️ Editor's note: This product category requires new testing about once a year. We'll update this article with the most recent information when it's available. Modern cars are technological marvels, ...

This software has only been tested with a Volkswagen MK6 GTI. Your success in using this software with your vehicle might vary. Using this software and related libraries is done so at your own risk.

Here’s a bizarre trend: some car owners are putting a physical lock on their car’s Onboard Diagnostics port. Others are even installing a “dummy port” not connected to their car, then rewiring the ...

The world of car diagnostics has changed a lot over the last 50 years. Back in the '70s and earlier, a mechanic's most valuable diagnostic tools were usually their eyes and ears. You could figure out ...

Car crime has become increasingly sophisticated, with thieves using the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port fitted to modern cars to start the engine and drive away. The problem has made headlines, ...

OBD II requires that a vehicle's computer system indicate when components have failed, resulting in the emission of pollutants at 1.5 times the accepted level. Another requirement of OBD II is that ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. If you own a car built in 1996 or later for the U.S. market, the odds are overwhelming that it has an OBD port. You may have even noticed its ...

Modern vehicles’ sophisticated electronics go far beyond the simple car mechanics most of us grew up with. Now, OBD, or on-board diagnostics, diagnoses almost every issue within your vehicle. Whether ...

What’s an OBD-II (sometimes alternatively referred to as OBD-2, and other times in either form absent the interstitial hyphen) scanner? Answering that question first requires an understanding of what ...

This article was updated in November 2025 with new information. You know you’ve earned your DIY stripes when you can stay calm the moment something goes wrong. And with cars, that moment usually ...