Hey everyone. I just thought i'd share with the org that I just purchased this Mac Tools ET97 Mini OBDII Scanner.

I am guessing the prices vary from where you buy them, but i got mine for about $150 bucks.. don't ask me which store i bought from or what website.. i'm sure they have it on the website.. but it was a guy that drives a Mac Tools Truck every Thursday to our College and yeah.

It works great! it has capabilities like the $3,000 scanners.

ON BOARD DIAGNOSTICS, READS ENGINE MANAGEMENT CODES.1996 US AND 2001 PETROL 2004 DIESEL EUROPEAN.

CLEARS CODES

CLEARS ENGINE MANAGEMENT TROUBLE CODES

VIEW FREEZE DATA

WHEN AN EMISSION FAULT DETECTED A SNAPSHOT IS TAKEN

DATA STREAM

LIVE DATA ON KEY ENGINE PARAMETERS WITH GRAPH

I/M READINESS

TESTS EMISSION SENSORS

MIL STATUS

STATUS OF ENGINE MANAGEMENT LIGHT

O2 SENSOR

SHOW THE READINGS ON THE ECU LAST O2 SENSOR TEST

ON BOARD MONITOR TEST

READS ON BOARD VEHICLE DIAGNOSTICS IF SUPPORTED

EVAP (EVAPORATION EMMISION SYSTEM)

THIS WILL SIGNAL THE ECU ON THE VEHICLE TO INITIATE A LEAK TEST ON THE VEHICLES EVAPORATION SYTSTEM (FUEL SYSTEM)

VEHICLE INFO

RETURNS VIN CID CALIBRATION AND CVN NUMBER

CODE LOOKUP

ALLOWS TO TYPE P CODE AND OBTAIN DESCRIPTION


pretty much everything. lol. but anyways. i got mine for $150 dollars. I don't know if that was with my student discount, but hey. it's worth it.

picture?






Sorry for the Blown Up Pictures. I sized them, but they wouldn't size up

 

If only it reprogrammed NATS codes...

 

Uh...i just bought an eBay USB OBD2 reader for $30 that came with free software...does the same functions.

 

Ive seen those and been very tempted to buy one. So they actually work huh?

 

Looks nice.

Although for that amount of money, I would invest in a ScanGauge instead.

I plan on getting one soon. Fits perfectly right underneath my headunit.

http://www.scangauge.com/

 

I got mine on Ebay for about $30, and it works great. I've used it on two 4th gen Maximas and my 2003 Altima.

 

you guys use this for tuning or simple check engine diagnostics?

 

Far too expensive for simple code reading, which is what 99% of the people here would use it for.

Seems to me to be a much better option to just get the codes manually, or get a cheap Actron code reader.

The only features it appears to have that a generic OBD-II code reader doesn't are DTC lookup and EVAP controls.

And no, you can't 'tune' your car with an OBD-II code reader or scanner...

 

i know i could get them cheaper.. i only got it for the code lookup. it helps me alot, since i am taking up automotive at the Tech. So yeah. it's all good. i was just saying. figured maybe some people might like it as well. lol

 

I need to invest in one. I am RI and the auto zones here wont clear codes. (against company policy) so I need a scanner of my own. Thanks for the info.

 

I also bought one of the 30 dollar Ebay scanners. It took a lot of messing with to get it to work, but I eventually got it, and it does the same functions as above.

It is just a shame the speed on our OBD2 bus is so slow.

 

or just go to auto zone for free..

 

i'd rather sit at home and save gas, where as drive 25 minutes to autozone.

 

I'm only one mile from the closest AZ, and it's still way easier to do my own diagnostics and then reset the light at home using the ECU screw. For 208K miles (and over 15 years of ownership) this method has worked perfectly fine.

I just don't understand the hype over scanners. IMHO, they aren't necessary.

 

i only bought one cause i'm in automotive technology class. and it helps me when dianosing other cars in our class.. so yeah... i was just saying.. i found me a nice scanner.. lol

 

this is what i use, and its cheap, and never let me down

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...ere-first.html

 

hahaha, It doesn't do what 3k scanners do. Trust me on this one. Plus, Even a snap-on scanner tells you the best ways how to diagnose a problem.

Also. For $150, I bet the Autozone one is better and thats like $80.

 

The store manager of my local autozone told me the scanner they use costs 170.00 dollars.

 

mac tools is a ripoff.

 

I have an Auterra Dyno-Scan for my Palm TX (and Centro phone). I also got the Windows version for using a laptop. Basic OBDII functions are very convenient using my phone or Palm, and I can record 5 different parameters at a time. With a laptop, I can record all of the car's OBDII sensors at once. Either way is nice to see what O2's, MAF, fuel trims, etc are doing. The graphs are handy for comparing sensors. Both will give freeze frame data when reading a code, which is nice for intermittent DTC's.
The Nissan/Infiniti pack is an extra $50, and gives even more control, like idle air control learning, key programming, etc for newer cars. It won't work for my '97 Maxima or '00 I30 because of their age. I believe the '01's and up support it.
Using the Palm is also convenient to see real-time data for things like instantaneous fuel economy, avg fuel economy, intake air temp, timing advance, fuel trims, MAF, throttle position, calculated load, etc... It can also do dyno functions, but I haven't tried it on mine yet (you have to input weight, tire diameter, and gear ratio, which I don't know)
When I was looking at OBDII scanners, I also looked at AutoEnginuity's. I went with Auterra because of the deal I got and I already own several Palm devices (with a mount in my car). Either way, they are some interesting, handy devices. My complete setup (Palm and Windows versions with OBDII cable, and a special cable for my Palms) was just under $300.