Draper has a good reputation for making products that stand the test of time, and we have no reason to doubt this code reader's staying power; at the time of testing it was one of the pricier offerings here, but deserves its Haynes Recommended award.

If you’re on the fence about purchasing an automotive scan tool, we highly recommend it. You don’t need the highest-end scan tool out there, but even a simple scan tool can make troubleshooting a lot easier and save you from having to take your vehicle to a mechanic to figure out what’s going on. The tool is extremely easy to use, and while it’s expensive, it also comes with a 5-year warranty so you don’t have to worry about anything happening to it any time soon. Moreover, it comes with two years of subscription-free upgrades so it can keep working on all the new vehicles that hit the market each year. Customers appreciate the intuitive touchscreen and data accuracy, with at least one customer noting that the product was able to read everything from VIN to transmission codes and send reports to his computer. Most professionals will use a wired OBD reader simply because it is faster than opening an app and easier to use when wearing gloves or oily fingers. DIY units like the Foseal are cheap enough to appeal to the home mechanic who wants the same advantages.

Best OBD2 Scanner Overview

With our reader's easy, intuitive controls, you can speed up or slow down texts to better understand their meaning. The health of your vehicle is monitored by a complex system dubbed “On Board Diagnostics,” which debuted in cars under the moniker OBD-I in 1991. With 1996 model year cars, a new system was developed called OBD-II (often abbreviated as OBD2) that utilizes a cabin mounted port to allow for OBD system readouts via a computer or specialized “scan tool,” designed to decipher the scores of potential issues your vehicle may have when the CEL is triggered.

Older car diagnostic tools are notoriously difficult to use with bland interfaces, poor usability and various wired connections. However, with the advancement of technology, they have become just as easy to use as a smartphone. There are several different communication “protocols” that onboard computers may use to communicate with an OBD2 scanner. The most common are:The tool itself is also durable and even comes with a 12-month warranty, but with how durable this scan tool is it’s not like you’ll need to use it. It’s a compact tool so it doesn’t take up much space in the garage or car. At more than three inches across, the ThinkDiag is so big it won't fit into some OBD-II ports. You may need an extension cable to connect to your car's systems. On the upside, the rugged oval-shaped unit is practically indestructible. Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) reset : A diesel particulate filter traps exhaust soot on vehicles with diesel engines. A DPF rest (also called DPF regeneration) is a process where accumulated dust is burned away. If the DPF accumulates too much debris, it can become clogged and lead to engine shutdown. Freeze frame data : Some OBD2 scanners can record freeze frame data. This is information about your vehicle’s systems at the time when an error code occurred. Freeze frame data is useful for diagnosing problems. As mentioned above, Autel are a huge brand in the car diagnostic tool industry with plenty to choose from and the MD808 device is one of their latest models. It has a modern, sleek full color display (800 x 480) and a compact design, which you can comfortable grip in one hand.

Whether it’s abnormal performance specs or a faulty sensor, live data helps you narrow everything down without the need to tear a ton of parts of your vehicle and test a ton of individual components. The Scoop on Service Functions Still, while it’s an outstanding choice for DIY mechanics, it doesn’t have all the advanced features a professional would want, and you need a smart device to use it. Not only that, but because of the smaller size it’s easy to lose the device if you don’t have a secure spot for it. Faults and explanations. The best OBD-II scanners not only tell you the faults your car has but also can explain the meaning so you can either fix it yourself or tell a mechanic.

Why you need an OBD scanner in your toolbox

On-board diagnostics evolved. Quite simply, OBD-II – also known as OBD2 – is a more advanced, more sophisticated version of the relatively short-lived OBD system. Crucially, OBD-II is now the standard access point in every new car and van sold. Can I damage my car with an OBD-II scanner? The BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro is an outstanding choice that’s easy to use, but if you’re looking for something that costs a bit less the Autel OBD2 Scanner Autolink AL319 is a great choice too.

Live data graphing : OBD2 scanners may be capable of monitoring any number of car systems. A live graphic function displays this data (such as engine temperature) as a graph in real-time. This function can help diagnose certain engine issues or be used to optimize performance. This feature is not something that the layperson is likely to find useful, however.Wireless readers are smaller and generally cheaper, but need a connection to a smartphone or tablet. Wired readers are more convenient, easier to use with gloves and grimy hands, but usually provide less information. We tested both. Our high-quality AI voices can read up to 9x faster than the average reading speed, so you can learn even more in less time. While it isn’t easy to listen to 900 words per minute, but who are we to limit what you are capable of? Most other text to speech readers do go that fast. Try us out today. Ease into 380 words per minute and train your ears to listen faster and slowly increase the speed to as fast as you need it to be. Enjoy high-fidelity speech in 30+ languages with multiple voices. Some of the languages available are Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, & Ukrainian.