Kobra Products OBD2 Scan Tool


Kobra Products OBD2 Scan Tool

I’m fairly certain that the KB30 that is silk-screened on the device and plastered all over the manual would be the Manufacturer Part Number.
Although KOB-WIFIVARIATION does get my hopes up that this is wireless if you touch it the right way.

Would anyone recommend this over one of the Bluetooth scanners? Pro/cons?

I would definitely recommend the bluetooth version over one of these. They will be about double the cost (~25) but the wealth of information you can get is worth it. This will of course tell you the engine code, and you can clear it, but since the bluetooth version won’t be limited by a 20 row LCD screen, you can extract all sort of diagnostic information.

For example, this can tell you that one of your O2 sensors is bad, but you might have 4 of them. Which is it? The bluetooth versions can report on the readings of the individual O2 sensors, as well as the voltage they’re pulling, to pinpoint which one it is.

A bit of a learning curve with the bluetooth ones since the information can be overwhelming and you might not be sure what exactly you’re looking at, but once you figure that out, it’s great.

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It always worries me when the manufacturer doesn’t have someone proof read their “stuff.” (Or, maybe the Woot Monkey doesn’t bother):

“Know what is wrong your car before taking it to a mechanic.” Can anyone say, “…wrong WITH your car?”

Eh, I’ve seen worse but I’ve added the missing word.

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Any of these basic code scanners are exactly that - basic. All it will do is tell you the DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) stored in your car’s computer. It will be up to you to go online and look up the code to determine what it means and what could possibly be the cause. Not impossible, but not convenient as many of these codes are generic and mean slightly different things for different makes and models. In addition, this unit will also allow you to erase a set code so you can see if the repair work you’ve done fixed the problem but that is pretty much it.

Other than not defining the code and indicating the specific cause, the list of things this scanner doesn’t do is pretty long. It doesn’t:

  • Read ABS codes
  • Read airbag codes
  • Have a database that can be updated (this is important for newer vehicles)
  • Read live data streams
  • Retrieve VIN data
  • Freeze frame data
  • Read real-time O2 sensor data

If all you want is the code from your car’s computer that is turning on the Service Engine Soon light then you can stop by just about any chain auto parts store and they will read it for free, but if you either want more information about what is going on and/or you plan on working on your car yourself then $13 won’t get you what you need and you should consider something in the $70-120 range. A reasonable alternative for the DIYer would be the Topdon Elite on the mothership which is on sale for $99 and can be had even cheaper with coupon and discount codes and has all the features I list above that today’s offering does not. Hope that helps.

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Wow, thanks for the info! I tend to prefer stand-alone devices that are update-able. Will have to consider the Topdon unit.

When I bought a tuner for my Mustang GT it came with a lot of diagnostics. This is not the same item of course, at all- however, I would think it could be useful if you are getting trouble lights or warnings of some kind from your car. With modern cars having over 100 discrete chips in them, there’s a lot to know before trying to diagnose and fix a problem.

I don’t know if this is still good, but here is the link and a coupon code for an additional 20% off the Topdon Elite scanner.

Topdon ELITE Scanner: https://amzn.to/2YlJJvy

20% Discount code: OTQ833S6

It is stackable with the 5% coupon code already listed on the page. Hope this helps!