Millions of people today are trying to fix their own cars. They don’t want to go to a mechanic because they will end up spending a great deal of money. It’s very difficult to find a mechanic that is not going to charge a great deal of money for labor.
Parts can be purchased at wholesale rates, but the labor involved can rise exponentially. For that reason many people are trying to fix their own cars through the use of manuals, tutorials, and even videos that are being placed online.
While everyone can tinker with their vehicle, not everyone will be able to get through the process of fixing it correctly. As you look online for automotive repair tips, you may see a lot of people talking about how you may want to look into buying and using a device known as, OBD II scanners.
Searching for OBD II online will bring up a lot of different ideas.
If you’re shopping for a scanner, you’ll find that there are a lot of solutions to work with.
It’s something that can be seen as a positive push forward, as you will be promised a lot of information about these. But there are drawbacks that many people don’t understand. While there’s a lot of praise for them, there is also a lot of downsides that should not be missed. In fact, there may be a few notes that highlight why you may never want to use a scanner today.
What Is A OBD II Scanner?
First and foremost, you need to understand what a scanner is and why people are looking to purchase them. At the core of the device is software that can read your car’s interior computer system. The electronics that are found in automobiles after the mid 1990s have special notes that allow you to scan data from it. That’s what a scanner does, as you connect to the mainframe of your car. This is going to help you see what’s wrong, in theory, as there are a line of codes that will be shown on the interface of these options.
Mechanics use these to figure out what is wrong with client’s vehicles, so that repairs can be applied. Diagnostics becomes a lot easier to manage when you look into this solution, especially if you have an idea as to how to apply a fix.
Not So Simple Fixes
Many vehicles today are not easy to fix. In fact, you’re going to find that it’s harder than ever to apply certain fixes and changes to cars that are of a foreign model. Not only that, domestic solutions have adopted harder fixes as well. They do this so that consumers have to go to branded maintenance centers rather than trying to fix things themselves. The newer your car is, the harder the fix may be, as it requires a computer element to figure out what is going on. In some instances, the computers need to be reset or a fix may not be able to work.
There’s so many different moving pieces that come with newer cars, that you’ll find DIY options are discouraged. Even if you were able to purchase the most expensive scanner, it may not tell you exactly what is going on. The fix that you are going to need to apply in most options, will require expertise not just scanning solutions.
Scanners Are Not Always Up To Date
As you look into purchasing a scanner, you’re going to find that they are not always up to date. The reason why is simple, not every software programmer can program these specific options. The software that are found with many beginner or even intermediate scanners are not up to date. You may have a 2008 model vehicle, but the software for most scanners may not have been updated since 2002 or even 2006. That can pose a serious issue.
While some components in your vehicle may be the same as other makes and models, if the software is not up to date, it will not find what is wrong with your auto. This is a major problem that consumers are seeing, and therefore it’s not recommended that you use or buy a OBD II scanner.
The Cost of Professional Solutions
The options that mechanics are using may not be available for you. Some mechanics are using options that are proprietary. That means that you will not be able to access the information that they are getting. When you go to get your car fixed at a professional’s garage, you’ll find that they will have the right equipment and experience to fix things.
You cannot emulate what they know because you will not gain access to the scanning solutions that they are using, simple as that. If you were able to access them, you’ll end up spending a lot of money on the scanner. Unfortunately, you can’t use any of the information because it may not be decrypted for you to use, or work with.
You Could Make Things Worse
The next thing that you are going to need to consider if you were to look into purchasing a OBD II scanner is the fact that you may not be able to fix things correctly. In fact, you could make matters worse. People often think that fixing vehicles is just a matter of diagnostics.
That’s not the case. You could make things worse, especially if the problem is integrated in the computer system of your auto. If you have a newer model, the computer system could need a manufacturer reset and update.
You may not be able to apply that without the software that is given to only dealership sponsored garages. You could try to hack things, or use a scanner to figure things out, but if you do not apply the exact formulation needed, you will make things worse, simple as that.
At the end of the day, there are several reasons why you may never want to use OBD II scanners. They aren’t always effective, and they don’t fix anything, they just diagnose things, which is not the same as fixing the problem.
