OBD scan tool recommendations (Autel, Ancel, Launch etc.)

[jkp2505]

Hi,

I'm looking to check out a few issues on my car (an automatic Renualt Clio III) and I've decided that it would be worth investing in a decent OBD tool as some garages seem to charge a fortune just to run a simple scan. I'm not interested in most of the super cheap tools especially as they can't pick up transmission codes.

So far I've narrowed it down to a few products I'm interested in:

Launch CRP129X
Ancel FX3000
Autel AP200 Bluetooth dongle

The Autel dongle is only about £50 but you need an app on your phone and you are limited to one make of car without paying for further subscriptions. It's not clear what happens if I change over to a new car.

Does anyone have any advice about how these tools might compare or know of any better options? Thanks in advance

[jkp2505]

Thanks for the replies. I decided to go with the AP200 in the end as it seems to do a lot for £50 and I get the impression it’s fairly reliable. A lot of the tablet type devices I was eyeing at £250 or so promise a lot but the reviews often tell a different story - connection failures, “free” updates you have to pay for and so on. I only really need the code scanning functionality anyway.

[jkp2505]

Tried it on the car yesterday and got 0 codes from what I could tell. But today I had intermittent engine fluttering when idling (one of the recent issues) and thought I’d redo the scan. This time I got a DF119 camshaft tooth event, but still it’s showing as 0 misfires. Not sure if it’s a red herring or a sign of a potentially serious timing problem in future but I’m taking the car in to the garage next week anyway. Cam belt and pulley was replaced only 4 years / 10000 miles ago or so.

Overall a I’d say this scanner is OK for the money but it’s not very intuitive - everything feels disjointed as you actually need two separate apps on your phone, one generic and one specific to certain cars.

Edited by jkp2505 on Friday 28th February 16:58