The importance of having the right kit.

That OBD2 reader I bought recently has already paid for itself!

First, my 05 Megane developed a couple of serious faults, ie the steering rack and the water pump. (This is after all the hassle with the battery)

The water pump issue caused overheating issues and a lot of error codes and the engine warning light came on. I was able to clear the codes and reset the warning light using the cheap obd2 reader.  It was all in vain though, as repair estimates were over £600, (water pump, belts, steering rack) AND I suspect the head gasket was toast, too, so I decided to scrap it and buy something else.

(I spent 2 1/2 hours waiting for the AA to send someone out the first time, in the dark and pouring rain. How the hell I made a round trip of 30 miles the next day, I have no idea).

AA membership is probably a good idea if you drive crappy cars..

The “something else” being an 03 Clio with only 42K miles on it.. This hadn’t been run for a while and threw up some emissions related codes and eventually, an engine warning light. I was again able to clear the codes and reset the warning light.

It would have cost me a minimum of £20 for each reset, even if the garage had been open.

Just goes to show it pays to have the right kit.. I have a fancy microprocessor-controlled battery charger with cooling fan etc, and also a battery booster that works like a phone-booster on steroids.