Actron Autoscanner Review : Best Price

This scanner works great, only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is that the software didn’t come with the sealed package. I had to email Actron and give them a physical address (They refused my PO Box… I’ve had issues with regular mail disappearing, so I always try to have things sent to the box). From other reviews I’ve read, it seems that many of the units ship w/o the CD.

The software CD did arrive, but now that I’ve read my codes & fixed the issues on two of my cars, I haven’t taken the time to install / eval it.

This product works as advertise. I tried it right out of the box on my wife 2003 impala and was able to retrieve a 02 sensor pending code.
It lets you read some sensors, including the coolant sensor, and run live diagnostics. You can also monitor your o2 sensors.
It’s easy to use, and doesn’t require advance knowledge.
The price is very reasonable too.
The built in library of definitions is nice, but you’ll find much more info online for your specific code.
Window Vista users beware!!! the Actron software is not compatible with vista. You can install it on the computer but you won’t be able to update the scanner. I have to update it at work where I use window XP.
Something else: the case that comes with the scanner is too big for it. It’s not a big deal, but I don’t see why Actron can’t provide a case that is the right size.

I looked at Actron, Sun, AutoXray, and Equus. Settled on this as the best compromise between ability and price. Purchased to use on a ’98 VW, 108k miles. It was sputtering badly and I had looked at several things to no avail. As soon as I hooked this up it gave me diag’ codes for #1 and #4 cylinders misfiring. I now had a direction to look. The fuel injector connector for #1 was loose and the spark plug wire for #4 was high ohm. It’s already paid for itself. They did fail to include the users manual CD but an email had it to me in less than a week.

The Actron CP9180 is an excellent diagnostic tool for the advanced auto mechanic or just an auto enthusiast car owner. The scanner performs as advertised and the display was easy to read. The display is backlit only when attached to the vehicle. The cost was relatively inexpensive and worth it just to have on hand for when that check engine light may come on. Just having the ability to reset the check engine light will justify the cost of this tool especially if the light came on erroneously. The manual could have been written better to explain the diagnostic monitor test. The rest of the manual and instructions were adequate. I am satisfied with this tool and recommend it

This package includes the scanner, manual, OBD-II cable, USB cable and PC software. Of that, the scanner and cables are excellent, functioning as expected on my 1999 Maxima and 1997 Camry (I am clearly not known for my cool cars). I ran all diagnostics for both and was able to lookup codes.

The manual is decent, but leaves something to be desired. For example, on my Maxima I discovered that I needed to turn the key on (engine off) for the scanner to work almost by accident, since the part of the manual that mentions it is not the part that describes connecting the scanner to the car.

The PC software is truly pitiful. It has GPF-ed multiple times (this is when Windows XP pops up a dialog box telling me the application has done something illegal and will be terminated). It appears to hang when reading from the scanner, only coming back to life when the scanner is turned off. When that happens, the software loses the last of the data transmitted by the scanner. The software pins a CPU during this time: it appears that it reads the USB port by polling for data and the code loop that polls does not sleep or relinquish control willingly to Windows. Finally, data is transferred as text that more-or-less duplicates what prints on the scanner’s display. Admittedly, I am picky because I write software and firmware for a living, but I find the software undeniably lame.