New service could just be what the car doctor ordered

Posted Jan 12, 2012 By Brian Turner

EMC Lifestyle - Vehicle 'check-engine' lights have been the number one topic that readers over the years have written in or emailed about. It's nearly impossible to provide any definitive answers to these motorists based solely on the fact the dash light is on because this catch-all warning system can be triggered by an almost unending number of systems, components, wiring, electrical connectors, or environmental issues.

Many car owners are extremely nervous about taking their vehicle into a service garage to have a check-engine light repair or examination completed because they have no idea how much the final invoice will be. They may have heard horror stories from friends, family, or neighbours or have had their own bad experience with the sticker-shock of an unexpectedly high estimate.

Over the last few years, various companies have marketed personal-use automotive computer scanners to allow do-it-yourselfers to tap into their vehicles' on-board electronics to hopefully get some information on what went wrong and how much it's going to cost to fix it.

The biggest problem with these products is that they only reveal an alpha-numeric trouble-code without any substantial repair information. Then our car owners are left to fend for themselves on the internet as they search automotive forums, chat-rooms, commercial web-sites and the like trying to decipher their mechanical mysteries. As the average age of vehicles on Canadian roads is climbing, this problem is rearing its head more and more every day.

A Fountain Valley, California company, CarMD® Corp. launched what it saw as the need for consumer empowerment in 2006 with their CarMD® system and at the end of 2011 it became available to Canadians.

Rather than just offer a stand-alone scanner, CarMD® provides access to a website with an enormous database compiled from thousands of real-life repairs and written by licensed automotive techs. For those car owners without a reliable and trusted service provider this can provide a lot of quick and easy-to-understand information to help unravel the mysteries of the dreaded 'check-engine' light.

I had a chance to test out the CarMD® first hand and fortunately for me, two vehicles in my family came up with 'check-engine' lights recently. The hand-held scanner is easily connected to the vehicle's on-board diagnostic connector under the dash. These information portals have been standardized since 1996 for all makes and models and the CarMD® website can help you locate the connector on any particular vehicle. After retrieving the code (a 30-second operation) the scanner is then simply plugged into your laptop or PC and after a quick and secure software install and website registration, you can learn in plain English what caused the light to come on and what the most likely repair will be and even what it should cost. In my case both vehicles registered engine cylinder misfire codes and the recommended repairs were software updates of the cars' computers. I was even able to print out the relevant automaker's bulletins and both diagnoses and recommendations and cost estimates were bang on.

The scanner and access to the CarMD® website can be purchased and used independently of each other. The website will let you register up to three different vehicles and provides a wealth of info on vehicle maintenance, manufacturers' bulletins and recalls, along with the ability to print out detailed reports on the health of your car. The scanner will retrieve codes for the engine, transmission, and emission control systems and, according to the CarMD® website the ability to diagnose air-bag systems and anti-lock brakes is coming soon.

CarMD® makers have been collecting and analyzing data from their U.S. customers for the last five years and in April of 2011 released an in-depth look at vehicle repairs and their costs along with rankings of which vehicles are the most reliable to operate and how repair costs vary from region to region (look for more on this in future columns).

The cost of the scanner alone is a very competitive $119.95 and a scanner with a lifetime website support subscription for up to three vehicles is $164.70 plus tax and shipping. If using this system prevented a car owner from just one unnecessary repair on just one vehicle, it would most likely pay for itself. The scanner and subscription can only be purchased online at this point.

Keep in mind, the parts and labour estimates are U.S. based but are very comparable to Canadian figures. Besides, with the information in hand that CarMD® can deliver, it's easy to call a few shops for some phone quotes. One thing that the scanner won't do is erase a trouble-code. That's left up to a technician after the repair is complete. CarMD® providers feel that simply erasing the code without completing a proper repair doesn't do the consumer or the environment any favours and they're right. For more details log onto www.mycarmd.ca.

Contact Car Counselor by email at emc@perfprint.ca or directly to bjoeturner@hotmail.com listing 'Question for the Car Counselor' on subject line.