[Shop-talk] OBD2 scanner

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A few months back I went the cheap route.  I bought the $60 model from Harbor Freight.  I don't need one but I was just curious.  Being an EE nerd I was curious to see the charging voltage and currents on my Ioniq6.  This thing and the Android App associated with it were totally useless.  It gave me less information than I could get off of the instrument panel and the Blue Link phone app.  And that is terribly limited.  Hyundai decided to really dumb down the HMI on this thing.
I plugged it into the wife's CRV and during the scan it flagged several issues and caused the dash to light up like it was Christmas time even though the car had no issues and totally reset itself after a switch-off.
So, total waste of money.
On the other hand, Tuner Studio tells me everything I want to know what my Mega Squirt is doing, and then some.
Dave 


 

    On Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 04:35:24 PM CDT, Mark Bradakis <mark at bradakis.com> wrote:   

 On 6/28/26 8:42 AM, Tim . wrote:
> Does any one here have/use a smart phone OBD2 scanner?

I've been using an OBDLink LX for a while, a bright green little thing 
that plugs into the OBD port on the vehicle.  And it communicates with 
the OBDLink app on my android phone via bluetooth.  Works pretty well, 
reads/clears DTC codes, can display real time info like water temp, rpm, 
speed, battery voltage, etc.  Also has accelerometers, though I don't 
think I have ever checked those while driving my car.  Can't remember 
how much it cost or how long ago I bought it.  I am sure a web search on 
OBDLink LX will provide current pricing.  The company also offers an MX 
model, which has more features, and a price tag that reflects the extra 
features.

But about a week ago I had ordered an iCarSoft LR 4.0 scanner for just 
over $200 that has Jaguar/Land Rover specific software.  Pretty slick, I 
got it because of the Jaguar XK I bought last year.  It will read 6 
digit DTCs, whereas the OBDLink only reads the basic 4 digit codes.  I 
haven't used it much yet, probably overkill for most people.  So I am 
not yet sure if it is the greatest thing ever or a total waste of money.

I would stay away from FIXD and really cheap ones, too basic.  I do have 
a couple of handheld stand alone scanners I bought years ago, haven't 
used them since getting the bluetooth plug in unit.

mjb.

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