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 ...

Seeing your vehicle's check-engine light come on can throw a wrench in your travel plans. It can also feel a little scary: Does it mean your ride is headed for the scrapyard? Or is there a simple fix?

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Modern cars are technological marvels, and understanding what’s happening under the hood has never been more important—or more ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

Not so long ago, before software and electronics became so integrated, investigating car trouble and tuning performance was a mostly mechanical affair. Early electronic scanners and systems were brand ...

A few weeks ago, I decided to buy a couple of cheap OBD-II adapters to start out some ethical hacking experiments. However, when looking for a reliable adapter on the market, you can get a lot of ...

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 ...