Category: Automotive

Best Scan Tool, XTOOL A30-M, Cheapest Bidirectional OBDII Diagnostic Scanner

Best Scan Tool. XTOOL A30-M. Cheapest Bidirectional OBDII Diagnostic Scanner

The XTOOL A30M OBDII diagnostic scan tool is probably the best value scan tool available today. This Automotive scanner has the most functionality, including bidirectional control and ABS brake bleed, for the least amount of money on the market. It’s an OBDII dongle that works along with your portable smartphone or tablet. It can be an Android device, or an APPLE product….. Either way this device will work with your existing phone, tablet, iPad, etc. Unlike other OBDII dongles that require annual subscriptions per make/model, or annual subscriptions to enable certain scan tool functions, this scan tool has FULL FUNCTIONALITY for the life of the device. It also includes LIFETIME FREE software updates. Once you buy this scan tool, you will never pay another penny to continue using it. It’s purchase price, compared to it’s functionality makes it the best value on the Diagnostic scan tool market today….. Then, consider that it costs nothing extra to keep the tool running and up to date pretty much makes it a no-brainer.

The software that you download onto your portable device is called “ANYSCAN by XTOOL” and it’s the same software that is found in their high-end top tier scan tools. The user interface that appears on your phone is exactly the same user interface that appears on XTOOl’s $1200+ pro level diagnostic scan tools. Using this A30-M scan tool with my Samsung Android tabled (as shown in this video) gives me exactly the same user experience as using my XTOOL D8 or D9 scan tool.

I have reviewed other OBDII dongle scan tools in the past and not only did they charge a fee for everything, the mobile version that appears on the smartphone looks nothing like what would appear on their dedicated scan tool devices. The software was extremely clunky to use, not very intuitive, and even somewhat confusing. That is NOT the case with this new A30-M….. This thing works smooth and perfect!

Within only a few minutes, you can have this tool up and running on your mobile device, and scanning a vehicle for codes. However, once the software is installed on your device, I do recommend checking for, and installing any available updates to be sure your new tool and software are fully up-to-date and functioning at their best. The amount of time it takes to download and install updates depends on the total number of updates, the speed of your device, the speed of your internet connection, the amount of traffic currently using XTOOL’s web server, etc ,etc.

This A30-M scan tool is not like the other OBDII dongles that came before…. This tool is the real deal! It’s very powerful, it has tons of functionality, it has an affordable purchase price, it has a two year manufacturer’s warranty, it includes free software updates, and it’s very intuitive and easy to use. The dongle itself is fairly small…. It’s like having a pro-level scan tool in your pocket. This thing would be great for road trips across the country. You never know if/when you’re going to break down on long road trips. This tool will always be in my glove box. Hopefully if I have it, then I will never need to use it on my road trips. Lol.

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Best Automotive Battery Charger & Maintainer SOLAR PL2320 CLORE Automotive

Best Battery Charger & Maintainer SOLAR PL2320 CLORE Automotive

Finally an automotive battery charger and battery maintainer that can also charge batteries that are completely dead. The SOLAR PL2320 by Clore Automotive has been terrific. They are the same company that makes the JNC line of jump start battery packs, which are the industry standard for jump packs. This battery charger also has “power supply mode” so when performing a long repair with the ignition turned on, your battery won’t go dead. It will charge standard lead acid, AGM, and Gel filled batteries, in either 6 or 12 volts along with power supply mode. This charger has been much better than the last two chargers that I purchased from Harbor Freight. Of course neither of the HF chargers still work. lol.

Ford 4.6 vacuum leak. Crown Victoria, F150, Mustang How to find, where to look

This is where I found a hard-to-find vacuum leak on my Ford 4.6 liter 2 valve V8 engine. These engines were put in cars and trucks, the Crown Vic, The F-150, and the Mustang. This is the vapor tube assembly between the EVAP purge valve (AKA, the vapor management valve) and the throttle body. The old tube (hose) was completely rotten and became very porous. I believe air (vacuum) was leaking directly into the engine through the porous walls of the old hose. The new hose is actually a plastic tube and comes with new quick disconnect ends already installed on each end. This was absolutely causing a vacuum leak (Pirate Air) on my vehicle, which I proved to myself with a pinch off pliers. If it happened on my car, it can happen on any other Ford with the similar setup. The new “EVAP Tube Assembly” came directly from Ford and it was fairly cheap. Nice, easy, quick fix. Hope this video helps someone who will eventually find themselves in my shoes trying to find the source of high positive long term fuel trims.

XTOOL D7 vs D8 Comparison. Differences Between These Two Diagnostic Scan Tools

XTOOL D7 vs D8 Comparison. Differences Between These Two Diagnostic Scan Tools

A quick video about the differences between the XTOOL D7 and XTOOL D8 diagnostic scan tools. I did separate review videos about each of these OBDII scanners a while back but there have been many questions about the differences between the two. See the links below for those review videos. Some of the differences pointed out in this video were sent to me by XTOOL, and some of the differences I have discovered myself. This may not be a 100% complete list.

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How To Bleed ABS Brakes, DIY Power Brake Bleeder, Pressure Bleeder, Ford Crown Victoria, Or ANY Car.

How to make your own power bleeder to bleed ABS brakes on any car.

I show how I made a DIY power pressure brake bleeder to finish bleeding the brakes on a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria. After running the automated bleed process on my OBDII scan tool I still needed to finish manually bleeding the brake lines and finish removing all the air from the brake system. This homemade power bleeder worked absolutely terrific for me with no problems at all. Nice firm pedal, no mushy pedal here! Again, I used this power bleeder ALONG WITH an OBDII scan tool to completely bleed the trapped air out of the ABS module. I have found that I need both (scan tool and power bleeder) to completely remove all air from the brake system. Your mileage may vary, however.

The vehicle that I used this tool to bleed was a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria but this method should work on just about any make/model of vehicle as long as you have the correct master cylinder adapter.

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