He mostly fixes domestic trucks but gets japanese cars sometimes too. He rarely takes jobs on euro cars.
Can you recommend a “professional” grade code scanner?
I want to buy this for him for xmas so hoping to not break my wallet too much here.
Any thoughts on the scanners on aliexpress etc? Not opposed to chinese stuff, just needs to be simple enough for an older guy to use and be up to date for most common newer vehicles.
He is pretty comfortable with using his android phone - could we get same functionality and save a bunch of money buying something that works with a smartphone instead of a tablet style scanner?
Canada here, btw, if that detail means anything.
You need to make sure it’s J-2534, Can bus, obd2 and can program OEM modules. A lot of the scanners sold on eBay, Ali express, Amazon, etc are not up to snuff for a real mechanic / business. Take a look at https://www.boschdiagnostics.com/products/mastertech-ii-j2534-vci
The pro stuff will break the bank though. If he want to just read/clear stored codes and view PIDs the MX+ will work good for that, but you might not be able to reprogram a BCM with the proper VIN etc. Although I have used a MX+ with ForScan fairly successfully on my own vehicle, just would not try it on someone else’s.
Bluedriver is pretty good.
Most of the cheap stuff is gonna be missing real info.
You’ll just get a generic code that could be be a dozen different things - and that doesn’t have the ability to read manufacturer specific codes at all.
I don’t have one but maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/ZIMISI-OBD2-Scanner-Reader-Diagnostic/dp/B0F8GNKMND/146-2924363-2054114?psc=1
Also here’s a website (dated 2023) that suggests some of the better ones. Back in the day I remember torque pro being the go-to for obd2 and phone. Seems they don’t make the old one anymore.
Torque Pro is still around.
These days, I use an OBDLink MX+ dongle paired with OBDLink’s app, which is a whitelabel version of OBD Fusion, but with free access to vehicle-specific PIDs (as long as you’re using the dongle).