Are Code Readers With a Battery Checker a Great Idea?

Since this is a rising trend, I’ll give an example of some of the options and explain what it is that I plainly see.

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

The Concept of an OBD II Code Reader

Imagine driving your recent model vehicle back home and all of a sudden, having the car stop just some miles from your residence during a cold winter evening, with no express indicator but a lone check engine light.

Imagine the frustration and challenges you’re going to face!

However, with a small, portable OBD glove box code reader like the Ancel AD 410, what to do is simply remove it, plug it into your vehicle’s OBD II port, and try to figure out what could be wrong with the car.

With luck, you’ll be able to fix the matter in a DIY fashion – or at least, be able to let your mechanic know, beforehand, what they will be up against when they come to where the vehicle is.

But, what if the vehicle goes blank, power-wise or there’s no check engine light on the instrument cluster?

This is where the concept of a battery checker comes in.

The Concept of a Battery Checker

It’s not always that a vehicle’s challenges are mechanical or electrical, lending themselves to the diagnosis of an OBD II code reader.

Sometimes, the starting system is at fault (the starter, alternator, and battery) and without their cooperation, you’re as good as screwed!

This is where a battery tester like the Ancel BA 101 comes in.

A battery tester like the Ancel BA 101 is a smart unit that actively checks the starter, alternator, and starter battery and based on several criteria, easily tells you the exact health of your starting system.

On its own, this is a fine little gadget…but it gets better than that…

Marrying a Code Reader and a Battery Checker

Seeing that the code reader and the battery tester are two very important gadgets for the vehicle owner on the road today, some manufacturers have smartly married the two, building OBD II code readers that are designed with a built-in battery checkers.

A great example of such a unit is the Konnwei KW850.

But, are code readers with a battery checker a great idea?

The Konnwei KW850 as an Example

The Konnwei KW850 is a respectable code reader on its right: with the battery checker built-in, it also remains one of the most practical in the market today.

In the case of a no-start condition, for instance, ruling out a dead starter battery is as easy as ABC – even by a car owner/driver who would otherwise have challenges using a traditional battery checker.

The Konnwei KW850 too, for instance, ensures all this happens in the comfort of the vehicle’s cabin – as against the hood (which makes sense during adverse weather).

But, overall, is this a great idea? Is the idea of merging a code reader and a battery checker one you should take seriously?

Here are the pros and cons.

Advantages of a Code Reader with a Built-in Battery Checker

• Cheaper to own than buying two separate units.
• Units like the Konnwei KW850 have the added advantage of allowing starter batteries to be tested from the comfort of the vehicle’s cabin, via the OBD II port.

Disadvantages of a Code Reader with Built-in Battery Checker

• OBD II code readers that also sport a battery checker don’t usually offer the full functions of a dedicated battery checker. They are basic, at best.
• Building a battery checker into a code reader means more bulk (storage may become an issue, especially in smaller cars).
• Losing the unit means losing both the code reader and battery checker at once…this isn’t ideal, even under the best of times.

Summary: Are Code Readers With a Battery Checker a Great Idea?

Vehicle manufacturers like Konnwei and Ancel are today, actively making code readers that also sport battery checkers, built in.

This, on surface value (and for the casual user), is a great option as it gives you some rare insight into the starting system of your vehicle such as battery voltage and alternator state.

However, for dedicated works or deep insights, it’s a little pointless having a feature such as the ‘battery tester’ which in reality, does very little.

If you need to know your battery state reliably and importantly, avoid unforeseen challenges, you’re better off with a dedicated battery tester – in addition to an OBD II code reader/scanner.

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