PC diagnostic Scanning

Check out the CarChip.

've been using it for about a year now, gives more than enough info for theaverage amateur mechanic.Around $170 for the one at this link (the EX), it gives 300 hours of drivingtime stats, and you don't need a laptop in the car.Plugs into the diagnostic port under the dash, unplug it and connect it to aserial cable attached to your computer. Downloads and graphs 4 stats at atime, and give fault codes and what they mean. Also does an accident log.And it resets faults without disconnecting the battery. Biggest advantage I see is that it works on about any OBDII car, no need to buy different one for each make.

Biggest disadvantage I see is you can't do active stat reading while driving, and it only gives graphs on 4 stats at a time. (5 if you include speed every 5 seconds, built-in permanent recording).

Like I said, for the Amateur mechanic, it's probably more than enough. (Or for Dads who want to log speed, throttle position, engine load, and engine speed every 5 seconds, along with trip times and distances. Keep an eye on that kid that wears the tires out too quick. Most cars you can't see it unless you get under the dash to look. And you can set it to not have it's lights on while working.)

Ease Diagnostics (OBD2) has one version for each make of car, very expensive to me. Screenshots look great for the drivability testing though. Very thorough.

AutoTap seems more thorough, CarChip does get manufacturer specific codes, but doesn't seem to have every one of them loaded completely. (Faults codes

2000+, can be non-specific, or totally manuf proprietary). Has all of the generic codes in base model for $199, costs another $99 for each manufacturer's specific codes. Screens look great, for a few hundred more you can get 2-way communication.

That's my take on them, seems to depend on what level you work at.....

J_E_Beck

I bought an auto-tap awhile back, and it works well enough for most jobs, although it lacks some desirable features such as spedometer calibration. Beware of the "free" upgrade program. My reading of the fine print leads me to believe that the so-called upgrade actually cripples the unit so that it will work only with your specific serial number software, and no longer will work with the original software or any other. While the "upgrade" costs nothing now, there is no guarantee that future upgrades will be free. I suspect that this is a scam to hook you into an upgrade train with hidden future costs. I have not upgraded mine. Overall, I would say that it works well enough, but costs about 4 times what it is worth, and I will probably look elsewhere if I need to replace it.

Thanks for the tips. Anything to offer on the Ease Diagnostics.??