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?

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 ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Since the mandate of the OBD-II port in 1996, auto mechanics have accessed vital information about your vehicle by tapping into ...

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 ...

What’s an OBD-II (sometimes alternatively referred to as OBD-2, and other times in either form absent the interstitial hyphen) scanner? Answering that question first requires an understanding of what ...

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?

I liked the Ancel BD310 for its approach to connectivity, allowing users to connect via the hardwired dongle or Bluetooth. The Bosch Automotive Tools 1200 provided tons of detailed vehicle information ...

️ 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, ...

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 ...