I live in a rural area of Queensland. Australia, and getting good advice locally has its problems. I recently bought a 2012 Mazda automatic cx5 in good condition, and joined this forum yesterday. I've been advised to buy an obd2 scanner to work out what problems I might have with the car in the future. I'm a pensioner, and have little trust in car dealerships. The technology is new to me, but Youtube has plenty of advice. Can you give me some advice on what brand of scanner I should buy for my ageing car, keeping in mind that as a pensioner, money is tight?

 

Best advice is look in your town for any night classes to learn basic Automotive diagnostic work. Your u-tube adventure is only going to frustrate you and most are very bad as to HOW-TO a scanner . LOL

As for your negative experience with a dealer ship , next time ask the service writer if they employee a Mazda Factory Trained Mechanic.

Just like independent service shops if they don’t have a certified Automotive mechanic or Automotive Diagnostic Technician , there is no difference in the level of service expense between a dealer and your local Auto service shop.

BTW to properly learn how to use a scanner to become an Automotive Diagnostic Technician you either first need to be a certified Automotive Mechanic or have at least 2 active years working in a service shop. Then the classes to use scanner is about 40 hours in a class or attending a skill specialized trading school. Then the test to get certified takes 2-3 hours .

Look at what Amazon has that fits your budget. If you like PM with a few that you are interested in and I will help u make a decision.
I recommend hand held ones over Bluetooth.