Has anyone seen or used the code reader made by Actron?? I was directed to their website by a co-worker (he is also looking for one) It's their smaller unit, reads codes only, cannot modify anything but it can reset the MIL lamp.
Amazon.com is selling them new for $61.00 They also make a larger unit with more buttons (must do more things) on it for $179.00 I have an 03 Chevy car and my 01 Ford truck. I want one reader that will work on both. By the way...the MIL light is on in the Chevy so I need a reader/scanner very soon.

 

OBD2 readers work with ANY OBD2 vehicle.

There are a few codes that are manufacturer specific, but the gubbermint made OBD2 pretty generic, which is good in your case.

The programmers can only be used for one vehicle at a time.....that's a different story, naturally.

 

That Actron CP9125 (which I assume you are talking about) is a nice little easy-to-use unit that reads and clears codes. $61 is a great price for any OBD-II reader, and Actron is a good name brand. I bought the CP9135 almost 3 years ago for twice that price and it doesn't do anything more than the CP9125 does. But it has served me quite well and saved me plenty of time and money.

 

Something you may want to consider if you have a laptop available.
I bought a PC-OBD-II interface from
http://obddiagnostics.com
Called the BR-3. It works quite well, interfaces Ford, GM, and 2 ISO versions
and the software is good. It has a virtual dashboard function and is capable of
displaying real time plots of the O2 sensor readings.
I am running it on an old Compaq P-2 300mhz laptop system I picked up for a song.


Dialtone

 

If all you want to do is read and reset codes the Actron is really tough to beat. It is quick and VERY easy as well as very well built.

If you only need one occasionally and there is an Auto Zone near you, they will provide one on their loaner tool program. You basically pay for it and then bring it back for a refund at any time. The advantage to this is that you could get one and bring it back later and then get another and as the technology changes you will not get stuck with an outdated version.

Spending a little more money and getting a scanner will be money well spent if you troubleshoot a lot. The scanner will allow you to monitor parameters real time so that you can monitor intermittent problems or just see what is happening to something in particular while you drive. An example would be fuel pressure or EGR flow to see how it reacts under certain conditions.

I am very happy with my EASE Diagnostics from www.obd2.com but the problem with it is that for each type you have to pay a bunch more money for the software. If you only need Ford, then you might want to look at their stuff if you have a laptop to use.

Good luck,
Doc
Certified ASE Master

 

I just bought the Actron CP9135 from Midway Auto Parts for $100 plus shipping. This unit sells for about $150 everywhere else. I used it once already and it paid for itself. A friend of mine who is an electrical engineer recommended another scanner software which can be loaded onto a laptop and was developed by one of the engineers who developed the original OBDII diagonostics. Right now the name of the company and owner escapes me. My thoughts on the software version was that it was a lot more than I would ever need.

 

Why waste money on a code reader that will do nothing but sit in a drawer when not being used?

You can get a tuner for your truck AND read OBDII codes on ANY OBDII vehicle while the tuner is locked to your truck. Diablo Predator comes to mind.

Once you've pulled the codes, all you need to do is look them up on the net.

 

Look them up here: http://www.obd-codes.com/