My 2007 MX5 has just indicated an engine fault as the engine logo has come on the dash board. A quick check verified that coolant and oil are OK and a quick visual chcek didnt show anything else. 80 miles from home so I had to drive it and it drove OK. Question is, are the cheap code readers on ebay any good or am I just better to bite the bullet and take it to a garage for analysis?

Try a £5 ELM327 from ebay and a free app (Torq, or autoDr,). No major loss if it doesnt work, but mine successfully cleared my various Clios (2001-2009) faults.

[Edited on 17-10-21 by loggyboy]

Elm works great for me, as an iPhone user I needed a WIFI connected one, if you have Android then I believe it’s Bluetooth.

I've used the bluetooth ones with some success as well but currently use a code reader from ebay, orange in colour, and sold under different brand names which is very good. You can plug it in, read the code and it also gives an explanation of the code as well. Cost about £10 but sold at various prices near that one.

Thanks for the replies. One ordered.

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Originally posted by myke pocock
My 2007 MX5 has just indicated an engine fault as the engine logo has come on the dash board. A quick check verified that coolant and oil are OK and a quick visual chcek didnt show anything else. 80 miles from home so I had to drive it and it drove OK. Question is, are the cheap code readers on ebay any good or am I just better to bite the bullet and take it to a garage for analysis?

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Thanks Toys2. I will keep that in mind.

Hi Myke,

I've had numerous fault codes come up on our 2002 MX5 so give me a shout if you get stuck with yours. I'm only 25 miles up the road.

Cheers

Thanks RedAvon. Will do.

Don't waste money on a "code reader" buy a scantool that reads live data. A cheap ELM327 bluetooth dongle off ebay and a decent OBD2 app is the cheapest option
Fault codes are are not a diagnosis they are just clue, replacing parts based on fault codes alone just means playing parts roulette.

If you want more than just basic engine codes and data you need something like the Autel AP200

I see a lot of ads on various youtube channels I follow for Carly. They rave about it's features- I saw someone enable a non-standard lap-timer hidden in his Audi software the other day. Although appreciate their reviews might be based upon sponsorship!

https://www.mycarly.com/


Cheers,
James

I used to have a Sealey £35 special that just gave the number of fault codes found, and the code references - then an accompanying booklet suggested the fault area itself. Great if it's a basic car, but also tends to uncover faults that wouldn't necessarily trip the EML. It's earned it money worth in the decade that I've owned it, but as it's only OBD2, it is limited in its functionality (will also read VIN numbers, as well as a few other basic tasks). After this you get into bigger realms of live data reading, but you'll need to know what you're looking at/for in order to diagnose specific issues.

Last year I upgraded to a second-hand Snap-On Solus from a friend that had just been updated to the latest software to cover most vehicles and manufacturers up to 2019. It wasn't cheap at £600-odd, but does live data reading, full fault codes, service reset etc.. As we own a selection of LR models in the household, it's saved me more than that on diagnostic tests at the local specialist in a year, and allowed me to reset the parents' Mercedes after I'd serviced them. Also has a selection of friends turn up with dash lights that I've been able to help diagnose. But I also know it's massively over-spec'd for an amateur home-enthusiast tinkerer such as myself.