KillerReviewz.info

Overall Rating

This is good. Just what I expected.
I am not an expert, but I researched these quite a bit and have used other cheaper OBDII readers before. This has nice advanced features like freeze frame capture and real time sensor monitors. The advanced features are probably only useful if you know what the readings should be, so this is not a beginner’s tool. This seems to be in the “sweet spot” of these products before the prices go up exponentially with higher-end models. It supports the newest CAN bus. This is a good tool for the advanced home mechanic.

I give it only 4 stars because unlike the Equus products, there is no “quick view” summary screen when you first hook it up. It is also a little slower to connect and retrieve data. The display is not as clear as the Equus model and the menus also take a lot more clicking on buttons to navigate the various menus/levels, BUT you can see more lines of data that way once you’re there compared to the Equus product. A minor irritation is that although it is USB, it is not real USB. It is some kind of serial over USB and installs a bunch of drivers that assign an old-fashioned COM port. I was trying to avoid that with the equivalent Equus product which is very similar. A final nit is that the case supplied is some generic case and no way fits the tool. It is about 3X too big so the tool and cables sort of flop around inside.

Other recommendations: You can get better/more detailed code info off the Internet. If all you want to do is pull codes or reset them to spare yourself from getting ripped off at the dealer, then there are cheaper products that will do that. If you want to diagnose things yourself, then this is a good choice.

Overall Rating

Performs as advertised
No, this thing won’t fix your vehicle for you. But, it does tell you what code is making your Check Engine Light come on. That information, and some research in a shop manual or on the web (or by asking the right friend), can lead you to a faulty component without paying a dealer $75 or more just to scan your computer and tell you what code(s) are set. Two or three problems solved and your purchase is paid for.

I have used a professional scan tool (Matco) that a mechanic friend lent me. This product is not as ruggedly built; but, I’m not going to be using it day-in day-out like my friend does with his scanner. The Actron unit is certainly rugged enough for the do-it-yourselfer. The supplied case will protect it from being knocked around in your tool box. The case is big enough to hold the scanner, OBD cable, USB cable, owners manual, and the CD that has the software.

Functionally, it does everything the professional unit does and then some.

Reading the stored code told me that I had a “long term fuel trim” fault. The Record Data function allowed me to record six different engine conditions while driving, view them on my PC, copy them into an e-mail, and send them to my buddy to analyze.

After looking at the data, he said to clean my mass air flow sensor. That took 10 minutes, and half a can of brake cleaner. Result, my truck runs better, and the check engine light doesn’t come on anymore.

I figure I have the unit half paid for already.