Cars are more than just oil and steel. Modern models have incorporated electronics and computer chips to help manage and optimize their mechanical components. That means maintaining your car's ...

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 ...

When programmers first jumped onto the scene, many people were skeptical about modifying their vehicle’s delicate electronics. Now more enthusiast than ever are upgrading their rides with these ...

Whether you're an everyday driver or a pro technician, when your check engine light suddenly comes on the first step is to connect an OBD-II scanner. At Autoweek, we recommend everyone carry an OBD-II ...

If you've ever gone to a mechanic for a check engine light problem on your car, then chances are you've heard the technician say something about an OBD scanner. It's a handheld phone-like device that ...

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 ...

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 ...

It used to be that you could pop the hood and with nothing more than flat head screwdriver, some baling wire, and tongue held at the optimal angle, you could fix anything that ailed your car. But ...