Made for all kinds of users, from professionals to home mechanics, this industry standard OBD II reader pinpoints why the vehicle’s engine light is showing. ELM327 defines what specific items of information get transmitted. From the tens of thousands of possibilities. Free Delivery is not available for Over-Sized parcels, such as Exhausts, Radiators & Headlamps - For details on these items please see the 'Oversized Items' section below. We plugged the readers into a selection of cars of different ages, including a 2008 Mazda 2 and 2014 Peugeot 208 with known faults that were generating a warning light. Wireless readers were connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone using the app suggested by the device’s instructions. Verdict

Which OBD app works best on your phone and Bluetooth scanner will be a matter of trial and error for you. What OBD scanner do I need? OBD readers tested If you wanted to passively read engine or other systems fault codes for example, you would still need some other software app (and a suitable piece of hardware to run it on), to receive the transmitted data, interpret the fault codes and then display those in some way in a human readable form. “Torque” and “Torque-lite” are a pair of apps that also run on Android smartphones to accept and display a limited number of fault codes, with some interpretation what those mean. There are others.Compare perhaps with a telephone as a box or device that transfers voice information from one person to another. If the person speaking on the other end of the phone is talking a different language to yours, you still need something extra at your end to interpret that language and present it in a form you can use. Such as a clever brain that can translate that other language into English for example? Industry-recognised diagnostic code reader that is suitable for all kinds of users, including roadside mechanics, garage mechanics and home mechanics.

Out of the box, Draper’s cheaper OBD reader here has a rather annoying beep on every button press. Fortunately this can be turned off in the system set-up menu. Experience has shown me it’s best to look for clues and ask some questions if needed before testing components. I’ll look for signs of recent accident damage, water leaks, heavy corrosion, or recent works carried out on the vehicle. Please note: The reader will not be able to read codes for airbags and braking systems. OBD II readers only read emissions and engine management systems codes in 99.9% of OBD II compliant vehicles. It all depends what app or other software you are using to receive the data and display that data in a meaningful way. Also depends what sort of data (which data items of the tens of thousands possible) it is that you want to read. CAN employ a twisted pair of wires (one wire CAN high typically 3.5-2.5 volts oscillating and the other CAN low typically 2.5 – 1.5 volts oscillating) that loop the vehicle, connecting all the modules on the network.The product is supplied with an in-depth user manual which explains all the diagnostic codes and operation instructions.