EDiag YA-101 OBD-II scanner review

Our Verdict

Pocket-sized, light, and inexpensive, the EDiag YA-101 OBD-Ii automotive scanner offers a wide array of diagnostic functions plus a bombardment-examination sequence, firmware updates and a lifetime warranty.

For

Excellent basic scanner
Bombardment test
Lifetime warranty and updates

Against

Limited 4-primal interface
Lacks high-end features

Tom's Guide Verdict

Small, light, and inexpensive, the EDiag YA-101 OBD-II automotive scanner offers a wide array of diagnostic functions plus a battery-examination sequence, firmware updates and a lifetime warranty.

Pros

+
Fantabulous bones scanner
+
Battery test
+
Lifetime warranty and updates

Cons

-
Limited iv-primal interface
-
Lacks high-end features

EDiag YA-101: Specs

Size: 4.8 x 2.6 10 0.9 inches
Weight: 6.1 ounces
Live information: Yes
Display type and size: Color, 1.eight inches
Number of keys: iv
Bluetooth: No
Handheld: Yes
Warranty: Lifetime

It may lack the detailed diagnostic routines that other OBD-Two scanners take, but at $23, the EDiag YA-101 is an excellent deal that deserves a place on the list of best OBD-II scanners. Its built-in battery-examination routine, lifetime warranty and extended firmware updates brand it an automotive cheapskate'southward dream come true.

Read on for the rest of our EDiag YA-101 review.

EDiag YA-101: Pricing and availability

Priced at $23, the EDiag YA-101 is amidst the to the lowest degree expensive OBD-II scanners available, simply this is not a cheap device that's limited to a monochrome screen and few abilities. Instead, it's got a full-color screen and a lot to offer.

There is a more expensive model, the $60 EDiag YA-301, which adds three more interface keys and the ability to graph live data, but the YA-101 is far from the bottom of the barrel.

EDiag YA-101: Blueprint

One of the smallest handheld OBD-Ii scanners available, the EDiag YA-101 is too among the best entry-level automotive diagnostic devices. At 4.8 x 2.vi x 0.9 inches and 6.1 ounces, the YA-101 is about one-half every bit big equally, and a lot easier to conduct than, the massive Innova CarScan Inpector 5310. In other words, the YA-101 should easily fit in a car's center console or a toolbox.

The YA-101's blackness terminate has ribbed hand grips, simply the scanner has a hollow experience to it that makes it seem like it wouldn't survive an calumniating relationship with a impuissant mechanic.

Its 1.8-inch screen falls short in real estate compared to the Machine Scan 5310'due south two.8-inch display, and the EDiag YA-101's text-based navigation scheme isn't as obvious equally the more visually oriented icon-based systems.

While its four-fundamental interface has soft silicone keys that are color-coded with a dark-green OK cardinal and a reddish "Get Back" button, the YA-101 tin be frustrating to use. Compared to scanners that take more keys, the EDiag YA-101 leaves a lot to be desired, and some selections take an extra keystroke or 2 to get what you want.

There's an old-schoolhouse mini-USB port at the bottom of the YA-101 for updating its firmware, but there's no USB cable for that port in the packet. You might accept to get online to find a uniform cable, every bit mini-USB-to-USB-A plugs oasis't been widely used since about 2010.

The YA-101 goes beyond rudimentary on-board diagnostics. Along with detecting engine misfires, the small-scale scanner squeezes in analysis of potential bombardment and charging problems.

It can check on the oxygen sensor and run an I/Thousand pre-inspection readiness test (a good indicator of whether your automobile will pass a smog cheque), but the YA-101 lacks the crimson, xanthous and greenish LED lights that telegraph the results on some other scanners.

The YA-101 tin can show live car data for a large diversity of parameters, but the results are displayed in a tabular format. The YA-101's slightly more expensive cousin, the YA-301, can graph the data for greater visual impact and analytical appeal.

EDiag YA-101: Functioning

After I plugged in the YA-101 and fired upwardly a vehicle, the scanner chop-chop continued with the computers on my 2014 Audi A4 AllRoad and 2016 Infiniti Q50. It was able to prove the vehicle identification number (VIN) for each vehicle.

I manually asunder the oil-temperature sensor on my 2014 Audi AllRoad, and the YA-101 detected the fault and then let me turn off the Bank check Engine light. On the downside, the YA-101 was non avant-garde plenty to turn off the oil light afterwards I drained the oil and replaced the oil and filter.

The scanner was able to show me that the auto'south battery and charging system were OK, but when something was amiss, the YA-101 could show me only the fault code.

In other words, the EDiag lacks any sort of explanation of the mistake, suggestions for repair or links to the needed parts. Larger, more expensive scanners, including the Innova CarScan Inspector 5310, do provide those features. Still, the EDiag YA-101 is a good modest scanner to have on hand.

EDiag YA-101 displaying car information — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

EDiag YA-101: Setup

The YA-101's permanently attached OBD-Two cable is skimpy at 32 inches. It's just long enough to reach the OBD-Two port if y'all're sitting in the driver's seat of nearly cars. In other words, you won't exist able to utilize the EDiag YA-101 while you're poking around the engine bay. An OBD extension cable is a must-have accessory for this scanner.

The best role only might be EDiag's lifetime warranty for the YA-101 model. This means that the company will provide firmware updates equally needed over the years, making information technology an OBD-Two scanner that's cheap to keep up.

EDiag YA-101 review: Lesser line

A curiosity of miniaturization, the EDiag YA-101 OBD-II automotive diagnostic scanner does a lot with a little, every bit far as its size and unbeatable $23 price tag become. Its iv-cardinal interface might be inefficient, simply the YA-101 comes with a lifetime warranty and software upgrades, making it a scanner that will keep helping you regardless of your ride.

Brian Nadel is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in technology reporting and reviewing. He works out of the suburban New York City area and has covered topics from nuclear power plants and Wi-Fi routers to cars and tablets. The former editor-in-chief of Mobile Computing and Communications, Nadel is the recipient of the TransPacific Writing Honour.