Actron CP9580A Enhanced AutoScanner Plus - OBD II/CAN Scan Tool

Great product and easy to use, displays live data on OS sensors etc. but only good for cars up to 2010.

So far... a very cool gadget and I'm very pleased with the purchase. If you have limited mechanical ability (you maybe know how to change a car battery and/or the oil) then you may want to read through the rest of my narrative. I recently took my 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 to the dealership for recall work (the airbags were gonna kill me apparently) and I knew I had an engine light issue that had been nagging for a long time. I didn't think too much of it (the check engine light) because I had it looked at by a mechanic who said he checked it out and cleared it... but then it came back again. Anyway, after fixing the airbags, the tech at the dealership noted that there was oil in the air filter and something was wrong, but he'd have to run a full diagnostic and pull apart some things to figure it out. I already had this tool on order so I told them "no thanks" and just drove it home. In my case, I approached this purchase with a fair amount of skepticism thinking maybe 50/50 I could figure it out and use it. Hobby-wise, I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but nothing beyond small single-stroke engine tinkering and maybe changing the oil and/or battery on a large car. Aside from that, if I opened the hood and didn't see a large on/off switch to throw, I'd be pretty lost. So, the gadget arrives! It comes with an extremely brief manual which is pretty much a quick start guide that tells you how to first turn it on and check to see what software version is installed. When you check yours write down the number it gives you for later reference. Then you use the provided USB cable to attach to a PC and install the setup software from the website the manual gives you. I went ahead and installed the software even though the number quoted as the latest version looked familiar... I didn't pay too close attention at step 1, but I think I ended up re-installing the same software in the unit, so I probably could've saved 10 mins if I had just written the number down. Anyway, no big deal... it downloaded the software, updated itself and good-to-go. Very simple; anyone who thinks this step is difficult must not own a PC. Now out to my truck. I plugged it in under the dash and used the auto detect feature which pulled up 2004 Dodge Ram 5.2 V8, and then it asked me if my version had ABS or not... I selected the correct non-ABS choice. Ran the vehicle diagnostics and everything seemed to check out "OK" with a couple "n/a". Then I looked at the DTC codes... there were 4 issues that came up. One suggested replacing the PCV valve ($24 part, that required I remove a couple bolts and take off the plastic air handler on top of engine), another said that I had an EGR failure (that sounded bad, but turns out it's just a $40 part that bolts on the front of the engine). The third item said there was a small leak in my evap system, or something like that... turns out that means tighten your gas cap! LOL. ...and then there was something about a fuel level sensor fault. Which I think I caused by running the dam thing until there was no more gas and it stalled out just as I pulled up to a pump! (better lucky than good I s'pose) So, with the above info in hand, the gas tank was already filled... gas cap secured... two down. Looked up "how to replace a PCV valve on YouTube" looked easy, and it was! Looked up "how to replace an EGR valve" also looked easy. Done and done! Took about 4-6 hours in total. In the process had to change out that oil-gobbed air filter, also changed the oil and oil filter while I was at it. The small backfeed hoses that run into the air filter from the top of the oil fill spout were all mucked up with oil that I had to ream out and clean-up. I think I may have contributed to that a bit by over filling the oil a bit on my last oil change attempt, all cleaned up now and was extra careful not to put too much in this time. With the work done, last step was to plug unit back in and erase the offending codes, which I did. The check engine light did not instantly disappear... which was a little of a let down at first. But at that point I was ready to wash up and call it a day. The next morning I went out and started it up... NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS! ...wow, first time in probably 2-3 years, and after who knows how many techs have looked at it. So been driving it around a few days now and still no engine light. Will take a look at the air filter at the end of the week and see if any signs of oil, but all seems well. In the process of playing with this thing it reported back 3 or 4 engine codes. Not only that, it told me the most common fix for the problem and then also stated about 3-5 other things that techs had to do to fix the problem if the top fix did not work. In my case, the recommended fixes all worked. I had to look up a few things online to help me decipher, watched some youtube videos, learned a little bit about my engine and the check engine light. In tinkering under the hood, noticed that each part seemed to have a diagnostic wire/plug coming out of it... Ah, so that's how these things know what's wrong. ...and now I know I can use this on pretty much any car built after 2002 and expect it to work. So this time, yeah I fixed everything for less than $100. Next time it might pull up a code that is beyond my reach, but at least I can take it in to a mechanic and not feel entirely at their mercy.

Great product and awesome support.

I spent one hour with meter and users guide then put it to work. Have used it on one 2010 Chevy p/u with simple and complete sucess on multi problem situation. Rat ate some wires, relay on TCS not always making contact and MAFS out of range of operation. Next a 2004 Pontiac with Anti lock brake problem and miss-fires intermitted on 4 of 8 cylinders. On both of these vehicles the auto ident worked great. The screen is very nice and can be seen in all light conditions. The code clear feature works very well and is easy to use. The code numbers match OEM numbers which makes things go smoother if you need to cross reference materials or parts. I am very happy with this purchase and feel I got a good product at a fair price.

After reading many reviews, I had originally decided upon the Innova 3160B. That is until I saw that the Actron is exactly the same as the OTC brand which appears to also be related to Bosch brand, so I changed my mind at the last minute and bought the Actron CP9580A. After reading so many negative reviews, I will admit I was reluctant and worried I might be buying a problem. I took delivery on my Actron yesterday, spent that evening reading the manual and connecting to the internet to try and update my programing. I read where the OTC website is the place to update, so that is where I started. I want to say that my office PC is running Win7 Pro and it would not change the programing into Actron and load on my Scanner. So I tried my laptop, which is also running Win7 Pro (both are 64 bit) and although it would load on my laptop, it still would not recognize my scanner. So I did what only other choice I had, go to Actron's website and see if it would work for me. On my office PC the program (OTC Scanning Suit 4.0 or Actron Scanning Suite 4.0) would load, but not setup or be recognized. Once I downloaded the Actron version onto my laptop, it fired up immediately, setup and recognized my scanner immediately also. The updated software was downloaded in 8 minutes (I also have the fastest download capability my ISP offers at 50mbps). Once I attached the Data Link USB to the scanner and laptop, it recognized the scanner immediately and asked if I wanted to check for updates. I said "Yes" and within a the 8 minutes, it was updating my scanner. Once finished, I disconnected my scanner and turned it back on to see what program was now loaded and it read "SW ID: 6A4D) the newest and most current software is now loaded onto my scanner. I took the scanner out and tried it on my 2000 Mitsubishi, my 2008 Ford and my F250 Diesel. It appeared to work flawlessly. I am completely happy so far. After I've had it for a month or so and no problems arise, I will change my rating to 5-stars, or possibly down grade it is things start acting up in a negative manner. I do not know what or how the people that gave this scanner bad reviews did, but the setup and update process through Actron worked perfectly with no hassles or delays what so ever. I bought the scanner without the plastic hard case, only because I didn't see $40 bucks for a plastic case. However, I am very careful of my stuff, especially electronic gadgets. I don't drop, throw or misuse or abuse them. I keep them in a drawer with my other electronic automotive tools and if I won't need it for a while, I remove the batteries. To me, common sense prevails on the longevity of anything type of tool. I did download the .pdf manual and loaded it on my laptop and my office PC, so I can learn more about it either in the garage or in my office. I bought it for my Diesel, because my check engine light keeps coming on and I really don't want to pay the $800+ to have some clown replace the ICP (Injection Control Pressure) Sensor when I can do it myself for under a hundred dollars, including the part. So my scanner has already paid for itself. It may be a little early to offer a really good review, but after everything working out so smoothly so far, I wanted to share my first impressions. As of Day-2 of ownership, I am a happy camper! To Be Continued!