OBD 2 & OBD 1 compliant - 1982 to present...

Currently the Equus 3130 engine scan tool is one of the best-selling OBD II tools on the market, however that may be due to the 63% discount rather than the Equus 3130 selling on merit.

We want to find out if this OBDII scanner from Innova lives up to the high level of quality, features and user-friendliness that the company is known for with its other diagnostic scanners. The Equus 3100, 3030 and 3160 all lived up to expectations so let’s see if the Equus 3130 does too. We look at whose opinions matter the most to find this out – actual users and reviewers of the Equus 3130 scan tool. Let’s see what they had to say…

Skip the Equus 3130 review and save 63% – click here…

Innova Equus 3130

Generally the 3130 fared well. The device scored and average of 4.2 out of 5 stars from a total of 145 customers at the time of writing. Of those 84 people awarded the full 5 stars and a further 37 gave a 4 star rating. This means the Equus 3130 has an overall satisfaction score of 84.3%! The remaining ratings were given with 11 people scoring 3 stars, 2 people giving 2 stars and 11 people 1 star.

The main reason people bought the Equus 3130 is that the scanner not only gives diagnostic readings for OBD II but also for OBD I which is for vehicles from 1982 to 1995, including Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

Judging by the reviewers as a whole, they seem to be in agreement that the Equus 3130 offers possibly the best features to value ratio of any OBDII scan tool. This is especially true of those who managed to get the 63% discount!

“Best bang for the buck…”

“This scanner has amazing abilities considering the price…”

However, among the majority 5 star reviewers, it was the ease-of-use and speed at which the scanner picked up fault codes that seemed to impress the most…

“This unit out performed a commercial unit that notably was several years old but had recently been software up dated (to the tune of over $1,000)…”

“I work at a dealership and use this scanner frequently. It is super fast at retrieving and clearing dtc’s which is important when you work in the industry…”

“I’ve now used it on 3 different vehicles and ive gotta tell you, this is probably the best scan tool i’ve used with the exception of professional grade tools from snap-on or mac that can cost 10 thousand or more…”

Of course not all reviewers were so happy with their purchase as those above, some people expected faster update times for example:

“Mode-01 Live data is very slow to update. Sometimes when you choose Live data mode by pressing button, unit does not respond immediately to command and often hangs while getting initial PID download from ECU-PCM…”

This person scored lower as they wanted more features…

“This tool was capable of an additional level of communication that $20-$50 scanners couldn’t do, but it didn’t have the full reach of $1,000 commercial products…”

Another user found the Equus 3130 maybe a little too complicated for his tastes:

“The user interface could be a lot more easier to navigate. If you buy one, plan on reading the manual…”

It should also be noted that the Equus 3103 does not come with a USB socket for connecting to a PC, you will need a serial adapter which can be found for a few dollars quite easily online.

“You will need to buy a serial (RS-232) to USB converter and hope the driver is included…”

With the negative points above included, the Equus 3130 OBD II scanner still scored well with overall ratings. It seems we have still not found the perfect OBD II engine code reader, however by judging the user reviews, the 84% satisfaction rating and the 63% discount – it seems the 3130 is the perfect choice for many auto enthusiasts, mechanics and DIY’ers.

Customer Rating:

4.2 out of 5 stars – See the latest rating, user reviews and save 63% here…

Equus 3130 Features

- Retrieves diagnostic trouble codes and definitions (in English, Spanish, or French) from your vehicle’s computer to help diagnose problems.
- Reads check engine light warnings on 1996 and newer vehicles through any OBDII protocol, including CAN (Controller Area Network).
- Views, records, and plays back live data as well as freeze frame data.
- Features built-in memory to store codes, even when reader is unplugged.
- Unique patented all-in-one screen display and LED display.

[The quotes used above are from real users of the Equus 3130 engine diagnostic code reader - Source]

High spec - OBDII, CAN & ABS error codes

Innova are among the leading manufacturers of OBDII and other engine diagnostic tools offering a wide range of products at different price points for all types of motoring enthusiasts and professionals. The Equus 3160 is one of those at the top of their range and while it does come with a higher price than other models, it does come feature packed.

We look at what real users of the Equus 3160 had to say about their OBD II, CAN and ABS scan tool and most importantly whether they think it is a good purchase.

See the full specs of the Equus 3160, plus a $265 discount!

The Equus 3160 is designed for the professional mechanic or serious car enthusiast. It offers diagnostic trouble code solutions for OBD II vehicles (1996 US vehicles and onwards) as well as CAN (Controller Area Network) and ABS codes. It has a backlit display for low lighting conditions and this views up to 25 data points at once. More advanced features include the ability to view, record and see live PCM data play back streams.

Innova Equus 3160

At the time of writing this review roundup, a total of 112 customers had written reviews for the Equus 3160 with 59 of those giving the full 5 stars and a further 28 people awarding 4 stars. The 4 and 5 star ratings represent the majority of customers, however a further 12 people gave 3 stars, 6 awarded 2 and 7 people gave 1 star.

This means that the Equus 3160 scored a total of 4.1 from the maximum 5 star rating.

Other than the fact that like all auto scanners the Equus 3160 can save you a lot of money, customers seemed to rate the amount fo features, ability to read ABS codes and the large backlit display as the main draws for the Equus 3160. In addition to this this code reader seemed to perform quite quickly compared to other models which can be quite slow in determining the engine warning light error code.

“I bought this tool to supplement an OTC scan tool I use in my business. It is so easy to use & much faster than my $3000.00 tool & actually has some features that the more expensive scan tool doesn’t have…”

“I actually take the data from the scanner for each of the 20 frames and put it into a spreadsheet so I can make my own graphs…”

“The ABS circuit is a plus. I own a small used car dealer ship but it has already paid for itself in pointing out driveability issues. Other brands had reliability issues or customer service issues but so far it this a winner…”

It seems the Equus 3160 just works as it should, according to this person anyway:

“I found it to be very useful in many different cars, like a 2001 sequoia, 2001 dodge ram van, 1999 venture, 2002 Isuzu rodeo, a 2006 GMC savana. It worked for all these cars, and I haven’t found a car it doesn’t scan…”

“Nothing scans everything, but this scans the most for >$200. I would buy again…”

“Does what it advertises to do. Worth the money…”

“Took a chance; it worked better than expected!”

While most people had comments similar to those above about their Innova 3160, some people were not quite so impressed. Take this person below for example who didn’t think much of the bundled software:

“The software that comes with it is helpful, but could be better…”

And this person that struggled with operating the unit:

“Not bad, a little hard to operate…”

Another area where the Equus 3160 lost some ratings were with the hardware itself…

“Good Scan Tool…Serial Ports very out-dated…”

“Another thing I would have liked is a USB port/cable instead of a serial port/cable…”

“It requires a serial port for PC communication, meaning you would have to purchase a Serial to USB cable along with it…”

So there you have it – most people agree that the Innova Equus 3160 is a worthy high-end OBD II auto scanner and overall the features work well, it is quick and easy to use thanks to the large backlit display. However, some also expressed usability concerns with certain models of vehicle and others were not impressed with the serial ports on the device and the bundled software (which we believe can be update don the Internet through CanOBD2.com).

If you are in the market for a more advanced OBDII, CAN and ABS scan tool, judging by the user reviews, the Equus 3160 is worth looking into.

Customer Rating:

4.1 out of 5 stars – Save $265 on the Equus 3160 or see more recent customer reviews here…

Equus 3160 Features

- Reads ‘check engine’ light warnings on all 1996 and newer cars, light trucks, SUVs and minivans, domestic and import — including C.A.N. (Controller Area Network).
- Diagnoses ABS codes on most 1996 and newer GM, Ford & Chrysler vehicles.
- Features unique patented back-lit, all-in-one screen display which allows for simultaneous viewing of 25 data points without changing menus in low light conditions.
- Provides SAE enhanced Live Data (view, record and live PCM data plays back streams), displays freeze frame data, automatically refreshes updates data every 30 seconds when connected to the vehicle, and is flash updatable with a standard Windows PC.
- Comes with access to additional online vehicle diagnostics through ‘Repair Solutions’ program.

[The quotes used above are from real users of the Innova Equus 3160 engine code reader - Source]