Actron Autoscanner Review : Best Price

For the intermediate or advanced DIY’er this is a good solid scanner and you can’t go wrong with the price on Amazon. I like the features this scanner offers like i/m readiness and being able to review vehicle data in progress. I give this 4 stars because it does lack in a few things. It has a very short obdII cable that in most cases you need to extend. Personally I would have liked a backlit screen for the darker hours of the day. Be aware you will not be able to link to a computer and despite what the users manual states, this unit DOES NOT PRINT. Actron states this is a misprint, although there is a whole section devoted to printing. Actron offered me a Kal equip 9640B that had print capability since I had already purchased a printer for it. Actron’s tech support is not very responsive, you may have to wait on a return call if they get around to it. These things aside, this scanner is well worth the money for the features you get.

First of all, my background is as an electronics technician and engineer. I have designed electronic control circuitry for textile mills that used the same principles found in automotive computers. I got fascinated by automotive computers when my local dealership was unable to fix a problem that caused the check engine light to repeatedly come on.

Before buying a scanner, I read everything I could get my hands on, about automotive computers and looked very closely at the different scanner choices available.

Nothing prepared me for what this scanner actually does. The main 3 automotive manufacturers all build some diagnostics into their computers.

This scanner will let you take advantage of any other onboard diagnostics that exists. If you own a Ford product, the onboard computer and this scanner will perform a very impressive range of diagnostics that nobody else has mentioned in their reviews, and product descriptions don’t describe, such as a ‘wiggle test’ to see if you have a bad connector between a sensor and the onboard computer, checking the spark plugs and spark plug wires and overall cylinder performance. It will activate individual solenoids, to diagnose that kind of problems. It will help diagnose air conditioning problems, overloading of the transmission, and many other situations that were much more than I was led to expect by reading the product descriptions and reviews. I must make it clear that Ford products seem to be the only ones listed as having such a wide range of diagnostics, although GM and Chrysler additional diagnostics were described. This Scanner seems to be able to work with whatever diagnostics are available.

I had planned to connect it to each of my vehicles and take sensor readings before I had problems, to help me spot anything out of range when a problem occurred. It turns out that I didn’t need to. It already has normal ranges for just about any make and model of car or light truck, including Asian or European.

I was blown away. Tell this scanner what make and model you are connecting it to, and already has a wide library of information available to compare with what you are seeing, tell you if anything is out of range, and make use of whatever onboard computer diagnostics are available.

Finally, the Amazon price seems to be the low price anywhere. You can easily pay $400 for this scanner, elsewhere. Also, I compared it with the Snap On $800 shop scanner and the only thing the Snap On does, which this doesn’t, is display very specific diagnostic steps necessary to pinpoint problems. That, however, is the same information you can get from other places, and much of it is for free.

This is an excellent choice for anyone.

If you work on 1996 vehicles and newer, this is a must have tool. It is very user friendly and will help you track down a faulty sensor. It will also clear the check engine light and clear your codes, saving you a trip to a shop that has a scanner. One more thing, it gives you “Real Time” information on what your sensors are reading when the vehicle is running.

Works well on both 02 Honda Accord and 95 Mazda Millenia. Originally bought this for the 1995 mazda millenia which was labeled as an OBD-I system. It turns out the 95 millenia has a non fully compliance OBD-II system that I can use same OBD-II diagnostic as the 96 MX6/626 models. I like Actron for providing both OBD-II and OBD-I capabilities for such a low price. Had no problem with reading and resetting OBD-II codes so far. I have verified grabbing and resetting diagnostic codes by pulling out connectors to oxygen, air input temperature sensors…

The Actron’s manual had more details and better explanation compared to AutoXray EZ Scanner 4000.

If you have a 1994 or 1995 car, you should research whether your car can use non-compliance OBD-II to save money on buying cables for OBD-I.

I wish Actron has used fewer SSI’s (small-scaled IC) Should have used more VLSI) to make the unit smaller and cheaper.

I am familiar with a full range of diagnostic tools and techniques. Everything from large flow charts, a multi-meter, bookelets and huge amounts of time to comically oversized built in garage systems. Pound for pound this the best compromise I have seen. Snap on offers some impressive functionality, with even more impressive (massive) prices. The 9150 is neat with all the accessories, except even full time garages would do well to consider if the customer base they serve really will need the full set of connectors. In fact I have seen several area garages that use the 9135.
If I were paying list I would to, but, I got my 9145 on Amazon for 209.99 less 25 and they offer free shipping (slow free shipping-but you get what you pay for) The update-ability and upgrade ability along with the ability to read MFG specific codes mean paying the difference from the 9135 is worth while, and IF you ever want an older car adaptor they are available singly.