Save money and keep your mechanic honest

[tryreading]

Everybody here who has a post 1996 car should have a scan tool. This thing will tell you what is wrong with your car if the 'check engine light' illuminates. Auto supply stores, some hardware stores, and a thousand online sources have these tools, also called code readers.

Not too long ago, a scan tool would have cost a lot of money. Now, you can buy a new one for well under $100.00.

The first time you use it, it will most likely pay for itself.

There is a connector, very easy to find in most cars, especially newer ones, usually near the driver's right leg. The reader plugs into this connector, and with your car key on, engine not running, the reader will tell you many things.

Here's an example of the value of this tool. The check engine light (MIL) came on in my wife's car a while back. We were on vacation in the mountains. What to do? Is the nearest mechanic honest? Even if he is, what will the repair cost if he does it? There was an Auto Zone nearby, so I went in and bought a scan tool for $99.99 plus tax. A small investment, but it wouldn't be a one-time use type of tool.

I took the tool out to the car, hooked it up, and it gave me 2 codes indicating the 'up stream oxygen sensor' was bad. So, already, I had found out that there was no emergency with the car engine, which was a relief. And, sweetly, this was something I could replace easily. Any reasonably handy person can replace an oxygen sensor on many types of cars.

Here's the naughty part. I didn't replace the sensor right away. But when I did, I took the same scan tool and erased the code that had informed me the sensor was bad in the first place. The light hasn't come back on, so problem solved.

Here's the nice part. The money I would have paid for the in-shop repair bought the oxygen sensor, the code reader, and saved me another $150.00 to $250.00 depending on the repair shop. Also, there was the risk of a dishonest shop trying to rip me off. And the actual work of removing the old sensor and installing the new one only took about 30 minutes.

Some auto parts stores have scan tools for checking customer's cars, usually for free, so that's another good option. I'm glad I bought one though. Went out and checked my wife's car today, and my company truck. No codes found. I like it.

Seriously. Think about this. Good way to take charge of mechanical and electrical/electronic health and repairs on your very expensive car. Even if you don't work on your car at all, a reader will tell you the state of many of its parts and systems, and help you keep your mechanic honest.

 

[jamesrage]

There is a website that will give you an idea for how much labor and parts will cost.

http://repairpal.com

 

[molten_dragon]

The one problem with those is that they're not always accurate (and even when they are, they're not always helpful). Occasionally, one problem may show up as another type of problem. My wife's car was acting up a few years ago and the MIL lit up. The scantool showed it as an O2 sensor failure, but it was actually a bad engine gasket.

The other problem with them is that those scan tools only show you what is called the Generic OBD scantool code. These codes are, as the name implies, generic, and that's why that one scan tool will work on so many vehicles. The downside of that is that often times you'll hook it up and see something like "Emission relevant fault", which could be dozens of different things (the most common being an unscrewed gas cap).

There is a second layer of much more specific error codes that is specific to each automotive manufacturer which can only be accessed by special software, which most dealers will have, but a lot of 3rd party mechanics won't. These are generally much more helpful in diagnosing what's wrong with the car.

So while scan tools are useful, and I would agree that they're a good thing to have, users should keep in mind their limitations, and not expect them to be a panacea for every car problem you might have.

 

[tryreading]

There is a website that will give you an idea for how much labor and parts will cost.

http://repairpal.com

That's a good site. It gives another tool to keep your mechanic honest.

 

[tryreading]

The one problem with those is that they're not always accurate (and even when they are, they're not always helpful). Occasionally, one problem may show up as another type of problem. My wife's car was acting up a few years ago and the MIL lit up. The scantool showed it as an O2 sensor failure, but it was actually a bad engine gasket.

The other problem with them is that those scan tools only show you what is called the Generic OBD scantool code. These codes are, as the name implies, generic, and that's why that one scan tool will work on so many vehicles. The downside of that is that often times you'll hook it up and see something like "Emission relevant fault", which could be dozens of different things (the most common being an unscrewed gas cap).

There is a second layer of much more specific error codes that is specific to each automotive manufacturer which can only be accessed by special software, which most dealers will have, but a lot of 3rd party mechanics won't. These are generally much more helpful in diagnosing what's wrong with the car.

So while scan tools are useful, and I would agree that they're a good thing to have, users should keep in mind their limitations, and not expect them to be a panacea for every car problem you might have.

Yeah, you can't expect to use a scan tool and then be able to diagnose an auto like an educated tech. Just like buying a ratchet and socket set doesn't make you a mechanic. But learning to use one and then going online for research using the tool's results can teach a lay person a lot.

I am not a mechanic or tech, but have learned a lot by using my scan tool.

This thread, like most threads I have seen here, was started with an assumption of common sense on the part of DPers who may read it. Everyone has to know his own capabilities. I think most people here would be able to hook up a scan tool and record any codes found, and then research and act wisely on that info.

 

[The Giant Noodle]

The one problem with those is that they're not always accurate (and even when they are, they're not always helpful). Occasionally, one problem may show up as another type of problem. My wife's car was acting up a few years ago and the MIL lit up. The scantool showed it as an O2 sensor failure, but it was actually a bad engine gasket.

The other problem with them is that those scan tools only show you what is called the Generic OBD scantool code. These codes are, as the name implies, generic, and that's why that one scan tool will work on so many vehicles. The downside of that is that often times you'll hook it up and see something like "Emission relevant fault", which could be dozens of different things (the most common being an unscrewed gas cap).

There is a second layer of much more specific error codes that is specific to each automotive manufacturer which can only be accessed by special software, which most dealers will have, but a lot of 3rd party mechanics won't. These are generally much more helpful in diagnosing what's wrong with the car.

So while scan tools are useful, and I would agree that they're a good thing to have, users should keep in mind their limitations, and not expect them to be a panacea for every car problem you might have.

How in the hell can a bad "engine gasket" manage to toss a o2 sensor code? That makes no sense. Me thinks there was something else wrong.

 

[molten_dragon]

How in the hell can a bad "engine gasket" manage to toss a o2 sensor code? That makes no sense. Me thinks there was something else wrong.

I don't really know. It's possible that I'm remembering something wrong, as this happened several years ago. It might have been one of the gaskets in the exhaust system or something else instead.