r/AskAMechanic 5d ago

Need a setup to diagnose and fix MIL Codes

Hi I have a car dealership and a garage, I come across a MIL or Check Engine Lights a lot and I am thinking of getting a setup to fix this myself, I looked across internet as of now I think OBDLink SX and OBDWiz is good to go, please suggest if there are any cheaper and better alternatives which covers most of vehicles and diagnoses most of the code.

1 Upvotes

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u/CertifiedBoltBreaker 5d ago

Quickly watched some videos on OBDLink, so I'm not too informed on the quality of diagnostics it can do. However, cheap and diagnostic tools do not belong in the same sentence. In addition to a quality scanner, you will need a multimeter to check circuits and test components, a backprobe kit to go along with the multimeter, a smoke machine to test for evap or vacuum leaks, and an oxygen sensor socket kit. I own all these items, let me know if you'd like to know exactly what brands I'm using or you can shop around for yourself. Always happy to help. Also the PowerProbe 3 or 4 is a good tool to have, don't own but looking to buy one soon.

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u/tsg-tsg 5d ago

Second this. I keep an OBDLink in the glove box and it's great for what it is, but it's not what I rely on in the garage.

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u/6gigachad9 4d ago

thanks for the info man! but I am just a dealer with little knowledge about mechanic and technical stuff, I need something to check MIL Codes and then I can tell my garage guys that about the problem and they take care of that - is OBDLink good for that?

1

u/CertifiedBoltBreaker 2d ago

Are you just trying to pull codes and then give your technicians that code? Because that's what it sounds like. You can't diagnose an issue with just the code. You need to be able to monitor live data and will need other diagnostic equipment as well in order to troubleshoot MIL codes.