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]

Worth the money?

Though the Equus 3100 engine reader is one of the most popular models currently for OBDII and CAN diagnostics, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s one of the best. Here we aim to see if the devices popularity is warranted and that this OBD II scan tool is actually worth the money. The Innova Equus 3100 is in the mid-price range so we expect a solid performance and good feature set compared to the entry level devices such as the Elmscan 5 or even the 3100′s little brother, the Equus 3030.

Our review roundup below looks at actual Equus 3100 custmomer reviews to see if real auto enthusiasts, mechanics and motorists are won over by the Equus 3100 auto scanner. A quick glance at the overall rating for the Equus 3100 shows that they are…

Skip this and save 56% on the Equus 3100 or see full specs…

Equus 3100 Innova

From a total of 189 user reviews (at the time of writing) the Innova Equus 3100 has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. 120 of these awarded the top 5 star rating while another 45 gave 4 stars. This equals 87% of users giving above 4 stars which is impressive for any device and signals a high level of customer satisfaction. It seems Innova are onto a good product here so let’s see what the reviewers had to say.

The main things that people liked most about the Equus 3100 were a combination of the ease of use, the number of features that the device contains including the LED display and the fact that it finds engine trouble quickly (some OBDII scan tools are known to be a little slow). This is summed up well by this Equus 3100 customer:

“I am a professional Technician. This little handy dandy tool is fast, easy, and gets to the point of the problem with little to no issues…”

As the number of 5 star ratings suggest, the quote above is one of many singing this engine reader’s praises…

“Paid for itself on first use…”

“Equus 3100 – Must have and easy to use! I am very pleased to give this unit five stars…”

“Fantastic Product – Saved me money…”

“Comprehensive and convenient OBD2 code reader…”

“Awesome tool…”

We could go on and on listing review quotes like the above as there are so many of them, however there were a few customer that were not so impressed by their Innova 3100. One person was a little underwhelmed and maybe had too high expectations for the Equus 3100…

“It gives the codes, but if you want a freeze frame or a PC printout, you will need to register at the company’s website…”

Another user that rated a lower score was not particularly happy with the quality of the case:

“Reader good, case is not – I like to protect the equipment I get but the case is just an empty plastic box…”

However one thing we noticed with the Equus 3100 review roundup was that negative comments were not often negative towards the product itself and people that rated below 4 stars typically summed the 3100 up like these below…

“Good Product – better choices available…”

“Does what it’s supposed to…”

“This product works fine to read vehicle trouble codes. It will not read trouble codes for the ABS brake system…”

Overall the Equus 3100 is rated highly for use with OBDII engine light trouble and CAN diagnostics, the reviews give a majority thumbs up for the speed and ease of the device however very few products are perfect and the Equus 3100 is marked down for the low quality storage case and lack of storing engine parameters.

To see more Equus 3100 reviews, click the link below.

Customer Rating:

4.4 out of 5 stars – See up-to-date rating, full user reviews plus save $107 on the Equus 3100 OBDII scanner…

Equus 3100 Features

- This powerful OBD2 tool quickly reveals the cause of “Check Engine” light warnings on any foreign or domestic 1996 and newer car, light truck or SUV.
- Features a patented all-in-one screen and LED display for quick State Emissions readiness check and drive cycle verification.
- Automatically refreshes data every 30 seconds when connected to the vehicle, making it easy to verify repair completion.
- Battery backup memory provides off-car review and analysis.
- Comes with access to innova.com RepairSolutions which gives trouble code definitions, a full diagnostic report, probable causes, most likely fixes, and more.

[The quotes used above are from real users of the Equus 3100 scanner - Source]

Perfect entry-level scanner...

The Equus 3030 OBD II auto reader has been a popular choice among motorists, mechanics and auto enthusiasts mainly thanks to its economical price. However, this engine code reader offers more than an entry-level OBDII scanner with its built in LED display and other features. While the price and features of the Equus 3030 may be admired, one question remains – is it any good? We take a look below to find out exactly that from real user reviews of the Equus 3030.

Save 62% on the Equus 3030 and see full specs here…

Equus 3030 Reviews

At the time of writing the Equus 3030 had 212 customer reviews. Rate from a total of 5 the average score is 4.4 – very respectable indeed. 142 (67%) of those awarded the 3030 scanner 5 stars, while 41 (19%) gave 4 stars. That’s a total of 86% of users giving 4 stars and above.

Judging by the Equus 3030 reviews, this particular device seems suited as an all-rounder auto scanner for the novice or pro user. The 3030 can be used on all post-1996 cars, light trucks and SUV’s and includes an all-in-one LED screen for quick emissions checks and engine light warning details.

The general consensus from users is that the Equus 3030 is simple to use and reads engine trouble easily. Many people suggest this is an ideal entry-level OBDII scan tool, yet others believe it is the only scanner they will ever need. Let’s look at some of the pleased reviewer comments…

“Paid for itself instantly!”

“With today’s car electronics, there is no other reasonable way to diagnose trouble…”

“Future Proof…”

“Inexpensive OBDII/CAN code reader works as advertised…”

“Very good OBDII CAN compliant scanner for the money…”

The above are typical comments from satisfied customers awarding the Equus 3030 the majority four or five stars. Overall the device seems great if you just want a scan tool that works with no frills or complications. Some even suggest that this is an ideal replacement for the more expensive OBD II readers:

“This is all you need ! Don’t buy the more expensive unit unless you have to…”

“Start saving by buying this unit and not the more expensive ones…”

So far so good, but what about the people that were not so impressed by the Equus 3030? What were there complaints?

Well a few people encountered compatibility issues like this person below…

“I purchased this scanner and hooked it up to my Subaru 2002 forester. It didn’t work. When I called the company, they immediately knew of the problem, and told me I would need to ship the code reader back to them to have the chip re-programmed…”

It seems on rare occasions (or rare models of cars) the Equus 3030′s software needs updating. This could cause inconvenience if the unit needs to be sent back to the manufacturer. Another person also had an issue with the software:

“I was forced to take the engine codes provided by the device and google them outside of the device’s software package…”

Luckily for the Equus, the comments above are in the vast minority and overall the reviews suggest that customer satisfaction is well above average. People seem very happy with the level of userability, features, price and build quality of the Equus 3030 auto scanner.

Customer Rating:

4.4 out of 5 stars – Click here for the latest rating and user reviews…

Equus 3030 Features

- Reads Check Engine light warnings on any 1996 and newer car, light truck, or SUV.
- Unique patented all-in-one screen display and LED display for quick emissions check.
- Easily retrieves OBD II DTCs from your vehicle’s computer.
- Automatic refresh updates data every 30 seconds when connected to the vehicle.

[The quotes used above are from real users of the Equus 3030 OBDII scanner - Source]