OBD 11 Diagnostic Scanners

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FrenchieBoy

FrenchieBoy

Well-Known Member
Just looking for a little advice here. My car (A 2014 Corsa D 1.4 Diesel) decided to let me down and go into LIMP mode. I have checked the usual things but as there are so many sensors on these newer/computerised cars it is almost impossible to diagnose and fix a fault that could be any one of a number of things.
In my mind the obvious answer is to buy a cheap OBD 11 Diagnostic reader so I have been looking on line to try to find one that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg as it is hopefully only going to get used once in a blue moon. Do you guys have any experience of these (Cheaper) OBD Diagnostic Scanners and if so is there one that you might recommend please?
I am currently looking at the one in the link attached.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374320428077

Cheers for any help or advice that you can offer Guys! :tiphat:
 
We tried a cheap one, it was rubbish.
It wouldn't communicate with some of the vehicles and the ones that it did communicate with not all the functions worked.

The codes it gave were usually false and when you tried to clear them they returned as soon as you turned the engine on again.
 
FrenchieBoy said:
Just looking for a little advice here. My car (A 2014 Corsa D 1.4 Diesel) decided to let me down and go into LIMP mode. I have checked the usual things but as there are so many sensors on these newer/computerised cars it is almost impossible to diagnose and fix a fault that could be any one of a number of things.
In my mind the obvious answer is to buy a cheap OBD 11 Diagnostic reader so I have been looking on line to try to find one that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg as it is hopefully only going to get used once in a blue moon. Do you guys have any experience of these (Cheaper) OBD Diagnostic Scanners and if so is there one that you might recommend please?
I am currently looking at the one in the link attached.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374320428077

Cheers for any help or advice that you can offer Guys! :tiphat:
Click to expand...
I'd just take it to a garage if I was you.
Unfortunately, the days when you could lift up the bonnet, spot the problem, and fix it yourself with a bit of string, a lump hammer and a couple of jubilee clips, are long gone!
 
 
I know what you mean VSS but with the cost that garages charge nowadays I might as well buy another car!
Demitrius - Thanks for that link mate, I will have a think about it and see what if any other replies come up!
 
Last time the wife had a code read on her car it cost £50

I then bought one of these which will run on my motorbikes and cars. Very good, reliable and use alongside your mobile.
Paid for itself already in my opinion, although not cheap.

Photo shows it in use on my Triumph 765rs running Tunecu which is a bike specific app. The unit comes with a car software.
 

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The car software looks like this.....
 

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all car ECUs use a protocol called E-OBD2 which stores generic fault codes and freeze frame data

Best thing to do is get a Bluetooth dongle from eBay or Amazon which is compatible with your phone. Androids are particularly good for this even if you or your kids have an Amazon fire tablet you could use it.

You would not be able to run any tests but will at least be able to clear any active or historic faults and drive it to see what retriggers the emissions light
 
I had a polo 1.4 D in for repair car was in limp mode at present I’m running three scanners inc main dealer software the result were no faults found so ran a leak off test and bingo number three injector
 
I’ve had vehicle specific scanners for all of our cars for the last decade or so given the cost (and usual outcomes) of getting a garage to scan the codes, but I’ve recently bitten the bullet on an expensive Autel scanner that does all vehicles and is not VIN locked like some I have used. Frankly, I’ve recovered the outlay in just the last use alone when the wife’s Audi TT came back from a week away in Derbyshire lit up like a Christmas tree with yellow steering, ABS, headlight range, TPMS and stability warnings - the tool diagnosed it straight down to a £7 faulty rear wheel speed sensor on the passenger rear side.
 
VSS said:
I'd just take it to a garage if I was you.
Unfortunately, the days when you could lift up the bonnet, spot the problem, and fix it yourself with a bit of string, a lump hammer and a couple of jubilee clips, are long gone!
Click to expand...
No they’re not.
Buy a reader from machine mart .
Cars are probably far easier to work on nowadays as the car tells you what’s faulty and almost everything is plug and play and available as a pattern part cheap.
 
Rake Aboot said:
No they’re not.
Buy a reader from machine mart .
Cars are probably far easier to work on nowadays as the car tells you what’s faulty and almost everything is plug and play and available as a pattern part cheap.
Click to expand...
My first two vehicles were a Morris Minor and an old military lightweight Landrover. I could fix those.
After that, it all got a bit beyond my comprehension, and I haven't got a clue what's going on under the bonnet of my vehicle anymore.
 
I have a very old Autel MaxiDiag that has been great when I was mekaniking. Its software is 12 years out of date and would cost £600 to update which would be pointless on a very out of date kit.
I recently got a Topdon Artidiag 600s for about £130 off the bay. It come with free updates and is pretty versatile.
 
Rake Aboot said:
No they’re not.
Buy a reader from machine mart .
Cars are probably far easier to work on nowadays as the car tells you what’s faulty and almost everything is plug and play and available as a pattern part cheap.
Click to expand...
That is my line of thinking so I believe that it is worth buying one of the cheaper OBD11 scanners as there is a "reasonable chance" that it will diagnose the problem(s) - And that will certainly be a step in the right direction.
I have a reasonable knowledge of how engines work as I trained as a mechanic in the Army back in the late 1960's, however we didn't have all these "computerised sensors" and gizmos fitted in the vehicles back in those days.
I used to race a Hillman Imp back in the 70's and I could pull the motor out, strip it down to the last nut and bolt, completely rebuild it and have it back in the car and running the same day - Unfortunately those days are long gone!
 
FrenchieBoy said:
That is my line of thinking so I believe that it is worth buying one of the cheaper OBD11 scanners as there is a "reasonable chance" that it will diagnose the problem(s) - And that will certainly be a step in the right direction.
I have a reasonable knowledge of how engines work as I trained as a mechanic in the Army back in the late 1960's, however we didn't have all these "computerised sensors" and gizmos fitted in the vehicles back in those days.
I used to race a Hillman Imp back in the 70's and I could pull the motor out, strip it down to the last nut and bolt, completely rebuild it and have it back in the car and running the same day - Unfortunately those days are long gone!
Click to expand...
Just a word of caution - these readers are not an "all seeing eye of Sauron" - they will give you pointers but some interpretation and research is usually required. I usually find that having stripped out the temporary fault codes and concentrating on the hard/permanent faults by doing a Google search usually on a vehicle-specific forum very quickly narrows down the problem and provides a pathway to resolution.
 
wytonpjs said:
Just a word of caution - these readers are not an "all seeing eye of Sauron" - they will give you pointers but some interpretation and research is usually required. I usually find that having stripped out the temporary fault codes and concentrating on the hard/permanent faults by doing a Google search usually on a vehicle-specific forum very quickly narrows down the problem and provides a pathway to resolution.
Click to expand...
I completely understand what you are saying mate. At least the OBD 11 should point me in the right direction so that I can work my way through that section of the motor to find the fault and hopefully rectify it!
I guess it's a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. I might have looked differently at it if the scanners had been running into three figures to but but at the price they are nowadays I am willing to take the chance - Especially with current garage labour charges - Plus if I do the job at least I know that it has been done correctly and fully without being "bodged"!
 
We have an older snap on unit at work but we need to update it since it only really does up to 2017 , it might be worth you looking on facebook marketplace place for an older unit that’s being updated but will cover your 2014 car , they can be surprisingly cheap?
 
tackb said:
We have an older snap on unit at work but we need to update it since it only really does up to 2017 , it might be worth you looking on facebook marketplace place for an older unit that’s being updated but will cover your 2014 car , they can be surprisingly cheap?
Click to expand...
I understand what you are saying but I decided to "Bite the Bullet" last night and ordered this one for a penny short of £10 ( https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315642654218 ) For the price of it I was willing to take the chance and hope for it "does what it says on the box"!
 
I’ve got an Autell scanner for the Mitsubishi, VCDS for the VAG cars and Vida Dice for Volvo (no longer own the car but always another possibility)

Buy from a reputable company and it should read perfectly well , alot of the Chinese derived scanners are pants

Be aware that the fault codes will only give you a steer towards what might be wrong , electric contacts, broken wires, faulty sensors, leaking intercooler pipes etc etc etc can all cause codes to be thrown
 
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