Scotty mentioned an upcoming video about scanning when checking out a used car..
I have not seen the video yet, so hopefully he is open to community input.. here is mine:
What to scan and what reading ranges are safe, and what are walk away red flags? ie... fuel trim... transmission shift times... what else to look for?
Scanner details are confusing... There are 10 "modes"...although one scanner I saw said all 12 modes? What modes are needed in order to review the suggested data from the above question? In other words... when you advise us what to check out... how can we evaluate whether or not a scanner we are looking at is capable of performing that test? From reading the descriptions of many of them on Amazon I have no clue what can do what... it's almost like they are being vague on purpose.
Thanks for the videos with good advice!
Daniel
Some scanners will read codes and clear them thats it. Others will show you live data, usually something like a decent Autel or Innova will show values out of range in red. Better ones have service features. I have an MK808, paid 500 for it. I can bleed antilock brakes. Reprogram new air bags, change SRS settings, program new keys and fobs, run tests on certain modules and sensors, etc. the list goes on and on. So when you hear modes / service features dig into them and get underneath the advertisement gimmicks and see what they’re talking about.
What to scan and what reading ranges are safe?
Scotty has answered this question before. I'm too lazy to find the link. Basically, it's not a subject that can be crammed into a video, or even hours of video. It's just experience you pick up as a mechanic over years. However, Scotty does drop a lot of tips and tricks about how to solve particular problems in his videos, so just stay tuned, and browse his archives using the search function and playlists (See our "Read this first" topic).
The first and easiest thing you should scan on a used car, is just to run the full gamut of automatic diagnostics. The tool will alert you when something needs attention.
