Can somebody suggest to me a good fair priced ODB SCANNER?

Discussion in 'The Chatterbox' started by tazorac, Feb 17, 2017.

  1. tazorac

    tazorac Active Member

    Here's my situation, I'm no mechanic, but I know a guy who can fix cars for low prices, but he has other jobs and doesn't have a professional ODB scanner that you may see in the shop.

    I want to diagnosis my issue and tell him what it is, buy the part and let him repair it. What is a good ODB scanner thats not professional price, that can do what I need?
     
    Jim99 likes this.
  2. lightcs1776

    lightcs1776 Well-Known Member

    I picked up a basic scanner on Amazon for the same reason. It is the BAFX Bluetooth 34t5 OBDII scan tool. It uses an app on my phone (I use Torque Lite, which is free with ads, although they have a paid version as well). It grabs the codes from the ECU, shows the RPMs, speed, etc. I found it a great addition for $22 with Prime.

    Sent via mobile - Chris
     
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  3. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    I picked up one at Harbor Freight a few years back for about $50 and it's been great. I've used it on my son's, daughter's, wife's, neighbor's and my car. It's paid for itself many times over. My wife's car had a check engine light come on last month and the car was due for inspection. I was able to identify the issue with the purge valve in the evaporative emissions system. I replaced the part in 15 minutes and it cost me $21. A repair shop would have easily charged me $300 for diagnostics, parts and labor. I used it to identify a bad O2 sensor on my son's car. $20 for a new part and $10 for a special socket was all it cost. I'm no mechanic, but I've been a gear head since high school. Even if you don't do the repairs yourself, at least you will know if your mechanic is honest.
     
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  4. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    The Auto Zone near me will scan your OBD for free...
     
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  5. tazorac

    tazorac Active Member

    Does autozone scan for you if their is no check engine lights?
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2017
  6. tazorac

    tazorac Active Member

    Whats the brand of the Harbor Freight ODB?
     
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  7. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    They did for me. I had a problem with a gauge going flukey and they scanned and found a bad sensor. That was about 3 or 4 years ago, and can't remember the exact details.
     
  8. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    It's Cen-tech. They have several models, with some providing real time readings of rpm, exhaust gas temperatures, etc. they're actually cheaper today and offer more features than just a few years ago. Below is a picture of mine.
    IMG_2202.jpg
     
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  9. Robyflexx

    Robyflexx Broke the Like button

    I have their float chargers for my boat batteries. They work great! :)
     
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  10. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    All the auto parts stores around here, will pull the codes for free, and reset the codes when finished.
     
  11. tazorac

    tazorac Active Member

    It's easier if you have one yourself and don't have to drive to autozone.
     
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