This article was updated in November 2025 with new information. You know you’ve earned your DIY stripes when you can stay calm the moment something goes wrong. And with cars, that moment usually ...

Modern vehicles’ sophisticated electronics go far beyond the simple car mechanics most of us grew up with. Now, OBD, or on-board diagnostics, diagnoses almost every issue within your vehicle. Whether ...

Weekend wrenchers rejoice: there’s finally a CarPlay-compatible OBD scanner app available for iPhone users. It’s called OnTrack. For years we’ve been restricted to using a phone mount to diagnose cars ...

There it is. On your dashboard. Staring at you, mocking you, making you plot insurance fraud: your car’s check engine light. That little bugger has been on your dash for weeks now and you haven’t been ...

️ Editor's note: This product category requires new testing about once a year. We'll update this article with the most recent information when it's available. Modern cars are technological marvels, ...

Micah is a 20-year authority in the automotive industry with extensive experience founded on marketing, events, and racing. His writing beats can be found in various online publications such as Car ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. The OBD acronym stands for on-board diagnostics, a system built into modern vehicles that monitors the performance of the engine and other ...

Your check engine light can come on a host of reasons, ranging from a loose gas cap to a faulty engine component. If you see a light illuminated on your dashboard, you can use an OBD2 scanner to ...

You’ve probably been there — you go in for a simple oil change, and suddenly the mechanic tells you your transmission needs replacing. Or your check engine light turns on, and what you thought would ...