Hey Guys. I just wanted to start a discussion about diagnostics for the DIY'er or very small shop owner. I'm curious to see what people are doing in this arena. A driving force for most of my work has been, "Can I buy a tool and get enough use out of it to offset the costs involved, or possibly even be money ahead? [Can I sell it to the wife?😉] For DIY'ers the answer is usually YES! A $3000 scan tool might be perfect for a full-time mechanic or shop owner, but can a DIY'er justify this cost? Are there alternatives?
I was raised working on tractors and old-school engines. As much as my old-school self has resisted, I have come to realize the way of the future is electronics. I believe most engines/mechanical work is now about 30% mechanical (the stuff we're all good at) and 70% electronic (the stuff we better get better at). I suspect there are a great many of us in the same boat. I'll fill-in my story/situation as we go, but I suspect there are a bunch of guys out there who did a couple years of Auto-Tech in high school, who are a little bewildered at the modern day electronics. I myself have had to fill in some of these gaps, which I'll get into. Hopefully we can help each other!
If you have some unique or 'old-guy' ways of deciphering modern-day diagnostics, I'd love to hear your ideas! I'll throw some of mine in there as well.
Modern diagnostics are dominated by proprietary and generic scan tools. But I suppose the question boils down to...Are there DIY-friendly alternatives?