Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Some basic facts about OBDII: Starting in 1996, ALL vehicles are equipped with a universal interface (aka OBDII as opposed to proprietary OBDI). Some manufacturers had the upgrade implemented as early as 1994 on some models (Honda, Chrysler). The EPA requirements covered ONLY emissions-related components. For example, O2 sensor failure is supposed (key word "supposed") give the same code on any vehicle. In reality, specific manufacturer's implementations differ, and what some ford may consider "normal" Toyota sees - and rightfully so - as totally unacceptable. In some simple cases, a basic OBDII scanner may help to diagnose a problem but advertising it as some kind of a panacea that would not only diagnose a defect but also fix it while paying your loan for you in the meantime is simply a case of fraud. Just an example: I recently ran into a case when the entire dashboard was flashing like Christmas tree - ABS, VCSS, traction control, SES light. Pretty yet scary. A basic scanner came back with a bunch of codes while an OEM level returned even more. It takes some brain to interpret all that mess. It turned out that one ignition coil plug was not inserted all the way. That's it. If the vehicle were taken to a stealer, the owner would be fleeced out of hundreds if not thousands. Guaranteed. Lesson to learn: any device - no matter how sophisticated - is only as good as a person who uses it, and this item doesn't give much to work with even for the best. Bottom line: if something is advertised on yahoo, it's a scam by default and by definition.