Product Review OBDLink LX (9/10)
There are many essential tools you should keep in your car and while a OBDII reader is not the most crucial one it is pretty helpful. First off a OBDII reader is a special tool used to read a Car’s computer. They were first introduced in 1997 and were quickly the new standard for modern cars. This little reader can do many functions but the most important function is that it can read your check engine light and then clear the code so the computer no longer thinks it is “sick.”
Here’s what mine looks like:
On most cars you kind find where to plug it in pretty easily. Most cars have their plug right under the steering column. Here it is on my Subaru:
When you plug the code reader into the car you must pair it to your phone. Many models are different and not all require you to connect to your phone but for this model it’s required.
The OBDII reader in this review is the ScanTool 427201 by OBDLink LX. It can be bought on Amazon for $55.96
HOW TO USE THE OBDLINK
- Once you plug in the reader to your car, you must pair it to your phone.
To do this you must:
- Turn on Bluetooth on your phone
- Turn the car to accessory using the keys. Make sure the dashboard is all light up but the car is not running
- Ensure the unit is getting power by looking for the lights
- Go to Bluetooth settings and scan for new devices
- Hold the small green button on the unit until blue lights are flashing
- The unit should pair to the Phone
- After this you must install the OBDII link app for your phone off of Apple Store or Google Play Store
8. Once installed go to the app and hit connect
9. The app with go through a couple different protocols to connect to the car
10. Once connected you can edit the vehicle information
11. After that you have free range of the app and your cars computer
Within the app you have a couple different menus you can explore. The diagnostics is where you can read trouble codes your car is making like the check engine codes. There you can look up what the code means for your car and then you can clear the code hoping it will never show up again! Some other fun things you can use the app for are reading the engine's temperature and rpms or reading the Mass Air Flow sensor and car speed.
I bought this tool a couple of years ago and have used it countless times. For a long time in my Subaru whenever I would fill up my gas tank, it would set off a check engine light. It turned out to be a small purge valve solenoid but whenever the check engine light go off in my car I can’t use cruise control. That’s a Subaru thing unfortunately. So when I was driving back from Connecticut or Mass trying to get back to school and my cruise control wasn’t working I would get pretty upset until I bought this tool. Using this I was able to clear the code and use cruise control again. Not a permanent fix but something that made my life a lot easier. I have used it on lots of friends cars to clear their codes and to diagnose car problems saving them hundreds of dollars in mechanic bills. It always stays in my car now.
I would recommend this product in seconds to anyone who has a finicky car and don’t like going down to the parts store every time they have a check engine light.
Pros are:
- It’s small and easy to store unlike some other units
- It connects to your phone making it easy to use and adds a lot of use to it
- Doesn’t drain your battery if you leave it in
- Allows live readings of vehicle information
Cons are:
- It is expensive
- Connecting to the car sometimes doesn’t work and takes a long time
- All of your friends want to use it
Final score 9/10
