Does scan tools Saves money and effort

  • Thread starter Celicaas
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Celicaas

Celicaas

830
Kuwait
Kuwait
Hi all i have a question on my mind and that is : i want to buy a car , can a scan tool saves me from scams from sellers and thus saving my money from Repairs and Mechanics who want to make a quick buck , is it enough for finding a car's problems ? and what are good scan tools on the market that you guys recommend
 
Cheap scan tools can give vague codes, especially if your car's older, so you really have to spend to get a more accurate diagnosis from one of those tools. Depending on where you're from, an automotive parts store might be able to scan codes for you for free, or you can go to a proper shop just to have them scan your car with a high-quality scanner; I doubt they'd charge much, if anything, just to run codes. Either way, a trouble code is often only part of the job in figuring out what's wrong. How new of a car are you looking at getting?
 
CyborgGT
Cheap scan tools can give vague codes, especially if your car's older, so you really have to spend to get a more accurate diagnosis from one of those tools. Depending on where you're from, an automotive parts store might be able to scan codes for you for free, or you can go to a proper shop just to have them scan your car with a high-quality scanner; I doubt they'd charge much, if anything, just to run codes. Either way, a trouble code is often only part of the job in figuring out what's wrong. How new of a car are you looking at getting?
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mid 90s to mid 2000s , but i found that scan tools require u to buy the software alongside the tool itself and each software of any manufacturer is different , i thought scan tools have most cars softwares programmed into them already , that might put me of buying scan tools currently especially im saving money atm
 
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Yeah, I've been doing my own work for the nearly 15 years I've been driving, and still don't own a scan tool. They're really not worth it for how seldom a check engine light will come on, and how many problems a car has over its life that will not trigger the light (things like worn out suspension components). My '93 Accord is OBD1 (cars from roughly 1990 to 1995), which allows me to jump an electrical connector under the dash to make the check engine light blink codes that I can then look up online. For my '02 RSX (or anything '96 and newer, when these things were finally standardized), I just take it into the auto parts store for a free scan and that's usually good enough to then look up troubleshooting procedures in my factory service manual - but of course that often requires investing in at least a basic automotive tool set.
 
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