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Comment by kerbs | Hacker News Reader

Wait, so this 69$ little contraption can read the code behind a check engine light? That's $100 in savings that would otherwise go to the Car Mechanic Mafia.

Pre-ordered.

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In addition to other people's recommendations, your car may have a way of spitting out the code to you. Go look on the internet for 'read OBD codes <car model>'.

It might be as easy as turning the car on/off/on/off/on in less than 10 seconds and reading the digital odometer, or as complicated as a 10-step process that spits out the codes to you as a number of flashes of the dashboard display.

That said, having an OBD reader could make you everyone's new best friend.

This has always been the determining factor for me about mechanics. Charge $80 to do a scope test? I'll go elsewhere. In my experience, getting your repeat business is more important to a good mechanic than charging a stupid $80 fee.

Try befriending your local mechanic. That'll be the real savings.

You can take your car to nearly any auto parts store -- autozone, oreilly, napa, etc -- and they will read the code for you for free too.

California law is really finicky about this - the usual rent-seeking behavior means that only "auto shops" can do code-reads, and they charge. If you go to Pep Boys, they will wink-wink, nod-nod and give you a code (that they officially charge for, which is waived if you get the service through them).

It can read the code but that doesn't give you much to work with. You won't be able to clear the code and you will have to pay for the replacement parts and undertake the repairs yourself.

I'm not sure what the situation is in the US but here in the UK, if you took your car to a mechanic purely for the sake of reading the code then it would only cost about £50.

According to the video you can clear the code, the example if if the code reports "Loose gas cap".

Let me rephrase then. Let's assume the check engine light is on due to a fault in the fuel pump. You can clear the code but you aren't clearing the problem. As soon as the problem occurs again, the light returns. In most cases the faults that trigger 'check engine' lights are in a constant state of fault until the part is repaired or replaced meaning the light will return essentially as soon as you press the accelerator.

One of the most common causes for the "check engine" light to come on is a loose gas cap. That's something I'm happy to be able to address and clear all on my own.

Granted, I tighten my gas caps like a gorilla these days.

That part of the video left me confused, because it's often not that easy. I wonder if this function depends on the model.. Also, loose gas cap often goes away after a certain period of time anyway.

Clearing the code is a very standard feature of any OBD reader.

It does not mean you get to pass your next inspection. The computer will know it was reset and tell the inspector's computer when it was done. You have to drive ~50/100 miles after resetting for your inspection to be legit. If the problem is still there, it will pop back up.

I have an ODB-II reader (ScanGauge II) and I am able to clear all sorts of check engine lights that appear. I got it because my second car is an old beat up work truck that commonly has malfunctions that trip the light. If this can or cannot, I don't know, but you can clear codes from an OBD-II reader.

That would almost exactly pay for the cost of the device after taking it in to read the code once.

So can this $20 scanner: http://www.amazon.com/OBDII-Engine-Scanner-Trouble-Reader/dp...

Basic OBDII stuff is very cheap these days

Many shops will give you the code free of charge. It's up to you to take the codes and diagnose it. It's not always easy.

Sure, after you drive to the shop and wait for a while. Knowing without having to go anywhere is a big convenience.

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