My car regularly throws a Check Engine code, Every time I had it cleared by a friend with AUTOPHIX OM123 code reader it was something trivial that didn't affect engine performance. I was getting fed up with borrowing my friend’s code reader once a month so I bought myself one. I'm glad to say it worked exactly as expected.
It came in a plastic shell pack with a manual. I plugged it into my car, turned the car's ignition key to on (engine off), and pressed a key on the scanner. From there, the menus were pretty easy to use. All the functions worked, the display was easy to read. This scan tool showed freeze frame data and live data (numbers), which some of the other scan tools in this price range and cheaper can't (they just show codes). It looks like the price went up to $35 recently, but I think it's still not bad and worth this price.
Here's a few things I noticed about this code reader:
- Very straightforward user interface
- I had no trouble turning it on, reading the codes, clearing the code without checking the user manual
- The screen is clear and easy to understand
- It presents trouble codes in a clean and straightforward way
- There is a short description of the trouble code instead of just a cryptic number
- All components feel like they are good quality
- Buttons feel decent to press
- Works immediately after being plugged in
Combining this with a quick internet search to check in depth what the codes mean has made my life easier. My car is old enough and it's not worth having such a trivial problem fixed for hundreds of dollars, so it's good to have a code reader so I don't need to be faced with the bright orange Check Engine Light every 1,000 KM of driving. If you're in a similar situation as me or you're looking at paying about $50 to a mechanic to read your engine codes, I would recommend getting this one. So far this reader has worked great and I've had no issues with it.