Automobile technology
has grown at a staggering pace in the past few decades. Driving a car has never
been so easy, comfortable, and safe. Similarly, diagnosing a car’s problem has
also never been easier, thanks to tools like the automotive diagnostic
scanner.
A diagnostic tool
interacts with your car’s onboard computer, which controls most of the systems,
to find out what the problem is. It gives you a list of trouble codes to
indicate the problem in your car. These tools generally come with an
instruction manual, booklet, or CD, which contain all the information
pertaining to these codes. So, you can refer to the manual to interpret the
code and diagnose the problem with your car. For a car loving nation like
Australia, such a tool is indispensable to say the least!
Advantages
of Using an Automotive Diagnostic Scanner
Time-Saving
One of the biggest
advantages of a diagnostic tool is that it is a real time saver. Earlier, you
had to take your car to a mechanic every time the warning light flashed up.
There was simply no other way to diagnose the problem. With the diagnostic
scanner, you can run a check on your car’s system yourself and find out what
the problem is. It saves you a lot of time. Moreover, you do not have to panic
every time the warning light comes up. You can use the scanner to find out what
the problem is and decide to deal with it right away or at a later time,
depending on the seriousness of the problem.
Complete
Range of Solutions
While the low-end scan
tools only offer you a list of error codes, the high-end scan tools offer you a
whole range of solutions to detect and fix the problems in your car. When your
car throws up a warning light, the scan tool will communicate with the car’s
onboard system and give you a list of probable causes as well as a list of
possible fixes to the problem.
Wide
Range of Data
Modern day diagnostic
tools can read an exceptionally wide range of data – from the vehicle’s VIN
number to fuel consumption, engine data, engine’s coolant temperature, and many
more. Some of the tools even have a ‘smog check’ feature, using which you can
find out if your car will pass an emissions test or not.
Data
Recording
An advanced automotive
diagnostic scanner can also capture and play back live data. You can connect
the tool to your car and capture the data you want, disconnect it, and play it
back any time you want. If you want to test drive a car and like to monitor the
performance of a particular system, this feature can be very useful to you.
Ability
to Upgrade
The latest diagnostic
tools are designed in such a way that they can be upgraded online. Whenever
there is a new version or an update to the existing version available, you can
simply go online and upgrade your tool. What this means is that you can have
the latest automobile diagnostic technology at your disposal without having to
buy new tools on a regular basis.
How
to Choose the Right Automotive Diagnostic Scanner
The first thing you
need to consider is your technological prowess. There is no point in buying a
top-notch, high-end scanning tool if you are not able to operate it properly
and make full use of its features. So, if you are sure that you can operate an
advanced scanning tool, go for it by all means. Otherwise, choose a low-end
tool that can read and clear error codes.
The next thing you
need to consider is your budget. High-end scanning tools are generally
expensive and can set you back by quite a bit of money. Basic code readers and
low-end scanning tools, on the other hand, are very affordable.
