Hi Guys, after 2 weeks of ownership and £800 of servicing, I have decided its time to get an obd reader for my much loved xjr.

Does anyone have any good recommendations? I am hoping to spend very little on this to start with. I like the idea of getting as much data as possible and saw the plx kiwi which looked good.

Any help and tips would be gratefully appreciated.

Cheers

Richard

 

Most cheap obd 2 readers won't do anything except basic drive train items. Auto Enginuity makes one the does everything if you get the Jaguar enhancement. You could get the basic obd2 from them and then add the Jaguar enhancement later. $250 plus $250. Auto Enginuity will do SRS (Airbags) etc. You will save more than the cost if you keep the car more than a year or two.

 

I have been very happy with the Innova 3130a (they're now up to 3130c in this line, which does ABS codes and, I think, SRS as well as the vast majority of Jag manufacturer specific codes) I bought several years ago. I would imagine they market in the UK.

See the Innova Tools webpage to review their line. These frequently appear both new and used on eBay as well.

 

The above are great suggestions.

Though you can easily find a Generic OBD-II Code Reader for cheap, the ability to view Live Data, Graph Data, and access the ABS & SRS systems add a LOT of value.

Buck up and spend the money once, as opposed to spending like $80 for just a Code Puller that you will have to upgrade down the road or give a shop cash just to diag it...

Here's a tip though, if you decide you just need basic functionality like a Code Scanner, and maybe one or two bells and whistles here and there, look on EBay/Amazon and find OBD-II laptop USB cables and software.

Like 8 months ago I spent around $50-something shipped for a CD and a USB to OBD-II cable.
It's able to pull codes as well as graph functions and a few other features. Almost positive there are higher tiers than this one. Since I own two laptops, this proved to be very cost effective for me since I didn't have to pay for a handheld device, only a cable and a software disc. I am able to view and graph live data, record data logs while driving, etc. It's a great option for functionality on the cheap.

 

I'll add another suggestion as a follow-up to JagginItUp's. If you have an Android-powered smartphone, it is very, very well worth checking out Torque (Pro if you love it, Lite to try it out) on the Google Play Market. You can get Bluetooth OBD-II port interface devices for a song these days, and Torque is a really excellent reader. It's also constantly being improved.

The "lite" version saved my behind when I was on a road trip and started having issues in my Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. I make a point of taking the OBD-II dongle on any trip and that along with Torque and my LG Optimus V phone gave me all the information I needed to know what needed to be serviced.