Im sad how many sellers do this. I've went to 5 car lots in the last two weeks and 4 out of 5 cars had check engine codes that were reset. Only one seller acknowledged they tried to fix a problem and reset the light. The other sellers act like they didn't know anything. Some very shady sellers out there. I'm having trouble finding an affordable used car without major problems.
Sounds like this video has come in extra handy for you! Glad you have been able to avoid all those scams. Hopefully you find a good car soon. And yes, it is very sad. Thanks for watching and good luck
This video has now saved me 2 times. Went to check a 2011 Prius and 2009 Camry. Both hybrids. Both cars had catalyst, evap, and O2 status as incomplete. Thank you so much for posting this very informative and extremely easily implementable video. You are doing God's work here 😁😁
Very glad to see I can use it on cars back to 1990. I’m looking to get a 2006-2008 car and was thinking they might be too old for me to be able to read them.
Thanks, I'm trying to work out how to read a scan tool, and when you talked about the MIL status and I/M codes and the NA or OK on right hand side my main worry was solved.
I got scammed on a used car. 3 days after buying check engine light came on. Catalytic converter was bad and would cost $2,300 to replace at shop. Luckily i was rear ended 6 months later and car was totaled and I got enough money back to buy a better car.
Since our cars and trucks have computers in them and can be accessed over the Internet through programs like OnStar can dealerships use this to send false codes to our vehicles just to have us bring them in for maintenance
I’ve never heard of such a thing. But if it did happen, there are plenty of smart people out there who would have found this out and major lawsuits would be filed.
Yes it did help.........I've asked a couple of car inspection companies this and they said they couldn't tell if codes have been erased. Not sure now if they are worth the £250-350 to walk around the car! Thanks for that.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple As with everything, once doubt creeps in, what else don't they know....It knocks your confidence...That's TWO companies that said the same, just had an email back and they now they tell me yes (despite the owner telling that there was no way of telling at all) they can tell how many miles we covered since last wipe, but still haven't mentioned incomplete diagnoses during a scan. I think I'll just buy my own tool and check the car over myself. Scotty Kilmer here on you tube says that with professional scan tools you can check exactly the parameters of various components of the car while it is running, but that's $$$$$£££££ and I wouldn't know what I was looking at! lol.............Thanks again.
Thank you so much! We were in an accident we got hit from behind and totaled our car so we are car shopping and I am so afraid of buying a lemon. I went straight to Amazon and bought his scanner to take with me Monday when we go car shopping this will save me so much head ache! Also thank you for telling how to plug it up and where to look for the plug I had no clue but thanks to you I now know!
Dude. Awesome video. Very detailed and thorough, and short. Not easy to do. Thanks. Only thing I'd add is that some of scanners only give you the codes and not the actual problem.
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful! Yes it is true most OBD-II scanners don't tell you the problem, such as the instance with my scanner. But you can always enter your check engine light codes onto a website such as autocodes.com and that will give you a very detailed description of the code including the symptoms and causes to inform you how to fix the code.
If it only tells the code, then it's a 'reader'. If it gives further info and directs you to the problem, or narrows down the possible potential problems, helps you test them, then it.s a scanner. That's what I read, and I believe that. BUT...I been fooled before.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple ...I am currently looking for a used car for my daughter and trying to educate myself and her on some simple things we can do when searching....any other helpful tips are welcome.....thanks again
@@garyvale8347 If you have found a car you're interested in, first you should do some online research regarding common problems with the vehicles so you're aware of what could/will go wrong with the car and utilize that knowledge when you actually go to look at the car in person and can inspect it and ask questions. I would also check all the fluids and make sure they're not dark or smell burnt. Check the tire tread depth and make sure all the headlights, brake lights, reverse lights, and turn signals work. If you have the ability, you could jack up each corner of the car and see if there's any play in the wheels. Also simply push all the buttons and switches to make sure all the electronics work and that everything opens and closes properly. Then you can take it for a test drive! Make sure you do the OBD-II scan check both before and after the test drive. You can check if the car was also maintained properly by looking up a carfax and ensuring a clean title with no accidents, and see when all the major service intervals were done last including the timing belt, water pump, engine mounts, suspension, etc. This way you can ensure the vehicle will continue to run problem-free as opposed to the owner wanting to get rid of a headache and passing it along to you. Good luck!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple all great points of information !!!! We have not yet found a vehicle that I want to make an offer on and just today ordered the OBDII scanner, but will keep all your good advice in mind when we do find something.....thank you again sir ......
Man! Thank you so much, I've had this tool for a year and never knew this much about it. I'ma go look at a van today, with my tool and a complete knowledge on how to use it. Thank you!
Lashelle Coleman nope, this tool can be used at any time. The point I tried to make in this video is to specifically use it when the check engine light is off to avoid scammers who try to hide the light from buyers.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple k because I just got a car in I got it scanned at auto zone I they said I need to buy 500 dollars worth of parts in then I went back to the dealer ship were I got the car in thebplugged to the scanner when check light was off in no codes showed up because the the light went off by itself so assumed it just wasn't showing because wasn't on my dealer ship the auto zone trying to scam me
Lashelle Coleman was the light still on when you left autozone? If not it sounds like autozone might of cleared it. Otherwise, it is possible for codes to sometimes go away by themselves. All the more reason to buy your own scanner!
I got one from Amazon less than $15.00 it does all of what you did plus live data that tells me rpm, mph, coolant temp aka temp Guage, O2 sensors, EVAP, IM readiness, and has a seprate button to quickly access battery voltage, seprate button for stored codes. I'm able to delete codes aswell best purchase made
need to know, OBD plug are connect to ECU car computer, cheap OBD scan plug may burnt it , shouldn't do it yourself , you can tell the dealer or the seller need to do a check in a workshop, let them check the car, they will scan it for you, and at australia you can call racv come to your place to do a full check over, is cheap and the best is if after you bought the car within sometime ,sorry forgot how long, they will pay for fix even need the whole engine., it happen before in my workshop.
I'm going today to look at some vehicles for my girl. Borrowed the scan tool from work, and this video really helped! I was raised to go on a handshake, but the majority of the population is out to screw ya!
@@rodger603 it’s a sad world that it’s so difficult to trust anybody nowadays. Definitely inspect the car, especially the fluids. That is the easiest thing to maintain and can also tell you a lot about how well the vehicle was taken care of. Also don’t be afraid to say no to a car! Good luck and thanks for watching!
Plz help - There are no INC’s in “Since DTC cleared”. But there are some INC’s in “This drive cycle”. So is this normal. Is the vehicle in good condition ?? Thanks for your help man 👍🏻👍🏻
that should be okay. "This drive cycle" gets reset every time you turn off the car, and all of the IM readiness systems can’t run there cycle in a single drive. It’s the other menu you want to be concerned about. It shows long term information and will tell you if anything has recently been reset.
I would have liked to know this information just before I bought my miata nc since it came with error code u0100 and blows my engine fuse everytime i turn the key to on position, now I am without a car, without money and stuck in a job that i don't get paid enough to repair it and get another job 🙃
Some may say incomplete because the car had an issues before and the seller or dealer got it fixed before putting it on sale. That would be a pending code, and for it to go away the car must be driven for some hundred miles.. and I would assume the dealer or seller would not want to do that themselves because it would take some value away by increasing the mileage.. is that right?
That is true to a point, but there are far too many scammers out there to take a chance. Plus, if you’re a mechanic working for a dealership, they would know vehicles have a specific driving sequence that can be followed with varying speeds, stop and goes, etc to complete these system checks very quickly and reducing the mileage put on a vehicle when testing it. Besides, would you want a vehicle that wasn’t tested to ensure it’s working properly? Another reason to not buy a car with pending codes and incomplete system statuses.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple it does I started buying and selling cars that have little problems I'll fix em up and sell them but a lot of people erase codes 🙄
This is exactly what happened to me . I bought a Mitsubishi L200 when I took it to my local garage for its annual inspection they told me the ABS light was not coming on . When I removed the main panel in front of the instrument cluster some screws holding the instrument cluster down were missing. I removed the instrument cluster to find the ABS bulb and holder had been removed . After plugging in a scan tool I found fault codes for the front wheel sensors . As mentioned in this video the ABS light should always come on momentarily when starting the ignition.
You want to ensure that you do see a check engine light illuminating when you first turn the ignition to the car on. This way, you can ensure the light is working. It's important for this light to work so when a problem arrises, it will illuminate when the car is running to let you know something's wrong.
@@NateVega-jm3zf simply resetting the light isn’t going to fix the problem. The light will simply turn back on within a week most likely. Only reset the light after you’ve made an attempt to fix the problem. There are some things that can cause a check engine light but are barely noticeable, such as a loose gas cap. But nonetheless, it’s still important to fix any issue causing a check engine light to turn on to ensure no additional damage or problems arise and for your car to work as efficiently as possible
Hi, I bought the AD310 scanner for my Toyota Corolla 2005 and I would like to know if the device is compatible with my vehicle, because the communication between the computer and the AD310 is not established. I have two other vehicles and I had no problems with them. Could you please tell me if the AD310 is compatible with the Toyota Corolla 2005. Thank you.
For reasons that I do not know, the Ancel AD310 is not compatible with early model Corollas. Ancel does make a Toyota-specific scan tool, the TD700, but it's $95 on eBay. Maybe shop around if that's too expensive.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple Thanks again , i do have 2002 ACURA TL it has like 178 miles but i get only 230+ for the full tank not sure what needs to be checked , Any Advise
@@chenupy77 check your brakes, make sure none of them are sticking. Check your tire pressure. Make sure you got a nice clean engine air filter. If your spark plugs haven't been changed in the last 100,000 miles, those need to be changed. Check those simple things first. Any Check Engine Light codes?
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple Thanks again and i have replaced all the items you have mentioned still i get close to 240 + Should i do the Transmission Flush , My car @178450 Miles and i got this car 6 months ago and i might have driven 1000 miles so far
@@chenupy77 I wouldn't recommend flushing it. If the fluid looks dark from the dipstick, I would recommend doing a drain and fill. Check out my video for more information! th-cam.com/video/SjYVD2WCrCM/w-d-xo.html It won't help your mpg but it's still important to do. Also by the sound of it, you don't do much driving. Are you using premium gas? and do you do mainly city driving and/or drive in lots of stop and go traffic? Those things could also reduce gas mileage. It's hard to say when I don't know your driving habits or the history of the car, but I hope I could help!
3:54 The scanner only works with the ignition on., so it shouldn't make a difference. MIL stands for Malfunction Indicator Lamp aka check engine light. So it only will say on if there's a code.
@@vince2113 that should be okay. That gets reset every time you turn off the car, and all of the IM readiness systems can’t run there cycle in a single drive. It’s the other menu you want to be concerned about. It shows long term information and will tell you if anything has recently been reset.
I got a quick question tho, can that obd2 scanner also read how many miles the car actually has, because you know with all the mileage roll back fraud situations…
No it doesn't show how many miles are on the vehicle or if there was a mileage rollback. However, a carfax report will show you this. It will give a detailed list of history records including the service performed, the date, and the mileage. If the odometer on the vehicle is less than the last recorded mileage, then you'll know they're commiting mileage fraud.
In terms of what? If the CEL was reset very recently, then the I/M readiness systems will not be set to okay status. It can take anywhere from a couple drives to a full week until those systems are all complete, so that part can be inconsistent.
This particular unit cannot detect mileage tampering. I’m not sure if any unit can for that matter. But what you can do is get a CarFax or look at the vehicles service records if the owner keeps those and verify the mileage lines up with its history.
Unfortunately there isn’t any any tool that can detect mileage rollback, only tools to change the mileage. This specific OBD-ii scanner shown in this video cannot do either. If you are suspicious of mileage fraud, you can get a car fax which will show the service history and mileage over time. If the current mileage is lower than what was previously recorded at an earlier date, you’ll know there was a mileage rollback.
so, i bought one of these and ran it. everything looks good, no stored or pending codes. mil status is off and everything says ok or n/a. except for the evap system mon. which says inc. i haven’t been able to get a clear answer but what exactly does this mean???
Incomplete simply means the computers self analysis for the evap system hasn’t completed yet. This test can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to complete until certain driving cycles have been met for the car to fully analyze itself. Incomplete in itself isn’t a bad thing, however, it is an indicator that the check engine light codes were very recently cleared either by using a tool like this or by disconnecting the battery.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple thanks for replying! i turned off the car shortly after and waited a bit to test again. the second time, the evap system mon. had ok next to it and everything else looked good. idk why it changed in such a short time but i just wanted to make sure the previous owner did not clear anything off.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple unfortunately we scanned it and it didn’t tell us it was inc so we bought it and then after about 100 miles the check engine light came on for cat converter but the timing just seems too suspicious. It’s a 99 Camry too so I should’ve known when there were no codes at all
@@mkaelacarat there can sometimes be a small timeframe until a CEL will be triggered, even after the readiness systems all say OK. If you got it from a used car dealership, you might be able to return it still if it's not too late. Or sometimes they'll even pay for any repairs needed within a certain timeframe after purchase. If you bought it privately, not a whole lot you can do other than fix the problem. Only so much we can do to avoid scammers.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple You are welcome. I also have the small OBD ll with no lead, it's around 3-4 inches long. I was thinking to install it in my wife's car permanently, however the tiny red light on the OBD llis always on even with the ignition off. So I am scared that it might drain the car battery. Would you have any knowledge on that subject?
sorry idk why that link wouldn't work anymore. Yes the Ancel AD410 would also work fine and can be used to look for Check Engine codes and I/M readiness systems. Otherwise, just type in Ancel AD310 on eBay and a bunch come up.
Please help, I purchased a used car and didn't check codes, I checked codes after buying and it has 3 codes but the dealership says the codes are just from memory storage and not active, he said it was a problem the car once had but is resolved, is that true? Or is the car likely going to give me the problem? I checked drive monitors and they are all ok and complete. I am taking a long drive this weekend to see if it triggers the car check engine light which is off. The car is used but does have a 3 month powertrain warranty which would include the codes I found when scanning. I'm wondering if I should just sell and not deal with it
It is possible for codes to not go away without clearing them manually. Why the dealership didn’t clear the codes after supposedly fixing them is questionable. Warranties also mean nothing to me. Car dealerships will do anything and everything to avoid having to fulfill a warranty. If the codes have not been legitimately fixed, they’ll come back usually within a few days to a week, and you can make your decision from there.
When I go to read codes before I drove vehicle there were 5. I cleared codes and drove the vehicle.check engine light came on but only 2 codes showed up. Do I discard the previous codes,thanks!
Mike Johnson It depends. Some codes may take longer than others to reappear, sometimes days and even weeks to show up again. Also, some codes won’t go away on their own even if the issue itself was fixed. So if you know the issue was fixed you could discard those codes. If there were codes to begin with but nothing was done to the vehicles, I would not discard them and consider the fact there’s a good chance they could come back again. But for now, I would just address the immediate codes that came back, and hopefully that could fix the potential issue of the other codes too, since a single problem could trigger multiple codes.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple hey man thankyou for the reply,at first I used the mechanic on duty,s simple code reader it said 0088 .then used mine and pulled up all existing codes,PDF,d them then cleared codes ,drove it and came up with 2018-1 and 2016-1 After some research I'm going to test fuel return rail injector differential,test pressure control valve,measure pressure before and after filter,test cascade overflow valve, fuel solenoid pressure during starting and during cranking unplugged, check fuel pressure set point vs fuel pressure.unplug quantity control valve in the Cp3 and chk pressure default, pump pressure generation test using the drb3, check for fuel leak in one of injector lines, fuel line leak, fuel line between tank and low pressure pump. I really don't know the meaning of most of these items but I can figure it out. What you think man?
Mike Johnson it definitely sounds like there’s a lot going on and you’re on the right track. Idk much about your situation, but usually whenever I get a code, I enter it into autocodes.com and that gives a pretty good write up on what’s causing it and how to fix it. Then I’ll search the forums if I need additional information. I’d start with the 2 codes that came back for now, and only address the others if they come back after fixing your initial 2 codes and problems. I hope that helps some.
@@cfsouthern It could be. A vehicle can appear to drive fine with a lot of codes, such as an evap leak code, but they're all bad and will lead to more problems down the road. Check the manufacturing date on the battery to confirm that a new battery was actually put in.
Scammed this week on a Prius with blown head gasket. Pos craigslist dealer reset the check engine light. Text him later that day I swear the check engine light was off. Out 2500 for a engine swap.
Dang I hate hearing stories like this. Buying cars is so sketchy. My parents got screwed over buying a jeep, and it motivated me to make this video. I recommend doing this OBD-II check and getting a car fax to everybody when buying a car.
This video is bullshit i went to buy a car and 2 of the oxygen sensors said incomplete so i left after watching this video but when i came home i tried to use the tool in my car and it sais the same thing. incomplete and i never had check engine light in my car for over a year and i drove over 30k on the last year
I/M Readiness and Check engine lights are two different things. I/M Readiness is a series of self-monitoring systems that take multiple driving cycles in order to "monitor" itself and determine if anything is wrong. So if any of them still say incomplete, that simply means the car has not been driven enough since the last time the codes were cleared or since the battery was last disconnected. This can take anywhere from hours to weeks. A check engine light states something abnormal has been detected during the self-monitoring. So I think you're looking at it backward. If it says incomplete, there really shouldn't be a CEL yet. And that's the whole point of the video. People try to hide the CEL from buyers by erasing the code with a scanner or disconnecting the battery. So since you can still see an incomplete status, that means the CEL was cleared recently.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple means should i stay away from that car or should i go with it?my car say the same thing incomplete but last time my check engine was on over a year ago and i drove over 30k miles already
Yassine yassine On your car, have you recently cleared the codes or taken it to a shop for repairs where the battery could have been disconnected? Or has there maybe been a dead or replaced battery? The 30k miles won’t matter if the system was reset somehow. But in regards to the car you’re looking to buy, since it has some incomplete system status’s, I recommend not purchasing that car.
Yassine yassine yah that would probably explain why your oxygen sensor systems say incomplete since you had to disconnect your battery to replace it. It’s a bit longer than normal for them to still say incomplete, but not unheard of. And who knows, maybe the other guy coincidently replaced his battery too. The unfortunate part now is you don’t know if there were any codes. You could take it for a test drive and with your best judgement if you think it’s a good car, go for it. Otherwise, there are tons of other cars out there to buy.
Im sad how many sellers do this. I've went to 5 car lots in the last two weeks and 4 out of 5 cars had check engine codes that were reset. Only one seller acknowledged they tried to fix a problem and reset the light. The other sellers act like they didn't know anything. Some very shady sellers out there. I'm having trouble finding an affordable used car without major problems.
Sounds like this video has come in extra handy for you! Glad you have been able to avoid all those scams. Hopefully you find a good car soon. And yes, it is very sad. Thanks for watching and good luck
I don’t understand how they live with knowing customers is gonna come back when its a lot where they cant run and hide like a guy of marketplace.
How did you find out? Did you usea an OBD?
That was the most thorough and simple explanation, of using an OBDII scanner, thank you so much.
You're very welcome! Glad my video was helpful! :)
Hell yea it was. Thank you sir !!!!
This video has now saved me 2 times. Went to check a 2011 Prius and 2009 Camry. Both hybrids. Both cars had catalyst, evap, and O2 status as incomplete. Thank you so much for posting this very informative and extremely easily implementable video. You are doing God's work here 😁😁
@@bhupendramahawar9010 that’s amazing to hear! I’m glad my video was able to help you and keep those scammers out of business!
Than u oct 2023, I had searched how a customer could protect themselves from getting scammed by a obd2 scanner and you were the only one. Thanks
I’m glad my video could help both you and your customer! Thanks for watching!
This is a really great explanation of everything I wanted to know about using one of these to check out a used car. I just ordered one for myself.
Awesome! It's a very handy tool for sure. You'll be glad you got one!
That I/M readiness trick is genius this helped so much even two years later appreciate it 👍🏽
You’re very welcome! I hate seeing people get scammed! Glad it was helpful!
Thanks! You taught me a lot in 7 minutes. I'm going to look at a used Honda Civic & it has a rebuilt title (dramatic music).
Uh oh, be careful haha glad my video has helped otherwise! Thanks for watching!
Very glad to see I can use it on cars back to 1990. I’m looking to get a 2006-2008 car and was thinking they might be too old for me to be able to read them.
Yup it’s a very convenient tool that can be used on almost any car!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple lovely. I found some descent priced Volkswagen Golf mk5 they’re rather cheap to have where I live.
Thanks, I'm trying to work out how to read a scan tool, and when you talked about the MIL status and I/M codes and the NA or OK on right hand side my main worry was solved.
awesome! Glad my video was helpful!
I got scammed on a used car. 3 days after buying check engine light came on. Catalytic converter was bad and would cost $2,300 to replace at shop. Luckily i was rear ended 6 months later and car was totaled and I got enough money back to buy a better car.
Whew, dodged a bullet on that one! Hope nothing like that happens to you again
Since our cars and trucks have computers in them and can be accessed over the Internet through programs like OnStar can dealerships use this to send false codes to our vehicles just to have us bring them in for maintenance
I’ve never heard of such a thing. But if it did happen, there are plenty of smart people out there who would have found this out and major lawsuits would be filed.
Thank you! This is incredibly helpful! I'm no mechanic, but want to do a cursory check -- this is perfect!
Thanks. This video did help me. I thought I could use my scanner to check for possibly erased codes but had forgotten how to do that.
Glad my video helped! Thanks for watching!
Yes it did help.........I've asked a couple of car inspection companies this and they said they couldn't tell if codes have been erased. Not sure now if they are worth the £250-350 to walk around the car! Thanks for that.
Hmm interesting that they wouldn’t be able to tell, especially for that much money. I’m glad this video was helpful!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple As with everything, once doubt creeps in, what else don't they know....It knocks your confidence...That's TWO companies that said the same, just had an email back and they now they tell me yes (despite the owner telling that there was no way of telling at all) they can tell how many miles we covered since last wipe, but still haven't mentioned incomplete diagnoses during a scan. I think I'll just buy my own tool and check the car over myself. Scotty Kilmer here on you tube says that with professional scan tools you can check exactly the parameters of various components of the car while it is running, but that's $$$$$£££££ and I wouldn't know what I was looking at! lol.............Thanks again.
Thank you so much! We were in an accident we got hit from behind and totaled our car so we are car shopping and I am so afraid of buying a lemon. I went straight to Amazon and bought his scanner to take with me Monday when we go car shopping this will save me so much head ache! Also thank you for telling how to plug it up and where to look for the plug I had no clue but thanks to you I now know!
You’re very welcome! Good luck with your car search!
What car did u end up getting?
@@edxander7169 A lemon
@@jasonmax5759 oh NuuuuUuOUuH&&!!!! 🥹🥹😭🥺
I actually bought this already so it was nice to see how it works.
It’s a very handy tool to own!
Thank you for this video! Doing my homework on a bad car buying experience!
You’re very welcome! Hope this video comes in handy!
You’re amazing. I was just about to buy this exact one and you confirmed it. Thank you.
It’s a very handy tool to have! Glad my video could be helpful!!
Dude. Awesome video. Very detailed and thorough, and short. Not easy to do. Thanks.
Only thing I'd add is that some of scanners only give you the codes and not the actual problem.
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful! Yes it is true most OBD-II scanners don't tell you the problem, such as the instance with my scanner. But you can always enter your check engine light codes onto a website such as autocodes.com and that will give you a very detailed description of the code including the symptoms and causes to inform you how to fix the code.
If it only tells the code, then it's a 'reader'.
If it gives further info and directs you to the problem, or narrows down the possible potential problems, helps you test them, then it.s a scanner.
That's what I read, and I believe that.
BUT...I been fooled before.
Great video, very good coverage of the use of a code reader. Thanks for posting, good job!
thank you! I'm glad it was helpful!
thanks much for explaining how to simply check a few very important codes when buying a used car.........
you're very welcome! Glad my video could be helpful!!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple ...I am currently looking for a used car for my daughter and trying to educate myself and her on some simple things we can do when searching....any other helpful tips are welcome.....thanks again
@@garyvale8347 If you have found a car you're interested in, first you should do some online research regarding common problems with the vehicles so you're aware of what could/will go wrong with the car and utilize that knowledge when you actually go to look at the car in person and can inspect it and ask questions. I would also check all the fluids and make sure they're not dark or smell burnt. Check the tire tread depth and make sure all the headlights, brake lights, reverse lights, and turn signals work. If you have the ability, you could jack up each corner of the car and see if there's any play in the wheels. Also simply push all the buttons and switches to make sure all the electronics work and that everything opens and closes properly. Then you can take it for a test drive! Make sure you do the OBD-II scan check both before and after the test drive. You can check if the car was also maintained properly by looking up a carfax and ensuring a clean title with no accidents, and see when all the major service intervals were done last including the timing belt, water pump, engine mounts, suspension, etc. This way you can ensure the vehicle will continue to run problem-free as opposed to the owner wanting to get rid of a headache and passing it along to you. Good luck!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple all great points of information !!!! We have not yet found a vehicle that I want to make an offer on and just today ordered the OBDII scanner, but will keep all your good advice in mind when we do find something.....thank you again sir ......
Man! Thank you so much, I've had this tool for a year and never knew this much about it. I'ma go look at a van today, with my tool and a complete knowledge on how to use it. Thank you!
You're welcome! I hate seeing people get screwed over! Good luck!
Excellent video. Highly valuable information. The I/M function will play a huge role in detecting scams!
Thanks! I’m glad my video was helpful!
Thanks for the Video Theres a lot of scammers nowadays.
you're welcome! and yes there are unfortunately...
Thank you for making this so easy to understand!
You're very welcome! Glad it was helpful!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple does check engine light have to be on to read the car
Lashelle Coleman nope, this tool can be used at any time. The point I tried to make in this video is to specifically use it when the check engine light is off to avoid scammers who try to hide the light from buyers.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple k because I just got a car in I got it scanned at auto zone I they said I need to buy 500 dollars worth of parts in then I went back to the dealer ship were I got the car in thebplugged to the scanner when check light was off in no codes showed up because the the light went off by itself so assumed it just wasn't showing because wasn't on my dealer ship the auto zone trying to scam me
Lashelle Coleman was the light still on when you left autozone? If not it sounds like autozone might of cleared it. Otherwise, it is possible for codes to sometimes go away by themselves. All the more reason to buy your own scanner!
Thanks a lot brother MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AMEN AND AMEN
I got one from Amazon less than $15.00 it does all of what you did plus live data that tells me rpm, mph, coolant temp aka temp Guage, O2 sensors, EVAP, IM readiness, and has a seprate button to quickly access battery voltage, seprate button for stored codes. I'm able to delete codes aswell best purchase made
Awesome find! This is certainly a very handy tool to own!
This guy is the Man great easy to understand explanation on what to look for 💯💪
@@lamart3857 thank you! I’m glad you found my video helpful!
need to know, OBD plug are connect to ECU car computer, cheap OBD scan plug may burnt it , shouldn't do it yourself , you can tell the dealer or the seller need to do a check in a workshop, let them check the car, they will scan it for you, and at australia you can call racv come to your place to do a full check over, is cheap and the best is if after you bought the car within sometime ,sorry forgot how long, they will pay for fix even need the whole engine., it happen before in my workshop.
Excellent video! And I learned what INC on my reader means. Thanks!
Glad my video was able to teach you a few things about cars! Thanks for watching!
great tips and easy to follow. Thanks for the video., I'm trying to get Ready. to buy a used car and this definitely is helpful, very well explained
I’m very glad my video was helpful, thanks for watching and good luck with your purchase!
I'm going today to look at some vehicles for my girl. Borrowed the scan tool from work, and this video really helped! I was raised to go on a handshake, but the majority of the population is out to screw ya!
@@rodger603 it’s a sad world that it’s so difficult to trust anybody nowadays. Definitely inspect the car, especially the fluids. That is the easiest thing to maintain and can also tell you a lot about how well the vehicle was taken care of. Also don’t be afraid to say no to a car! Good luck and thanks for watching!
Great job. One of the best videos I've seen so far👏
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed my video!
Thank You, I Just Got Mines This Morning....
You're welcome! glad this video could help!
Great video! I ran and grabbed a pen and paper, lol. Thank you very much!
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Only good explanation online, thank you so much!
@@rasmuswahrborg1214 you’re very welcome! Thanks for watching!
Nice job with the video. Any idea what Monitors N/A means? On mine it shows as Monitors N/A 2.
N/A mean not applicable. The scanner is simply searching for a monitor that doesn’t exist in your vehicle.
Plz help - There are no INC’s in “Since DTC cleared”. But there are some INC’s in “This drive cycle”.
So is this normal. Is the vehicle in good condition ??
Thanks for your help man 👍🏻👍🏻
that should be okay. "This drive cycle" gets reset every time you turn off the car, and all of the IM readiness systems can’t run there cycle in a single drive. It’s the other menu you want to be concerned about. It shows long term information and will tell you if anything has recently been reset.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple Thank u so much for speedy reply.
I would have liked to know this information just before I bought my miata nc since it came with error code u0100 and blows my engine fuse everytime i turn the key to on position, now I am without a car, without money and stuck in a job that i don't get paid enough to repair it and get another job 🙃
@@joegamer1696 that really sucks. Sorry to hear that. Best of luck getting your situation resolved!
Some may say incomplete because the car had an issues before and the seller or dealer got it fixed before putting it on sale. That would be a pending code, and for it to go away the car must be driven for some hundred miles.. and I would assume the dealer or seller would not want to do that themselves because it would take some value away by increasing the mileage.. is that right?
That is true to a point, but there are far too many scammers out there to take a chance. Plus, if you’re a mechanic working for a dealership, they would know vehicles have a specific driving sequence that can be followed with varying speeds, stop and goes, etc to complete these system checks very quickly and reducing the mileage put on a vehicle when testing it. Besides, would you want a vehicle that wasn’t tested to ensure it’s working properly? Another reason to not buy a car with pending codes and incomplete system statuses.
@Incin3ration good point about the ensuring the part it's working OK.. some wouldn't even do that and just sell you a crappy car
I got this on Amazon for like 20 bucks it's amazing
It definitely comes in handy!!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple it does I started buying and selling cars that have little problems I'll fix em up and sell them but a lot of people erase codes 🙄
Just found this vid. I wish I could Like it multiple times!
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!
Thanks bro. Just what I was looking for!
You're welcome! Glad this video could help!
What a great video I came across. Thanks!
You’re very welcome! Glad it was helpful!
This is ace! Thanks so much :-) Is it any different for a hybrid car!?
It’s the same for all cars! Even 2022 cars are using obd-ii scanners
This is exactly what happened to me . I bought a Mitsubishi L200 when I took it to my local garage for its annual inspection they told me the ABS light was not coming on . When I removed the main panel in front of the instrument cluster some screws holding the instrument cluster down were missing. I removed the instrument cluster to find the ABS bulb and holder had been removed . After plugging in a scan tool I found fault codes for the front wheel sensors . As mentioned in this video the ABS light should always come on momentarily when starting the ignition.
Sucks to hear that happened to you. Hopefully, more people can learn these simple tricks to avoid scammers like those.
Best video I’ve seen on the is topic! 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you!!
Great , detailed video man. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Question on Pontiac 2008g 6 with check engine light on so I gotta make just sure it no on then
You want to ensure that you do see a check engine light illuminating when you first turn the ignition to the car on. This way, you can ensure the light is working. It's important for this light to work so when a problem arrises, it will illuminate when the car is running to let you know something's wrong.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple what are common problems driver says it drives fine with it on could I leave or needs to be reset
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple I’m buying the car Tommorow trying to check everything wrong with it
@@NateVega-jm3zf simply resetting the light isn’t going to fix the problem. The light will simply turn back on within a week most likely. Only reset the light after you’ve made an attempt to fix the problem. There are some things that can cause a check engine light but are barely noticeable, such as a loose gas cap. But nonetheless, it’s still important to fix any issue causing a check engine light to turn on to ensure no additional damage or problems arise and for your car to work as efficiently as possible
Hi, I bought the AD310 scanner for my Toyota Corolla 2005 and I would like to know if the device is compatible with my vehicle, because the communication between the computer and the AD310 is not established. I have two other vehicles and I had no problems with them. Could you please tell me if the AD310 is compatible with the Toyota Corolla 2005. Thank you.
For reasons that I do not know, the Ancel AD310 is not compatible with early model Corollas. Ancel does make a Toyota-specific scan tool, the TD700, but it's $95 on eBay. Maybe shop around if that's too expensive.
Thanks for the post and appreciate the help . How much miles you will get for a full tank ?
You're welcome! And I can get up to about 450 miles on a tank if I'm running it close to empty. So I usually fill up around 400 miles.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple Thanks again , i do have 2002 ACURA TL it has like 178 miles but i get only 230+ for the full tank not sure what needs to be checked , Any Advise
@@chenupy77 check your brakes, make sure none of them are sticking. Check your tire pressure. Make sure you got a nice clean engine air filter. If your spark plugs haven't been changed in the last 100,000 miles, those need to be changed. Check those simple things first. Any Check Engine Light codes?
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple Thanks again and i have replaced all the items you have mentioned still i get close to 240 + Should i do the Transmission Flush , My car @178450 Miles and i got this car 6 months ago and i might have driven 1000 miles so far
@@chenupy77 I wouldn't recommend flushing it. If the fluid looks dark from the dipstick, I would recommend doing a drain and fill. Check out my video for more information! th-cam.com/video/SjYVD2WCrCM/w-d-xo.html It won't help your mpg but it's still important to do. Also by the sound of it, you don't do much driving. Are you using premium gas? and do you do mainly city driving and/or drive in lots of stop and go traffic? Those things could also reduce gas mileage. It's hard to say when I don't know your driving habits or the history of the car, but I hope I could help!
This was very helpful. Thank you so much!🔥
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Mil on could also mean your ignition is on when doing the scan, did you have the ignition off when checking this?
3:54 The scanner only works with the ignition on., so it shouldn't make a difference. MIL stands for Malfunction Indicator Lamp aka check engine light. So it only will say on if there's a code.
What if it says INC under IM readiness but under (THIS DRIVE CYCLE) is that okay? I noticed comp component says INC under This drive cycle.
@@vince2113 that should be okay. That gets reset every time you turn off the car, and all of the IM readiness systems can’t run there cycle in a single drive. It’s the other menu you want to be concerned about. It shows long term information and will tell you if anything has recently been reset.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple okay thanks for letting me know. Appreciate the video.
I got a quick question tho, can that obd2 scanner also read how many miles the car actually has, because you know with all the mileage roll back fraud situations…
No it doesn't show how many miles are on the vehicle or if there was a mileage rollback. However, a carfax report will show you this. It will give a detailed list of history records including the service performed, the date, and the mileage. If the odometer on the vehicle is less than the last recorded mileage, then you'll know they're commiting mileage fraud.
Great vid. You already saved me money.
Thank you! I'm glad my videos have been helpful!
How accurate is the I/M Readiness ?
In terms of what? If the CEL was reset very recently, then the I/M readiness systems will not be set to okay status. It can take anywhere from a couple drives to a full week until those systems are all complete, so that part can be inconsistent.
Will this scanner detect mileage tampering?
This particular unit cannot detect mileage tampering. I’m not sure if any unit can for that matter. But what you can do is get a CarFax or look at the vehicles service records if the owner keeps those and verify the mileage lines up with its history.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple thanks for replying
I/M readiness has "since dts cleared" and shows OK. However, it shows INC on "this drive cycle"? Will that data be something to look into as well?
Only the "since dts cleared" should matter. The "this drive cycle" resets every time you turn off the engine.
Thank you! Your video was very informative.
@@MrBinets you’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
I like how you make videos man, Great stuff
Thank you! I appreciate it and are glad my videos help!
hello, is this obd scanner detects the real mileage in case of falsification?
Unfortunately there isn’t any any tool that can detect mileage rollback, only tools to change the mileage. This specific OBD-ii scanner shown in this video cannot do either. If you are suspicious of mileage fraud, you can get a car fax which will show the service history and mileage over time. If the current mileage is lower than what was previously recorded at an earlier date, you’ll know there was a mileage rollback.
My obd2 says ready and not ready, is that the same as complete and incomplete?
yes! You want the scanner to say ok, ready, or complete for all of the diagnostics!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple thank you!
Thanks man, Its really helpful. Thank you so much.
you are very welcome!!
One says since dtc cleared and another says this driving cycle which one should be completed
Sounds like you have a higher end device than what was used in this video. I would refer to the “since dtc cleared” option.
Thank you! Just what I needed to know!
I’m glad my video was helpful! Thanks for watching!
so, i bought one of these and ran it. everything looks good, no stored or pending codes. mil status is off and everything says ok or n/a. except for the evap system mon. which says inc. i haven’t been able to get a clear answer but what exactly does this mean???
Incomplete simply means the computers self analysis for the evap system hasn’t completed yet. This test can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to complete until certain driving cycles have been met for the car to fully analyze itself. Incomplete in itself isn’t a bad thing, however, it is an indicator that the check engine light codes were very recently cleared either by using a tool like this or by disconnecting the battery.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple thanks for replying! i turned off the car shortly after and waited a bit to test again. the second time, the evap system mon. had ok next to it and everything else looked good. idk why it changed in such a short time but i just wanted to make sure the previous owner did not clear anything off.
Can you still use a scanner on your car even tho the engine light is not on?
Absolutely! That’s why we are using it here, to see if the check engine light was cleared or not.
Very helpful. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
what do you do if they reset all the codes before you scan?
Some cars don’t have history of resets :/
i would run away! plenty of cars out there, no need to chance it on a car with recently reset codes.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple unfortunately we scanned it and it didn’t tell us it was inc so we bought it and then after about 100 miles the check engine light came on for cat converter but the timing just seems too suspicious. It’s a 99 Camry too so I should’ve known when there were no codes at all
@@mkaelacarat there can sometimes be a small timeframe until a CEL will be triggered, even after the readiness systems all say OK. If you got it from a used car dealership, you might be able to return it still if it's not too late. Or sometimes they'll even pay for any repairs needed within a certain timeframe after purchase. If you bought it privately, not a whole lot you can do other than fix the problem. Only so much we can do to avoid scammers.
Thank you I received the AS 100 the other day, having got round to using it yet.
you'll be glad you got it! It's a very handy tool!
Thanks, I might try it out today, you did a good review.
Abdul Karim D thank you so much!
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple You are welcome. I also have the small OBD ll with no lead, it's around 3-4 inches long. I was thinking to install it in my wife's car permanently, however the tiny red light on the OBD llis always on even with the ignition off. So I am scared that it might drain the car battery. Would you have any knowledge on that subject?
Abdul Karim D my overall recommendation would be no as they have been known to drain batteries
Great info. Thanks!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
is the ancel ad410 okay to use? I couldn't find the one you listed.
sorry idk why that link wouldn't work anymore. Yes the Ancel AD410 would also work fine and can be used to look for Check Engine codes and I/M readiness systems. Otherwise, just type in Ancel AD310 on eBay and a bunch come up.
Does it read transmission too?
It can read codes regarding the transmission too!
Please help, I purchased a used car and didn't check codes, I checked codes after buying and it has 3 codes but the dealership says the codes are just from memory storage and not active, he said it was a problem the car once had but is resolved, is that true? Or is the car likely going to give me the problem? I checked drive monitors and they are all ok and complete. I am taking a long drive this weekend to see if it triggers the car check engine light which is off. The car is used but does have a 3 month powertrain warranty which would include the codes I found when scanning. I'm wondering if I should just sell and not deal with it
It is possible for codes to not go away without clearing them manually. Why the dealership didn’t clear the codes after supposedly fixing them is questionable. Warranties also mean nothing to me. Car dealerships will do anything and everything to avoid having to fulfill a warranty. If the codes have not been legitimately fixed, they’ll come back usually within a few days to a week, and you can make your decision from there.
You are the man!
Very helpful. Thanks man!
you're welcome! glad it was helpful!
Does this work for airbag lights??
No,it is just a basic engine code reader,Please check more advance scanner that can scan abs/srs system
Great info
Good video, thanks very much!
kozmothewonderdog thank you! I’m glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this video.
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Nice job.
Great video!
Thank you!
thank you
Thank you!!
@@cheryldunaway9177 you’re welcome! Thanks for watching :)
Nice job sir
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Thanks so much 🙏!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching!
You sounded like ray romano
1990 pick up truck? No way. OBD started in 1996
Marco Polo this is true, but point being that’s where you would hook up your computer.
That's not always true
AWESOME!!
When I go to read codes before I drove vehicle there were 5. I cleared codes and drove the vehicle.check engine light came on but only 2 codes showed up. Do I discard the previous codes,thanks!
Mike Johnson It depends. Some codes may take longer than others to reappear, sometimes days and even weeks to show up again. Also, some codes won’t go away on their own even if the issue itself was fixed. So if you know the issue was fixed you could discard those codes. If there were codes to begin with but nothing was done to the vehicles, I would not discard them and consider the fact there’s a good chance they could come back again. But for now, I would just address the immediate codes that came back, and hopefully that could fix the potential issue of the other codes too, since a single problem could trigger multiple codes.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple hey man thankyou for the reply,at first I used the mechanic on duty,s simple code reader it said 0088 .then used mine and pulled up all existing codes,PDF,d them then cleared codes ,drove it and came up with 2018-1 and 2016-1
After some research I'm going to test fuel return rail injector differential,test pressure control valve,measure pressure before and after filter,test cascade overflow valve, fuel solenoid pressure during starting and during cranking unplugged, check fuel pressure set point vs fuel pressure.unplug quantity control valve in the Cp3 and chk pressure default, pump pressure generation test using the drb3, check for fuel leak in one of injector lines, fuel line leak, fuel line between tank and low pressure pump.
I really don't know the meaning of most of these items but I can figure it out.
What you think man?
Mike Johnson it definitely sounds like there’s a lot going on and you’re on the right track. Idk much about your situation, but usually whenever I get a code, I enter it into autocodes.com and that gives a pretty good write up on what’s causing it and how to fix it. Then I’ll search the forums if I need additional information. I’d start with the 2 codes that came back for now, and only address the others if they come back after fixing your initial 2 codes and problems. I hope that helps some.
Thank you man
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
You're the best!
Thanks! I’m glad my video was helpful!
thank you brother
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
✅great video
Thank you very much!!
I found codes that said inc. is it a scam
Truck drives fine
Might be becauze the battery was changed
@@cfsouthern It could be. A vehicle can appear to drive fine with a lot of codes, such as an evap leak code, but they're all bad and will lead to more problems down the road. Check the manufacturing date on the battery to confirm that a new battery was actually put in.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple thanks for the info! I’ll check it out.
thsnks
You’re welcome! And thanks for watching!
If Fozzie Bear and Kermit impersonated each others voice
Scammed this week on a Prius with blown head gasket. Pos craigslist dealer reset the check engine light. Text him later that day I swear the check engine light was off. Out 2500 for a engine swap.
Dang I hate hearing stories like this. Buying cars is so sketchy. My parents got screwed over buying a jeep, and it motivated me to make this video. I recommend doing this OBD-II check and getting a car fax to everybody when buying a car.
This video is bullshit i went to buy a car and 2 of the oxygen sensors said incomplete so i left after watching this video but when i came home i tried to use the tool in my car and it sais the same thing. incomplete and i never had check engine light in my car for over a year and i drove over 30k on the last year
I/M Readiness and Check engine lights are two different things. I/M Readiness is a series of self-monitoring systems that take multiple driving cycles in order to "monitor" itself and determine if anything is wrong. So if any of them still say incomplete, that simply means the car has not been driven enough since the last time the codes were cleared or since the battery was last disconnected. This can take anywhere from hours to weeks. A check engine light states something abnormal has been detected during the self-monitoring. So I think you're looking at it backward. If it says incomplete, there really shouldn't be a CEL yet. And that's the whole point of the video. People try to hide the CEL from buyers by erasing the code with a scanner or disconnecting the battery. So since you can still see an incomplete status, that means the CEL was cleared recently.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple means should i stay away from that car or should i go with it?my car say the same thing incomplete but last time my check engine was on over a year ago and i drove over 30k miles already
Yassine yassine On your car, have you recently cleared the codes or taken it to a shop for repairs where the battery could have been disconnected? Or has there maybe been a dead or replaced battery? The 30k miles won’t matter if the system was reset somehow. But in regards to the car you’re looking to buy, since it has some incomplete system status’s, I recommend not purchasing that car.
@@CarRepairsMadeSimple yes i changed the battery 1 month ago also the car i was gone buy battery looks brand new
Yassine yassine yah that would probably explain why your oxygen sensor systems say incomplete since you had to disconnect your battery to replace it. It’s a bit longer than normal for them to still say incomplete, but not unheard of. And who knows, maybe the other guy coincidently replaced his battery too. The unfortunate part now is you don’t know if there were any codes. You could take it for a test drive and with your best judgement if you think it’s a good car, go for it. Otherwise, there are tons of other cars out there to buy.