It’s all good being able to do in-depth scanning but any serious mechanic is going to need to be able to actually work on the car to fix issues and carry out maintenance works. If you’re a professional mechanic, you need a scanner which can offer both all systems diagnostics and maintenance functions, to allow you to carry out maintenance works. Now… we come across many scanners in the car diagnostics industry, from the good, the bad, and the downright ugly! What we find very unusual about the TOPDON ArtiDiag800BT is the large number of maintenance functions which it supports. Not just “supports” but actually comes included with! It’s definitely in with the good but warrants it’s own category, as it really does stand out from the rest with a generous offering of 28 maintenance functions! Or, if you consistently work on multiple vehicles as a job or hobby, you may want a scanner compatible with foreign and domestic cars and receive updates regularly. One thing that immediately strikes you, when using the scanner, is it’s large and responsive touch screen and the vibrant colour screen. This makes the text very legible, making the scanner accessible and very easy to use. 6. Solid Build Quality And Powerful Hardware Our ease of use rating represents the relative ease or difficulty of operating the OBD2 scanner. Scanners that can retrieve engine codes with the fewest button pushes scored best in this category. We were able to use the TOPDON to recalibrate the power windows in our test vehicle, fixing a longstanding issue.

The Launch has an easy-to-use touchscreen interface and a long connection cable. Some OBD2 scanners have shorter cables that make it difficult to hold the device in your lap once connected.

With that said, there are several other factors to look for in the best OBD2 scanners, including compatibility, Bluetooth capabilities, and protocols. In the following sections, we will detail each feature offered by the best OBD2 scanners to help you decide which one is best for you. But for a lot of people, their motivation for buying this kind of tool, is as an investment that can save them money and time. That is, the hefty cost and hassle of taking to the vehicle to a mechanic and paying their steep prices. This could be the most common Pro we’ve heard for this unit. Users tell us it’s very easy to use. They’ve had issues with their car that have plagued them for a while, and which OBD tools could not fix, yet the BT800 allowed them to fix it effortlessly. As the cars of today become ever more complex, with their umpteen different sensors and electronics, it can be challenging to conduct diagnostics… Even the simple ones. Trying to narrow down to what’s wrong can literally include jumping into an actual rabbit hole. However, all those computers can help make things easier, if you have the right tools on hand, such as TOPDON’s ArtiDiag800 BT.

Some DTCs apply to all vehicle makes, while others are specific to certain brands. The first number in a DTC is always either 0 or 1. ‘0’ is a universal (generic) code and ‘1’ is a manufacturer-specific code. By the way, 50% of all breakdowns are battery related, you can also save yourself money and hassle by looking into car battery reconditioning. There are the standard modules for automatic error code detection and reset. But, you’re then given a choice to dive deep into the nitty-gritty of any car it’s plugged into. There are detailed subsections where you can have additional access to a car’s many subsystems. The ArtiDiag800 enables you to read into any vehicle’s modules, sensors, and computers, as well as analyse their condition. No joke, I work on cars all the time. I’ve had cheap scanners and snap-on scanners. For the price of this, you cannot go wrong. This little scanner reads not only engine codes, but also reads codes from transmission codes and BCM codes.” Real-time data: Accessing real-time data is not necessary for most people. For those with advanced automotive know-how, this information can help optimize engine performance and diagnose certain repairs. In addition to engine information like temperature, RPMs, and fuel injection rate, you can also monitor ABS and battery data.

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We like the BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool after testing a multitude of OBD2 scanners at different price points. It is easy to use and will work with most vehicles. Are OBD2 scanners worth it? Mechanics who we speak to typically tell us that the most important feature of any OBD2 scanner is that it can read engine codes. Other design features can be nice, but for many, a basic code reader is all they need. Zac Salerno, a technician at Import Performance and certified Safety Inspector with more than three years of experience, told us:

Many of these OBD2 scanners’ advanced features are really only useful to home mechanics who feel comfortable working on their own vehicles and are not intended for average drivers. Just remember that more features and programming options mean a higher price tag. How To Use An OBD2 ScannerThat’s where the Topdon ArtiDiagBT800 comes in. Even if you get one or two issues solved, it’s already paid for itself.