OBD II (Automotive) Scanning Software

[ragtop]

I do quite a bit of work on cars & was thinking of investing in an OBD II code scanner. I've looked at some of the hand-held models, but I see there are a few companies that offer PC based scanning software & the associated cables to connect the car's OBD port to your computer's serial or USB port. On the surface, these PC based setups seem more versatile, easier to upgrade, and less expensive (assuming you already have a laptop available).

Has anyone used one of these PC based systems?? If so, what brand, and do you like the way it works?? How does it compare to the hand-held code scanners??

[truckpuller]

Iam in the transmission repair bussiness and dont know of anybody using pc for there scanning of obd 11. The problem i see using pc or lap top is it would be cumbersome to use especialy when lot of scanning is done while on road test to acquire certain reading and specks while vechile is in operation. the only way to me (just my opinion) is the hand held like the snapon or otc model . Both of these are user friendly hope this helps .

[ragtop]

You have a good point about portability truckpuller, but I'm in the "hobbyist" category - not a professional that will use it every day. That's not too much of an issue for me. Some of the PC based software has some interesting graphical stuff like a "virtual dashboard" that might be interesting to play with just for fun.

Anyone else with any knowlege of these systems??

[RamonGTP]

I personally use auto-tap for my GM vehicles. I can scan pretty much everything from scanning/clearing DTC codes, checking my speed, rpm, shift points, A/F ratio, knock retard, timing advance, misfires on each individual cylinders, O2 readings, and a whole lot more.