Car diagnostics

deburca98

Hi i am interested in getting started in car diagnostics fault clearing , mostly as a hobby. do i need every car manufacturer diagnostic software on my laptop.
i know there are different types of fault readers to diagnostic kits, i am looking to earn starting from zero, wont be remapping ecus or anything

discodavie

Well there.

Its an easy one o get into , a hard one to get right. A cheap scanner is less than 50 squid but does feck all really. or you could spent 600-20 k on a good one.

I use a launch x431 diagun great little piece of kit but each manufacturer is different in the way it presents the code.

I bought mine off of DD from a lad in clondalkin. Its a chinese one same as original but 600e instead of 2500stg but you have to go back to him for the upgrades which are free.

Any questions fire ahead

mickdw

Scanning codes is all well and good but coming up with the correct diagnostic from there is where the skill is.

CreepingDeath

deburca98 wrote: »

Hi i am interested in getting started in car diagnostics fault clearing , mostly as a hobby.

Well how much do you want to spend on a hobby ?

I don't dabble in mechanics at all, but like techy gadgets.
Here's the cheapest option available, if you just want to start out in a non-serious way.

I bought a cheap bluetooth OBDII connector and use the Android App Torque Pro

That's €3.55 for the Android app and about €20 for the bluetooth OBD II device.
The specific OBDII device I bought is no longer available in DealExtreme, but they're a load of devices there... eg. OBD II Link

Usually takes a good 6 weeks to receive anything from DealExtreme.

I was able to connect it to my 2007 Honda Civic, and it showed a low pressure warning on my air conditioning unit, so I know it worked.
Also, it gave a lot of fancy looking telemetry in realtime on the cars engine.

You can only use it on cars with the OBD II connector, so cars older than 2001 will not have it. OBD II History on Wiki

Kid Nothing

Honestly there is no point getting into solely clearing codes if you can't fix the issues. Only route for you is a motor mechanic apprenticeship. Learn the trade, how to diagnose and rectify all issues. There's plenty of opportunities and money to be made if you're good at it but there'll be no quick way of making money by simply clearing codes.

Mar4ix

Id advice go to some courses, first to know about car electric communication systems. many cars using different communication protocols, learn what difference between them, and how work with them.
Need some knowledge , before you want start work with diagnostics.

Clearing codes, doesnt fix cars. If faulty sensor not replaced, in some cars fault code comes up within seconds, in some other cars after day or two.

Just my thoughts, to do diagnostics, have to know cars in and out, must be number years experience in mechanics. It is kind next level of mechanics.

eddieham

OP I know a lad who does similar and makes a good living doing so.

He was previously an electronics technician and saw a gap with a lot of mechanics being unable to use the diagnostics, or just scared of it.
He is now called by mechanics to work along side them, he will diagnose the fault via OBD and the mechanic carries out the mechanical repair.

In his case a lot of the mechanics he works with are of the old school variety and in time it is a service that will probably fade out as younger guys, fully trained up on diagnostics come through.

The investment on his side has being considerable as he buys all legit scanners and pays all licence fees, to ensure all updates.Last time I was talking he was working with 3/4 laptops and 4 if not 5 handheld scanners. Many systems and devices are required to cover all cars, lads here can advise you better with this, I only know from what this lad has told me.

He provides other services also, key coding, radio decoding, some ECU mapping, PCB repairs, sensor repairs and other electrical/electronic repairs but he reckons 85% of his revenue comes from diagnostics alone.

This chaps works hard and puts in the hours, mileage and investment required but has good reward for doing so

deburca98

forgot to mention i am an equipment Eng with electronics and programming experience, Java C++ i am thinking of learning as a hobby and progressing to a side earner in this, don't want to go from novice to working on someones car straight away an element of caution is better than a knackered ECU. Have seen the diagnostics in work looks interesting but this was main dealer soft ware. Thanks for all the responses, does the main dealer software give an explanation for the p code, i understand the cheap ones will give you a p code that you need to look up but they read and don't write to the car. Yea if your ABS is banjaxed turning off the light wont get rid of the error especially if there is an audible tone with the error. My question is i suppose would it be better to specialise in one car with S/W. I have seen the launch x431 diagun does that contain all the dealer software in it or

eddieham

that's exactly how the lad I know got into it, he did this as an evening/weekend sideline while working elsewhere.
Did that for 12/15 months before going full time into diagnostics.In this time he had gathered contacts,gained experience and acquired the relevant kit.
he is now 7 years out on his own and says it was the best move he ever made

Nissan doctor

For anyone interested in learning the basics(and not so basics) of OBDII/EOBD and other modern vehicle systems have a look here:

http://www.hella.com/hella-ie-en/320.html

Sign up and you can access free online training modules for EOBD, basic automotive electronics, multiplexed electronics, engine control systems etc