If you want the absolute best, use a laptop and download forscan. Get a OBDLink EX adapter cable. This will give you dealer level access to the electronics in your car.

For most of us this isn't necessary...if you don't want to put down the money on the OBDLink, just get an ELM327 adapter off Amazon. It'll link up to your phone with Bluetooth or wifi and you'll use an app like torque.

 

i have an elm327 from amazon with my phone and its great. never has connection issues and works fine on the free forscan and torq lite apps

 

How did you manage to get forscan working on your phone? I tried two!

 

i just use the lite version. its not the full version

 

Me too, but on android it just crashes for me

 

I use a standard OBD2 USB connector with Torque app on Android. I never heard of ELM before, but a quick search shows the company closed down in 2022.

Mazda dealers in my area don't care what code you tell them should you bring the vehicle in for servicing. They'll charge you a hefty fee to connect their laptop and interface to your vehicle, confirming what your cheap OBD reader told you already.

 

I use a standard OBD2 USB connector with Torque app on Android. I never heard of ELM before, but a quick search shows the company closed down in 2022.

ELM327 referrs to a standard of OBD2 adapters. It may have been a company once, but that is not the case now. Search for elm327 on amazon, you'll see what I mean.