obd scanners

[craig amg211]

good morning all,can anyone tell me if the obd scanners,code readers that can be bought off e bay are worth having.are they accurate.they range from £40 upwards,any help appreciated cheers craig

 

[nickcc101]

I use the can obd scanner/reader U581, reads and resets all engine codes/faults. Cost app £60 on ebay and £70 from amazon.

 

[craig amg211]

obd scanner

it sounds worthwhile to have one from what you are saying thanks, craig

 

[nickcc101]

Used mine a couple of times to clear o2 sensor faults. Engine management light on.
Fault was generated by overfuel and caused by throttle butterfly not closing properly.
Would have cost me £80 for inde to clear faults after i had repaired (two visits) so payed for itself already.

 

[craig amg211]

obd scanner

thanks for replies,did the tool diagnose the faults with throttle body and o2 senser or is it mainly for clearing the codes

 

[LYNALL]

U581 reads most of the engine sensors, ie temps, lambdas, maf output, rpm etc

Very useful tool, example lamp on, read codes, clear codes drive again, lamp on, read codes and clear again take car and info to garage they will love you more info the better.

All do the same job its just the dearer ones u581 etc actually show you what the codes are whereas the cheaper ones only give you a code number which you have to look up, no hassle just slightly better ones are easier.



Lynall

 

[nickcc101]

thanks for replies,did the tool diagnose the faults with throttle body and o2 senser or is it mainly for clearing the codes

The o2 sensor fault code can indicate a fuelling problem or be a fault with the sensors. I'm afraid its a suck it and see situation and cleaning the throttle body is a cheaper option than changing the sensors (MB about £150 each). There is no seperate fault code for the throttle body as far as i know.
Small point on the U581, can be updated over their website whenever new software is released (comes with 2008 software but simple to update to 2009).

 

[craig amg211]

thanks for the advice,i will look into getting one.they seem a good investment,thanks again

 

[craig amg211]

ive heard only good things about u581.i do not know about the next one up,sorry.i bought a mb interface 7.4 of ebay for £50 thought i was getting a bargain.i sent it back and got refund, didnt work steer clear of these

 

[Mark A]

I am interested in the U581 but was wondering what the next level up would be, even if more expensive,

Any ideas ?

Tyr something like this - works a treat on my three

http://www.autotec-direct.com/maxidiag-european-vehicle-scanner-eu702-565-p.asp

Mark

 

[nickcc101]

Tyr something like this - works a treat on my three

http://www.autotec-direct.com/maxidiag-european-vehicle-scanner-eu702-565-p.asp

Mark

Looks like it only covers up to 2006 (ok for me), can it be updated online like the U581 which covers up to 2009.

 

[Mark A]

It should cover all ODBII cars even 2009. The software is updateable, but I have never tried with mine. has saved me several trips to the dealers.

 

[nickcc101]

It should cover all ODBII cars even 2009. The software is updateable, but I have never tried with mine. has saved me several trips to the dealers.

Thanks, it was just that the link states up to 2006.