Have you spent more hours in a mechanics shop doling out cash like it's your job than cruising around town in your hot rod? The CarMD handheld tester won't fix your rusty hunk-a-junk, but it could save you some bucks.

The tester connects to your 1996 or newer car through the universal 16-pin Data Link Connector (DLC) and tells you information about the health of your car. Once you plug the handheld in and turn the ignition to the On position, the device lights either the green, yellow, or red LEDs on its face. If the diagnostic shows a green light, your computer system is healthy and no codes were recognized. If the yellow or red LEDs light up, you might have a problem with your car, and this is where the true beauty of this little gadget can be seen.

Now that you know you have a problem, you simply unplug the handheld tester and connect it to your PC (no Mac support) via the included USB cable. Once it is connected, surf over to the CarMD Web site, and it will read the diagnostic and tell you the probable cause and fix for no extra charge. Even better, it tells you the estimated cost of repairing the problem based on national estimates the company collected. And if you think the information is outdated, think again: CarMD updates its database as repair costs change.

Along with the handheld tester, you get the software, a demo video, and a USB cable. The whole package will run you an affordable $89.99, and it is currently only available at CarMD's site.

Post by Don Reisinger