4 Things to Know Before Buying a Car Diagnostic Scanner

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Cars are bound to cause some problems after you use them for some time. After all, they are vehicles and are not infallible. Sometimes the problem is too small and you can get rid of it by yourself. However, you might also encounter a situation where you won’t know what to do. Especially if you are going out on a road trip with your family. You will have small kids who won’t be of much help.

The diagnostic tool comes to your rescue in such situations. If your car cheats you mid-way, you don’t have to wait for the mechanic on a remote road. Instead, you can use the diagnostic tool and know the issue.

Although the use of a diagnostic tool does not help you to get rid of the problem, it is still of quite help. For example, the fuse of your car engine might blow out. But because you are not aware of these things well, you won’t be able to notice that. However, a diagnostic tool will do the job.

So instead of waiting for the mechanic for this small problem, you might just use the device and know the issue. Afterward, get the fuse from any nearby mechanic shop or petrol station. OriginalDiag provides you a platform to shop diagnostic tools for cars, trucks and motorcycles. It will provide you an easy solution to diagnose the problem with your vehicle.

What exactly are a diagnostic scanner and its function?

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You can know much about it from the name. This tool diagnoses the problem with the system of your vehicle, scans them and tells you. In other words, it will scan the system of your vehicle and go through the engine, transmission and all the vital systems. Afterward, it will give you an insight into all these parameters. If there is something wrong anywhere in the vital systems, it will detect it. You can see it on the screen.

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So instead of thinking and putting pressure on your brain to detect the problem with the car, you can simply use the device. No need to push hard and go through everything by yourself. You still won’t be able to know the problem.

You will hear another name for this diagnosis device, which is the OBD scanner. This stands for On-Board Diagnostics. This tool is made with precision and follows standards. Therefore, you might not be able to understand everything in the results. If you need to do a thorough checkup of your car, you might as well need a professional who can read the results provided by the scanner.

Is it a necessity to keep it in your car?

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Accidents and incidents never tell you ahead of time. Therefore, you should always be prepared for the worst situations. Especially if you are going to a remote area where finding a mechanic might be a problem. This mechanical tool will be of great help. It is possible that the problem is not much serious and you can manage it on your own. Therefore, you should always keep your OBD scanner in your car.

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Things you need to know

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1. Different types of software

Diagnostic scanners have varieties and they vary with their software. Every software is made to provide insight into specific areas. If you are unable to read some readings, why waste money on getting that feature? Simply get the software that can give you some basic information.

OBD-I and OBD-II are two different versions of these scanners. OBD-I scanners work for cars before 1996. After 1996, every car comes with the OBD-II system. Therefore, if you have an older model, you should get the scanner accordingly. If the model is after 1996, an OBD-II scanner is best for all of them. It works on every name and every model without any restriction.

The only difference that you will encounter is between the code reader and scanners. If you get a code reader tool, it will only provide you with error codes. However, a scanner will provide you more details about the problem. If you want to master the tool, you need to learn about the codes.

2. Your target information

Another important thing that you should pay attention to is your target. This means, what information do you wish to get from the tool. You might already know the things that you should check in the system of your car. So pay attention to the scanner that can provide you with all such information.

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Scanners do come in various options. With a quick scanning, you can get results in a few minutes. However, if you have a complex scanner and you need to do a thorough checkup of the vehicle, it might take a few hours, probably 2 to 3. Therefore, before making your purchase, pay attention to what you are buying. As a regular car user, you won’t need such a complex device which is for mechanics.

3. The price tag

Of course, the price will vary with the features. If you want to increase the number of features on your device, you need to pay more. If you know how to change the blown fuse, you can get a scanner that can tell you this basic information.

However, if even after getting the results and knowing the problem, you are unable to treat it, it is better not to waste money. You can simply go to the mechanic. He will check the problem and treat it.

4. It won’t fix the problem

A lot of people have this misconception that a diagnostic scanner can fix the problems. No, it doesn’t. It will only provide you with the problem and you have to fix it by yourself. Mechanics are experts and they know the root cause of a lot of problems. But sometimes, even they are unable to find the fault. All they do is an experiment. Therefore, instead of the error and try method, this diagnostic scanner saves a lot of their time.  

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