Customer Reviews

ElmScan 5 Compact USB OBD-II Scan Tool & OBDWiz Engine Diagnostic Software (423001)

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This is an alright product:

Pros:
+Read & Reset Check Engine Light codes
+Can read many OBD parameters (just not with the included program)

Cons:
-Slow. The refresh rate is at best 1-3 updates per second when reading OBD2 values. This is way to slow to be of much use.
-Fuel mileage calculations with included software is woefully optimistic
-Included software can only read a few parameters. There are some free software alternatives, but most of the good stuff is quite expensive


Overall:
Decent for CEL reading/resetting. Although, a cheap handheld device does the same thing and is more portable.
Poor for monitoring values over OBD2. The refresh rate is too low to be of much diagnostic use.

I work as a professional ASE certified mechanic and I bought this for home use on my new netbook that uses Windows 7 starter.

installation was easy, but simply plugging the scanner into the laptop while connected to the internet got better results because windows automatically finds the best drivers.

when you first try to connect i found it easiest to click auto-detect to make sure the pc can communicate to the scanner.. then click connect and it finds the correct protocol to use.

Reading and clearing codes was very easy.

To view all the PIDS you have to manually set it to monitor all of them or you only get a few. However when you do this the PID update rate gets very very slow and is almost useless, I was able to rev the engine up and let it come back down to idle and the scanner never updated in time to pick up the RPM change.

If you deselect all PID's and select only RPM, it will update almost instantly so the update rate depends on the car AND how much data you are trying to pull all at once. when selecting 5 or less PID's the update rate is acceptable

I've tried this product on a 2006 Honda Ridgeline and a 1996 Ford Escort, the escort appeared to have faster data refresh rates, but was still too slow when all PID's were selected

Overall this product is worth the low cost if you're trying to check and clear codes, and if you know what you're doing you can do SOME diagnostics with this, to do any real diagnosis you need a much much faster scan tool capable of monitoring all PID's as fast as the car will update them.

OBDWiz was the best software I tried for this scanner, stick with and check for updates within the program to auto update to the newest version and gain some more power

Also the best way to install the software onto a netbook is to copy the CD onto another computer and transfer it to the netbook. Or create an ISO image of the CD using daemon tools and mount it in a virtual drive

I needed a simple, inexpensive scan tool to check and reset error codes in my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville. I work in computers and have a laptop available so the ElmScan 5 USB scan tool looked like a nice package. The form factor was what I was looking for, it in included OBD software and the price was right. The unit arrived promptly, the software installed easily and linked to the scan tool without issue. The software was simple to learn and easy to use and proved to be totally adequate for my needs. It provides a simple link to look up codes on the internet and does a very good job with standardized codes. The basic software does not handle manufacturer specific codes but there are other software packages available for more advanced uses, some of which are free. I have used the ElmScan 5 on all of my vehicles and several friends vehicles and really like the unit.

As the title says, it's a great deal for the money. Most scan tools are cheap, and the software is extremely expensive. This one? Cheap and cheap. There are countless websites out there for software for the wonderful ELM 327 IC, which makes this piece of equipment very versatile. I have ScanXL, wOBD, obd-2 and they haven't failed me yet. I tested it on my girlfriend's dad's 2004 Ford Explorer that has a bad tire sensor. Within moments, ScanXL told me exactly what tire sensor was bad, and notified me of misfire issues that I didn't know were even present. I only took a star off because this should have worked with my 1995 GMC Jimmy. The protocol is OBD 1.5, which is a combination of OBD I and OBD II. A rental handheld scantool with basic codes picked up my brake-light issue, so there was no reason this should not have. But other than that single issue, great piece of hardware for the simple home mechanic.

This product worked well on my 2001 Jetta and 2002 BMW. In addition to generic scan codes it shows the manufacturer specific codes. It helped me isolate a misfire problem in the BMW and prevented me from unnecessarily replacing O2 sensors; it has already more than paid for itself. Setup on Windows XP was pretty easy. The included software and instructions are good. As a bonus, it also works on Windows 7, whereas many ebay look-alikes don't.

The digital dash update rate was too slow to be more than a novelty, but this may also be a factor of the car computer's update rate. I haven't tried the PID monitoring.

The software and support are much better than the look-alikes found on ebay. This is the actual product sold at [...], not a clone with questionable licensing. There is actual support and forums available at [...] and other software if you want to upgrade.

For the price, you can't really go wrong.

if you're ok to use your laptop in conjunction with this tool then it will do it all for you. it works with the latest protocol (CAN), reads freeze frame, does real-time monitoring and shows you a bunch of other information with included OBDWiz software.

Came on time, easy clean installation, plug and run operation. Gave usable interpertation of a trouble code that my previous OBD scanner choked on (said there was a trouble code, but none available!)

The ElmScan 5 Compact USB scanner is an exelent product. The base software package that comes with it reads more than enough data points for the garage mechanic and displays it in a simple easy to use interface, clears codes well, and much more. There is expanded software available for professionals who want more than the already feature rich basic package offers.
It's inexpensive and has worked well on my 2008 Toyota, 97 diesel Dodge, and my brothers old ford.

To load the software it took over 20 minutes the first time (did not work), it took about 5 each time after that. There was very little information in one of the programs for the Data PIDS the other had a lot of Data PIDs but none of the other programs worked properly. I just wanted a basic generic OBD II scantool as back up on the laptop. The connection for the hardware kept malfunctioning. I sent it back; it was not worth the hassle to me. Maybe I received a defective software and hardware package but I will find another brand to try, hopefully that will work better. Glad Amazon has a good return policy.

I attempted to install this on two different computers, a new HP running on 7 32 bit and an ancient Sony running on XP professional. On the HP when I activated the program the mouse pad went dead. I resolved that issue with an external mouse and then found that it did not recognize the link to the automobile. A re-installation did nothing to resolve the problem. I attempted to install it on the Sony and it would not even install. Efforts to contact "tech support" were useless. They do not have tech support, they send you to some forum which I could not even register on because it did not work. I contacted sales and was informed that they do not have tech support but she would look into the forum issue. If you buy it with the idea that if it works good and if not I will send it back fine. If you buy it with the idea that if I have problems I will contact tech support GOOD LUCK.