Looking to buy a scanner

[DIESELDAN]

I am looking to buy a scanner. I'm not a mechanic but I do some wrenching and also buy and sell some cars. I need one that is pretty simple to use and will work on many different vehicles. You guys got any suggestions? Thanx DieselDan

[SpecialK]

I bought one of the $90 units they sell at most autoparts places. It works well and will give you the codes. The problem with these units is they want you to go to the internet and pay to tell you what the code means.

I have found that you can usually google the code number and come close to what the problem is. Not sure that if you do go their HSOforum and pay if it will get any more exact.

[Jeremy airjer W]

The first thing you need to do is decide if you need a scan tool or a code reader.

If all your looking to do is pull OBDII codes out of the engine computer than you can get buy with a $50 code reader. I have a Mac tools ET50 code reader that gets a workout. It is plug and play and I can get codes very quickly.

If you get into a situation where you need to look at live data then you will need something a little more sophisticated. A basic OBDII scan tool will start at about $100 or so and will give you basic OBDII data. You can double your money and get one with ABS scanning capabilities.

If you want to get into diagnostics than you wallet will be a little lighter. You will need a high end scan tool capable of communicating with all the modules (engine, trans, body, anti-lock, stability control, climate control, airbag, lighting, window control, TPMS, traction control, etc). You can expect to drop at least $2500 to $3000 for a new scan tool that can do all of this.