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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> odb scan harmful???
        
(Message started by: Magnusf on May 13^th, 2006, 8:09am)

Title: odb scan harmful???
Post by Magnusf on May 13^th, 2006, 8:09am

When I got an appointment for serviceing my 24v Estate at local ford dealer I also asked if we could to a odb scan, just to make sure everything is ok, being a new car for me and everything. But the workshop manager strongly adviced AGAINST this as it could be harmful!? He thought "better not mess with that unless there is something seriously wrong with the car". I even tried words like "data box" and "engine management system" just to make sure he knew what I was talking about.

Now what was that about? Can you really mess up anything by reading odb codes? Doesn't he trust his crew? Opinions?

/ Magnus

Title: Re: odb scan harmful???
Post by lonesomecajun on May 13^th, 2006, 10:13am

I think what he was too embarassed to tell you was that although many Ford dealers have the necessary hi tech equipment to read codes etc via OBDII there isn't actually anyone there who knows how to use it.

I had the same problem at my local Ford Main Dealer and he actually asked me if I could let him have a disk with a lot of information that I actually gleaned from this site as I actually knew a lot more about it than he did. No one there had a clue that they could watch the Cats switching rate and long and short term fuel trims etc were completely alien to them.

Not good at all really.

Title: Re: odb scan harmful???
Post by sector-9 on May 13^th, 2006, 1:43pm

The most harmful thing you can do (using a fault code reader, not the more powerful Ford computer systems) is to clear the memory of intermittent codes. That's no bad thing though as long as you note down any that it lists before doing so. In fact, it's part of the testing procedure, to see which codes (if any) then re-appear afterwards.

Darren

Title: Re: odb scan harmful???
Post by david_molloy on May 13^th, 2006, 11:12pm

Sadly typical of FMD's.
No idea how to use gear they have/ interpret results - so any excuse not to get involved.
Had it myself twice.
david