️ 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, ...

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 ...

As technology gets more advanced, consumers are taking advantage of it to save time and money. Now there's a tool called FIXD that's helping people figure out what's wrong when their check engine ...

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 ...

Antuan started out in the automotive industry the old-fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. He now has nearly 20 years of expertise and experience behind ...

Automotive diagnostics have come a long way since the “idiot lights” of the 1980s. The current version of the on-board diagnostics (OBD) protocol provides real time data as well as fault diagnostics, ...

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 ...

OBD-II diagnostic device BlueDriver interprets engine error codes to suggest what might need fixing, and lets you know if your car is ready for a smog check. Wayne ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. If you've ever connected a standard OBD-II scanner to your motorcycle only to find it doesn't work as expected, you're not alone. Unlike cars, ...

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 ...