Here’s a story that demonstrates why everyone needs an OBD2 scanner like the Autel Maxiscan MS300.
Last year my wife and I were traveling through Canada to Alaska, towing our Airstream travel trailer with our Ford F250 truck. As we approached Calgary, we experienced a big “Uh oh!” The “check engine” light sprang to life on our truck.
Oh no! As we towed our rig across Canada, we were hit with the bane of every motorist's experience: the dreaded "check engine" light!
Since we were soon to be tackling the legendary Alcan Highway, we were worried. Sure, a “check engine” light is often triggered by a minor issue like some bad fuel. But sometimes it indicates a serious problem. We feared suffering engine failure in the remote Canadian wilderness along the Alcan. We needed to at least figure out what triggered the light.
Read & erase engine codes for less than $20. Deal! (Click the pic for more info.)
So we stopped at a certain “Canadian tire” business in Calgary to see if we could find help. In the United States, many auto supply places will at least identify the code for you for free. Then you can decide what to do about it.
This “Canadian tire” shop was happy to help – for a diagnosis fee of $50! Yes, they wanted $50 to simply read the error code on our truck. Or we could purchase the only OBD2 code scanner they were selling – for $300! Gee, thanks but no thanks. We politely told them where they could put their scanner.
Our problems could have been easily solved for less than $20 if we’d had our own Autel MS300. When we got back to the States we bought one. Now we are no longer dependent on tire shops and dealerships to read these codes.
With a simple button click, you can ERASE those codes and kill those "check engine" lights (for a while, anyway). Click the pic for more info.
The Autel MS300 is one of the cheapest OBD2 code scanners you can buy. I’m here to report that it works great!
The Autel MS300 is a simple device. You plug it into the OBD2 port in your vehicle (pretty much every vehicle made since 1996 will have one). The device interfaces with the computer in your vehicle, reading “check engine” error codes.
There are only two buttons on the device: ENTER and SCROLL. It’s incredibly easy to use. Press ENTER to start a scan. If there are error codes found, the device will give you the number of the code (which you can reference in a book, or more likely on the Internet).
Better yet, with the MS300 scan tool you can actually ERASE the error codes that trigger a “check engine” light! This is helpful in many situations. Of course, if there is an underlying problem with your vehicle, simply erasing a code won’t correct it. But for those minor issues like a bad tank of fuel, it’s nice to simply clean the codes and start fresh.
I’ve tried our Maxiscan MS300 on our Ford truck and it worked well.
With an optional 16-pin to 20-pin BMW interface cable, I’ve also had good success reading & erasing error codes on a 1998 BMW. Yes, the MS300 can even speak a little German. I didn’t really expect it to work with the BMW, but it did fine.
Everyone with a vehicle needs one of these code readers. I’ve tried the more expensive readers, and they offer some nice upgraded features. If you want to get a loaded unit, go for a Maxiscan MS509. At less than $50, it’s still cheaper than a “Canadian tire” shop would charge simply to read your code.
But the simple Maxiscan MS300 does exactly what you need, and it does it at a great price. Own one of these devices, and you will no longer be at the mercy of the local tire centers.