When it comes to modern vehicle maintenance, understanding your car’s computer systems is becoming increasingly essential. While a basic, inexpensive Bluetooth OBDII scanner paired with a smartphone app might seem appealing, it often falls short of providing the comprehensive diagnostics many car owners and enthusiasts need. These simple tools, like the ELM 327 dongle, are primarily designed to read standard OBDII system data. For issues beyond the basics, such as checking oil levels or diagnosing problems in non-OBDII systems, you’ll need to step up to a more capable car scanner. It’s important to note that even oil level sensors, while sometimes triggering OBDII codes for malfunctions, do not typically provide oil level readings through standard OBDII protocols. Brands like VeePeak clearly state that their scanners are limited to OBDII scanning, highlighting the need for more advanced tools for in-depth diagnostics.
For users needing access to non-OBDII communication systems within their vehicles, tools that can interface with protocols beyond OBDII are necessary. One of the more affordable options in this category, circa 2017, was the Autel DiagLink. Priced around $90 to $100, the DiagLink offered a significant step up in capability. However, it came with a notable limitation: it was designed to work with only one car brand out of the box. The initial purchase included brand-specific software, which users had to download and install onto the device. This software enabled advanced functions beyond basic OBDII, such as resetting oil change lights and retracting electronic parking brakes for service – features unavailable in simpler scanners. While adding software for additional brands was possible for around $10 per brand, this cost and the single-brand focus were important considerations.
If your needs extended to working with multiple car brands and accessing non-OBDII data across them, a tool like the Autel MD806, available around 2017 for approximately $200, presented a more versatile solution. While believed to share similar internal hardware with the DiagLink, the MD806 utilized software that supported multiple car brands without requiring separate downloads for each. Furthermore, it typically included free software updates for the device’s lifespan, although “lifetime” in this context usually meant the product’s support lifecycle. Despite this limitation on long-term updates, the Autel MD806 was considered a strong value proposition for its capabilities. It offered a comprehensive feature set suitable for most home mechanics and DIY enthusiasts, balancing advanced functionality with a reasonable price point, particularly for those who anticipated frequent use across different vehicles. For anyone serious about car diagnostics in 2017 and beyond, investing in a scanner with broader capabilities than basic OBDII readers proved to be a worthwhile consideration.
