Most cars made for the American road since the late ’80s have included a small microprocessor that keeps track of various goings-on under the hood. It not only keeps things digitally regulated, but also makes a record of any problems so your motor can have a quick “check-up” from any mechanic with the diagnostic gear to decode the information, which is not always cheap.
CarMD is a handheld, affordable diagnostic unit for the everyday hobbyist. Using the same 20-year old technology as the big units at your mechanic’s garage, you can download the information from your car’s “brain” and sync it with your PC via USB, where it’s checked against CarMD’s database to decode the data and report back exactly what’s going on. What’s more, if work is needed, it can help you track down cheap parts, and even labor.
If you’re a fan of home remedies instead of visits to the doctor, you might want to treat your car the same way. And at $90 or so, think of this as a great gift for gearheads.
CarMD [Product Site]