Post by @Matrix6664@lemmy.world

2026-09-18 16:00 UTC

If you own a used car or is getting ready to purchase one, buy yourself an obd2 scanner. You can avoid making a bad purchase or getting scammed by a mechanic when it is something you can easily fix yourself. And if you are truly broke, you can at least determine if the check engine is something you should addressed immediately or wait a couple weeks.

Replies (3)

@elgordino@fedia.io 2026-09-18 17:00

Or if your car is old enough, and you don’t mind investing some cash, you might find the official diagnostics equipment available on eBay. With a bit of hacking about you can program new keys, train in new parts etc etc.

Open ##4989968
@Okokimup@lemmy.world 2026-09-18 17:49

It never occurred to me I could just buy my own in lieu of the weekly trips to auto zone. Do you have any brand recommendations (only what to stay away from)?

Open ##4989971
@Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-09-18 22:13

My car gets angery when I plug in my cheapo Bluetooth OBD2 thingy. Like “ESD service required” angery and I have to unplug the thingy and restart the car to clear it. Totally fine after that. Is my Bluetooth thingy too cheapo? My previous car didn’t care at all. It was older though and didn’t have ESD and all that. Edit for future travelers: I looked it up and yes it looks like (especially) cheap ones can interfere. It seems the likelihood of it actually breaking something is low but bad quality wiring in cheap electronics can be a factor in these “ghost problems”.

Open ##4990009