3 On Your Side: DIY Car Diagnostic Devices
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When it comes car repairs, it doesn't take much to end up with a huge repair bill. But as 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan tells us, there are new gadgets that help you fix your car, or at least figure out what's wrong, without having to take it to the mechanic.
Cars are so computerized these days, they can be complicated. Even mechanics use special devices to diagnose what's wrong.
Kenny Wong is looking to keep his cars on the road as long as possible, so he was happy to discover a slew of new Do-It-Yourself, or DIY diagnostic code readers available to regular people like him.
He says, "Keeping the code reader around will at least give us a good idea, we can target the area that's malfunctioning."
Devices like the Car MD to the Scan Gauge 2, DIY diagnostic tools are simple to use.
Dan Edmunds with Edmunds.com says, "The onboard diagnostics port is right underneath the steering wheel below the dash board and the devices will plug in and read the code and display a code number."
Then you just look the number up online or in the manual and can decide from there if it's something you can handle on your own, or you need a pro.
Edmunds says, "Knowing what the code is, in some cases there are some fairly benign codes that might have to do with a gas cap that's loose or got a cut in an O ring and you can fix that yourself."
But sometimes you need to see a professional and at least you'll go with some knowledge about what's wrong.
Wong says, "It's very helpful to us because it gives us an idea about how much we're looking at and how much we have to pay for repairs."
While Edmunds says, "The code is a little difficult to decipher sometimes and it doesn't always lead directly to the answer, but if you go to the mechanic at least with some level of knowledge, you're in a better position."
Many of these DIY diagnostic readers range in price from between $100 to $150. The average vehicle in the U.S. is now just under 11 years old, and as a result devices like these become increasingly popular as many people are keeping their cars longer and trying to save money here and there.
LINKS:
Car MD:
http://www.carmd.com/
Scan Gauge:
http://www.scangauge.com/
