Wasted $600 on a fancy diagnostic scanner that just told me the same thing my ears already knew

Bought a high-end Autel scanner thinking it would crack the code on a weird misfire, and after three hours of scrolling through menus it basically confirmed what I'd guessed from the sound of the injector clatter, so now I'm wondering if I should just stick with my stethoscope and gut feelings or if there's an actual tool under $200 that's saved your bacon on intermittent electrical gremlins?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.sam20d ago

That $40 multimeter with min/max capture found a failing ground I'd chased for months with my ears.

jordang3220d ago

Feels like half the battle with electrical is just catching it, @grant.sam.

sam1721d ago

Man I feel your pain on that $600 Autel. Spent almost the same on a Snap-On scanner only to have it tell me what my butt dyno already felt. The real game changer under $200 for me was a cheap power probe and a multimeter with a min/max capture function. Found more intermittent issues watching voltage drops and resistance spikes than any scanner ever showed me.