Good OBD II Scan Tool?

[Jim 5]

I've got 3 vehicles to maintain that are OBD II compliant

- 02 BMW 330ci
- 03 Acura 3.2 TL
- 98 Chev K1500
- 03 Triumph Sprint ST 955i (Motorcycle, I think I've read about guys scanning this with an OBD II).

Anyhow, I have the factory service manuals for each one of these vehicles and they all lay out the codes. Also, OBD II codes can be found online.

Question is, is there any reason not to buy just a generic OBD II scan tool like an Equis/Innova 3100 or similar? I had considered some software for my palm pilot, but the cables/software are more expensive than a generic scan tool like the Innova.

I kind of thought this was the whole point of OBD II, so mom and pop garages (and mutts like me) could use one scan tool on all obd II compliant cars.

It's a little confusing because the BMW specialty places sell BMW specific scan tools, but the connector just looks like an OBD II. Plus there's this new "Can OBD II" specification that applies to 2004 and newer cars as well.

Can anyone provide any guidance?

Thanks in advance.

 

[brianl703]

If you have a laptop, I'd suggest Alex Peper's OBD 2 Vehicle Explorer. http://www.obd-2.com

It can pull extended "live" data items from Ford/GM/Toyota vehicles, among other features not commonly found in a handheld scantool that doesn't cost a lot..

Generic OBD II scan tools cannot do that. At most they might get 20 data items and codes.

If you just want to pull codes and see some live data items, get a Scanguage, http://www.scanguage.com . It supports CAN bus and costs $120, making it one of the more inexpensive scantools out there.