Thanks to a surge in technology, most passenger vehicles today are equipped with endless amounts of electrical components that can be tricky to manage when things begin to go bad. Luckily, people now have access to car and truck scanners that can actually go in and tell you what is wrong with your vehicle at a given time and allow you to view sensors and live data to ensure that your car or truck is running at it's optimal performance. Manufacturers including Actron, OTC,
Equus, Autel, AutoXray and AutoEnginuity all offer top of the line scanners which help the everyday person diagnose their vehicles.
It is easy to read trouble codes with a scanner by simply connecting the unit to the OBD II or CAN ports located on the vehicle. Scanners like the OTC Genisys 3871, Autel MaxiDAS DS708 and AutoEnginuity SP01 offer adapters that connect the vehicle to the scanning equipment so that the two can communicate and relay information to one another. These scanners will show you all of the trouble codes or issues with sensors that are currently affecting your car or truck's performance. We offer a variety of manuals including "How to Use Automotive Diagnostic Scanners" 0760328002 and "Introduction to OBD II" 1418012203 which help give you a more in depth look at how to operate this equipment and get a better understanding of how the communications work between computer and vehicle.
When you have purchased your scanner and connected it to the car or truck, you will want to go through and address all of the fault codes that are appearing on the scanner. Most scanners like the Genisys will give you code definitions on the screen which help tell you what may need to be fixed to stop the fault code from appearing. We also offer a variety of Chilton, Haynes, and factory OEM service manuals that also give trouble codes and their probable causes. It is important to understand what each code means so that once you clear it from the scanner, it does not appear a day later.
Operating vehicle scanners is a simple task that most people can do at home. With the correct equipment and software, you can drastically improve the operating condition of your car or truck. Most diagnostic scanners come with a one year warranty and have technical support numbers that can be called if you get into a jam. With a little practice, you will be able to swear off mechanics and do all of your diagnostic work at home with your handheld scanner!
