The era eventually deemed OBD-I was a difficult one for consumers and independent mechanics alike. Between about 1981 and 1995, manufacturers created their own proprietary vehicle data connections, ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Modern cars are technological marvels, and understanding what's happening under the hood has never been more important—or more ...

Seeing your vehicle's check-engine light come on can throw a wrench in your travel plans. It can also feel a little scary: Does it mean your ride is headed for the scrapyard? Or is there a simple fix?

The world of car diagnostics has changed a lot over the last 50 years. Back in the '70s and earlier, a mechanic's most valuable diagnostic tools were usually their eyes and ears. You could figure out ...

Before I figured out how to work on cars, onboard computer systems scared me. I’ve had no formal training, after all, so the idea of a car’s complex electricals and countless sensors made DIY work ...

I was recently at a seminar going over some diagnostics for some of the problematic and reoccurring fault codes. The general discussion led us in an interesting direction about the nature of fault ...

OBD-II fault codes reveal exactly what triggered your check engine light - a $30 Bluetooth dongle pulls them in under a ...

From the late '80s onward, cars were becoming more and more technically advanced, and an old-school toolkit could only do so much. So, following some development (and the limited OBD-I design), the ...

The check engine light is both a friend and foe. For those who take their cars to the shop for repairs, it’s a symbol of impending treachery and rising credit card bills. But to those who shoulder the ...

A few weeks ago, I decided to buy a couple of cheap OBD-II adapters to start out some ethical hacking experiments. However, when looking for a reliable adapter on the market, you can get a lot of ...