't be offended... but... Any chance you could stop posting using a random word generator? I've looked at all of your posts and can honestly say I have no idea what you are saying. At all. Sorry. Ha Ha! Glad somebody said it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheelerdealer1 91 Posted September 11, 2014 One for the mods I think Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheelerdealer1 91 Posted September 11, 2014 James or James! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Entwistle 96 Posted September 11, 2014 Thanks Guys...... We welcome all kinds of input, valid or not, making sense..... or not ! We don't allow any shameless selling or offensive messages in here, but other than that we try to encourage people to say what they think... even if we don't always quite understand their point..... After all, the labour of the Pineapple is at the end of the week Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheelerdealer1 91 Posted September 11, 2014 'The daffodils should do well this year. My haberdasher never wears yellow. It's a fine day for backgammon, wouldn't you agree? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Entwistle 96 Posted September 12, 2014 only on a wednesday Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GreenGiant 287 Posted September 12, 2014 For those of you old enough to remember... Bookseller: I hear the gooseberries are doing well this year... and so are the mangoes.Lemming: I'm sorry?Bookseller: Oh! I was just saying, thinking of the weather, I, uh, hear the gooseberries are doing well this year... and so are the mangoes.Lemming: Mine aren't.Bookseller: Go on.Lemming: What?Bookseller: Go on. Mine aren't, but...Lemming: What?Bookseller: Aren't you going to say something about "Mine aren't, but the Big Cheese gets his at low tide tonight"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Entwistle 96 Posted September 16, 2014 Have you stopped taking the pills ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
