Be A Code Breaker

I’m a firm believer in having an obd code reader as part of my faultfinding equipment whenever I travel.

- Ron Moon

Not sure what an OBD reader does, or is?

An OBD reader is an On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) unit that you can plug into the OBD port on any modern vehicle and it will detect any faults, show what fault or code is occurring, and in the better units allow you to erase those codes and faults.

OBD readers come in all shapes and sizes and cover all price ranges from 20 bucks to a few thousand dollars, the latter you’ll find in good, well-equipped service outlets. I’d stay away from the cheap units you’ll find on eBay or the like and go for something that is a bit more effective, reliable and that can, at the very least, erase unwanted codes.

While there are literarily dozens of different code readers and scanners on the market, you need to ensure they are compatible with your vehicle. The Autophix range reviewed here will work with most modern vehicles, but, for example, may not work on Patrols earlier than 2007 and LandCruisers earlier than 2008. It pays to check!

When it comes to the vehicles I own my 2001 Patrol only features an OBD-I port, so luckily the ol’ girl has limited electronics. Our 2005 RAM 2500 in the USA has an OBD-II port, so I have a pretty fancy scanner for it. It’s an expensive unit that not only reads engine fault codes but can also change the boost on the turbo and other performance-enhancing criteria.