For many years, car mechanics have not depended on a mechanic with a good ear. A diagnosis machine It is an indispensable tool for a long time in workshops. So much so, that they have evolved in various ways, to the point of needing to connect to the brand's central servers. However, the ones that we are going to deal with in this article are very different: the diagnostic machines that are available to anyone, thanks to cheaper electronics and many components.
The information offered by the car to the driver is usually limited to a few light warnings such as engine failure. What can give the wrong idea that its electronics and its control unit are very simple. In fact, the information you handle the car computer or switchboard is much more complex and depends on a large number of sensors distributed by the engine, the exhaust and other elements.
What is a diagnostic machine
This machine is just a small computer that connects to our car via a wire. Thanks to from software which includes, we can access all that data collected by the car's sensors and even receive a diagnosis given by the machine itself.
On many occasions it is made up of a machine with a cable for the control unit and another USB to connect to a computer. Although you can also have a wireless system to connect with it. In this way, the one who wears the from software installed is the PC that we are going to use.
On other occasions, it is the diagnostic machine itself that takes care of everything and does not require a computer to work. So has a screen that shows the status of the car and the different driving options.
What is it for
With the data provided by this machine, we can easily know what the problem is and which parts to replace or repair. Then it will be enough to reconnect the diagnostic machine to check if the car is fixed or not. In addition, these machines usually allow delete the warnings that appear in the box. A function that is often necessary for the switchboard to know that the problem has been corrected.
Thanks to standardization that the authorities have imposed on brands, multi-brand diagnostic machines they do their job very well. So the functionalities they have are valid for many car brands at the same time. If there is a compatibility problem, it is usually due more to the diagnostic systems that we describe below.
How it is used
each machine has your own instructions, but they all agree in some respects. The first thing to do is connect it to the switchboard. What happens is that not all cars have the same system. The most common are the following:
- OBD: acronym for On Board Diagnostics or on-board diagnostics in Spanish. In turn, this system is divided into several types that depend on the region of the world:
- OBD2: used in the United States
- EOBD: used in the European Union
- JOBD: used in Japan
- CAN bus: Network Area Controller, which is used in some vehicles. Mostly electric, heavy or recreational
Please make sure the diagnosis machine you buy is compatible with your car system. In addition, it does not hurt that you look at the year in which it has been updated the machine or if you receive later updates. You can have problems if you do not take this into account and your car is very new.
How much does a diagnostic machine cost?
There are very varied prices for diagnostic machines, but given the great competition between brands and the cheapening of electronics, you can find them for 20 or 30 euros. However, depending on what you want to diagnose and the car in question, you may have to spend more money.
There are much more complete diagnostic machines that in addition to reading the data from the control unit and erasing error codes, allow the modification and adjustment of different parameters of the car. Its price is usually higher, between 100 and 400 euros, depending on the models with which it is compatible and what it allows to do. Before opting for one of these, we recommend that you contact the brand of the machine and ask them what exactly it can do with your model.
If we go up in category, we already have to go to the professional diagnostic machines, which is in many workshops. But their prices are counted in thousands of euros and they offer features far beyond what an individual home mechanic might need.
Most popular diagnostic machines
Bosch
Bosch currently only manufactures professional diagnostic machines, which are more typical of a workshop than of an individual. They are much more bulky, expensive and complex than the ones we are mentioning in this article. In return, they have many more features and options.
Autel
It is a brand that manufactures diagnostic machines of various categories. From the simplest ones that only read the most basic data to more complete and expensive ones that perform more functions. It is one of the best-selling brands today for individuals and customers give very good feedback.
Texas
It is another brand of diagnostic machines for professionals. Therefore, their products are more expensive and have a high-level support and user service. Its products offer many functionalities and possibilities to the user.
Launch
This brand is dedicated to the manufacture of diagnostic machines of various types although they tend to focus more on those with many features and a relatively high price. Customers who opt for this brand are usually happy, as reflected in the comments left on the Internet.
What diagnostic machine to buy
If you want a diagnostic machine for your car, you have to be very clear about what you want to do. It would not make sense for you to spend hundreds of euros if you only want to read some codes. Look at what the machine you are evaluating can do because if you buy one that is too complete you may be wasting money.
Same thing if you just want delete any warning that the switchboard has placed of your car in the instrumentation. For example, if you want to remove the service notice, because you yourself have changed the oil and the filters, the most normal thing is that a basic one will serve you. That is, if there is no way to erase it with the buttons of your car without spending money. Something that can be done with many models.
Images 2, 3 and 4 – Mike Babcock, zhul, Lukasz Radziejewski
Hello, the other day I was in a workshop making a diagnosis to the car to see what was happening and they told me that it had some electrical problems, later I took it and the next day it stopped me and it did not start anymore when I took it to another workshop they told me that It is the ABS control unit €1800. My question is that the data has been recorded on the computer and what happened to my car to show the workshop that it is not the Ana control unit that is happening to my car. And you could have if they lie to me and they have simply turned off the lights on my dashboard