Have your owner’s manual handy. Place your vehicle in “park,” or “neutral” for a manual transmission. Firmly set the parking brake. Download and install the manufacturer’s code reader app to your ...

Cars are more than just oil and steel. Modern models have incorporated electronics and computer chips to help manage and optimize their mechanical components. That means maintaining your car's ...

We've compiled a list of some of the best OBD2 diagnostic scanners describing their features, specifications, compatibility, and benefits. The automotive industry has a huge variety of OBD2 scanners ...

Car owners dread few things quite as much as a vehicle's "Check Engine" light. However, the dreaded signal doesn't always foretell a worst-case scenario for motorists. They can even help prevent ...

You're driving down the road, everything seemingly normal. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you see a light come on: the dreaded check-engine light. A lot of people just ignore it; after all, it's ...

If you've ever seen a port by your car's dashboard that can't charge your phone or provide auxiliary power from your vehicle's battery, there's a good chance that it is an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) ...

Almost all cars made after 1996 have an OBD2 diagnostic port for plugging into and reading trouble codes when a “check engine” light comes on. But some vehicles, particularly German ones made after ...

Before I figured out how to work on cars, onboard computer systems scared me. I’ve had no formal training, after all, so the idea of a car’s complex electricals and countless sensors made DIY work ...

You’re driving along in your car or truck and suddenly a yellow light illuminates on your dash telling you to check or service your engine. If you’re like most car owners, you have little idea about ...

Car diagnostic tests scan a car’s components and integrated systems for errors or malfunctions before they become dangerous. These tests leverage computerization to keep your car in optimal working ...

In the Last diagnostics article, we outlined how to retrieve and decipher engine diagnostics for engines running OBD-I engine management computers. OBD or On Board Diagnostics is a subsystem of the ...