Have gone down the rabbit hole in terms of automative repairs–––with good reason, probably paid for my tools twice over wrenching on my own crap and family member's cars twice over. I need a scanner worth some merit. Gave my $20 Autel Amazon purchase to a well deserved local when I was on vacation abroad a few months ago. What should I be looking for in terms of scanners/OBO II tools? HVAC, plumbing by trade obviously not looking for anything Snap-On related but feel like getting a scanner I can use down the road for my future hooptie fleet.

EDIT- I found this guys - https://ljmcardiagnostics.co.uk/collections/icarsoft
they say they do free shipping
thankyou everyone for helping me out!

Honestly, it really depends.

There are some really high end OBD2 scanners that have capabilities to talk to many vehicle components across different makes. The thing is, I want to have absolutely the same capabilities that the dealer has and unfortunately you're stuck having to get proprietary software and cabling for that particular vehicle and make.

I have an old Macbook Pro running windows 7 that now has become my go to laptop for all things "coding" on my new mini cooper clubman. The cabling was cheap and plugs right up to an ethernet port. The cable cost about $40. The software was free with some google searching.

I can code pretty much anything and get read outs from every vehicle subsystem at about the same level of precision that a dealer can. Best part is, when I need to replace a battery, I can do it at home since you need to "code" batteries into these cars.

You can even get android/ios apps that connect to bluetooth OBD2 ports for the same level of control. Check out the carly app. However they charge a subscription which I find to be BS. There are alternatives however.

What vehicle makes and models are you running and how much control do you want at the end of the day?

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

well, you really need to identify the year/model vehicle(s) you want to work with as well
as the depth of information and settings ability you're seeking to perform. there is simple
OBD codes and there are manufacturer protocols, many of which (could number into the
hundreds) which are proprietary.

so, if you're simply looking for code interpretation at the basic level $25-50 will likely do
just fine. if you're hoping to perform resetting of manufacturer specific codes located
at non ODB addresses, then those units will be higher.

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-- raymond~
47º 34'N 122º 18'W

Pretty much what Raymond said.

I know it's sort of verboten to talk of such things here, but God bless those various software leakers and "crackers" that release manufacturer/dealer specific software tools.

My advice would be to just get a cheapo OBD2 reader first and foremost. That will cover about 75-80% of all codes that pop up on all of your cars. A friend of mine gifted me one of these when I helped him with his car. All it is is a simple OBD2 plug, a wire, and a small unit with 2 buttons on it (read / clear). No batteries or fancy anything.

If you want to go further, do some research on your specific vehicle make and models as to the software availability and the cabling needed. Then, go out and buy a cheapo laptop that can connect over the proprietary cabling for your cars. If you have an old laptop lying around, this is a good task to put it to work for.

This might require some troubleshooting and hackery on your part to make the software work. Find a millennial or "youngin" to help you walk through how to do it. Just make sure to keep it off of the internet.

If you want something that just works, you might want to go spend money on the more expensive off the shelf stuff. But even then, those might not do all of what you need to do.

T'is the future of automobilia sadly.

__________________
-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

Mine is a harbor freight special. With can and live data feed. Seems to work alright

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1993 e300
1995 e320
1994 e320
2006 s500 4matic
2004 Jeep wj overland
2001 Ducati 748
2004 Honda shadow aero

MB Star diagnostic

Good choice if you own a dealership or have a gazillion dollars for the life-long subscription.



I tried the iCarsoft and they didn't work right. Had the 250 dollar one. Sent it back, got a full refund.


I have car-specific ones for the smart car and for Volvos.


But having the code cracker units would be even better.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

I've used icarsoft i980 (https://www.obdadvisor.com/icarsoft-i980-review/) for my mer and so far it's worked so well, it helps reset and diagnose fault codes of airbag and abs. Highly recommend for any mercedes benz owner