Newbie here looking for best fault code reader
 

Hello everyone, I'm a new user here and this is my first post. I have a 2001 BMW 325i with 185,000 miles on it and just discovered the wonderful world of working on your own car....

Recently my car completely died on me. I took it to the dealer and they read the fault codes and determined that I needed a new fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs, connectors, 3 coils, exchaust cam sensor, and valve cover gasket. After they told me the bill would be about $3000, I told them to fix the fuel pump and fuel filter and I would tackle the rest...

So I did. I replaced the spark plugs, 3 coils, connectors, valve cover gasket, and exhaust cam position sensor. I took the car back to the dealer and they reset the codes for $20.

The car ran like a champ for about a month and now the check engine light is coming back on. The thing is, I don't notice a difference in performance. My car is still getting 25.5 miles to the gallon and I don't want to pay another $100 to have the fault codes read again. So since I'm enjoying working on my own car, I'm wondering what the best fault code reader is that I can use on both this car and my wife's 2004 Acura MDX since her car is getting up in the miles too.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to participating here...

Peake will sell you tools for your BMW, but they won't work on any other make. I have never explored broader application tools because I have 3 BMWs and an old Volvo which does not require a scanner.

Most autoparts stores will read the codes for you for free. You can buy a generic reader for $50.

A CEL with not performance problems could be many things. How long has it been on and does it ever go off?

Apparantly it's against the law in California to read codes for free now. The only store that would do it in the past was Autozone and that's what they told me. They sell one that is universal for $100 but it can not be returned and I just don't trust that. I suppose I can buy the Peak one but I really wanted something for both cars. Anyone have a link handy to the Peak one?

The CEL has been on for 4 days now without going off. Again, no performance difference. It's not misfiring (from what I can tell) so that eliminates the 3 remaining coils that I haven't replaced right?

Illegal to read the codes. Wow.

There are lots OBD readers for $100 or less. You can also get software based ones. Shop around and check Ebay.

Pelican sells Peake.

Is this the one everyone is using?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Peake-Research-BMW-R5-FCX-3-16-Scanner-Reset-Tool_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a543Q7c66Q3a2 Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2e c0Q2em14QQhashZitem220296458863QQitemZ220296458863

That's a common one.

I use Autoenginuity. It is a lot more expensive and software based so you need a laptop or PDA.

I see Autoingenuity is $249.00. Does that include the scan tool and the software for my laptop or is it just for the scan tool?

Yes, but why not buy it from Pelican? They are the ones that keep this place running so we can give you advice. :D

I agree, that you should buy from Pelican if the price is within reason and I am sure the price is a fair one.

Autoenginuity is software and a custom hardware interface. I like it, but there is some benefit to having a stand alone device. The benefits are price, simplicity and portability.

Whatever I end up buying of course I'd check here first. It was the first place I looked and I was just wondering if that was it.

I've been buying my parts from BMPD but most recently started ordering from Pelican because of the fantastic do-it-yourself articles.

So I'm thinking about the Peake one. I'm assuming it comes with the codes so that I can read the code and then quickly figure out what's wrong?

Bah, so after 5 days straight of the CEL being on, it finally went off. What gives?

Top 3 I can think of for a CEL that goes off after a few days:

fuel cap left off or not fully tightened during fillup
vapor recover system fault (similar to above but nothing to worry about if it is sporadic)
O2 sensor

The Peake has a manual with a chart and you have to navigate the chart to find the code. Its kind of a PITA but not too bad.

Fuel cap makes sense. It went off right after a fill up. I wonder if it was loose before the fill up. Cool, I'll invest in the Peake then, thanks for the advice.