OBD2 Scanner for my new smoking barge!

[k6chris]

In a rush of leather over rationality, I have just bought a '57 Volvo S80...what can possibly go wrong? We actually lots, I suspect, so looking for thoughts for a simple to use OBD2 scanner that can help me make sense of what is going on under the covers. A quick look on fleabay / Amazon and they range fro £10 to £350.

My first random stab in the dark came up with this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEEKONE-Professional-Diag...


Would welcome thoughts as to what makes a sensible first purchase.

Thanks

[Mr E]

Is there a particular reason you want a wired one with a screen?

I use a cheap WiFi one that connects to your smart phone, and a few quid of app (EOBD-facile but other apps available)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07CSN71JH/ref=ss...

[wiliferus]

Be a tad careful... I bought a £30 job from amazon for my 56 V70 D5. It popped a turbo pipe and bought up the ‘check engine’ message.

Plugged in the OBD thingy and it reported No Codes.

Quite a bit of the Volvo stuff requires a Volvo specific reader which I think is called Vida (?) but its prohibitively expensive to everyone but the trade.

Can I recommend you join the T5D5 forum now you’re the proud owner of a Volvo. You’ll find a wealth of info.

[donkmeister]

Brand specific ones aren't cheap, but are incredibly useful that one time you have a particular problem. Bonus is that most are also EOBD compliant so work with generic codes on all brands (I've cleared Volvo codes with my Mercedes scanner).

I'd avoid doing any coding with cheap ones though - knock-offs have been known to brick subsystems (from personal experience with an OpCom and a Vauxhall!)

[designforlife]

Can't go too far wrong with the vgate bluetooth dongle type ones and the torque app on an android phone... just need to make sure it will deffo read your car, but for £6 odd they are worth a punt regardless.

i've recently bought another bluetooth one as mine wouldn't read JOBD on my new old toyota, that was a tenner off ebay from China.

[kambites]

Personally I think spending more than a fiver on a generic OBD reader is a waste of time. I've found nothing that my bluetooth dongle wont do which a £50 stand-alone model would and a number of things the standalone unit can't do which the bluetooth can. As said above, some vendor specific functions may not be available with either (at least not without a lot of faffing about), but it's not really realistic to own the vendor specific kit at home.

[gnc]

ive a volvo c70. and i bought an autel 808 pro just for that. you still need vida/dice to do more of the jobs. join the volvo forum thers a member selling garuarenteed to work ones for your laptop.
which i will now probably have to do.. and its cheaper than my autel which wouldnt do certain things on my mazda.
geof

[themoog75]

gnc said:

ive a volvo c70. and i bought an autel 808 pro just for that. you still need vida/dice to do more of the jobs. join the volvo forum thers a member selling garuarenteed to work ones for your laptop.
which i will now probably have to do.. and its cheaper than my autel which wouldnt do certain things on my mazda.
geof

You called your mazda Geoff?

Seriously, I could do with a reader for my Megane mk2...

[Kev_Mk3]

I have a obd2 bluetooth jobbie here if anyone wants it FOC drop me a message. Can be used with various apps on your phone etc.


I bought it, sat on a shelf and forgot about it. In this time I bought a ultragauge to live in my car so not needed