OBDII Readers - LAC

[harchris]

Gentlemen:

I am a shade tree mechanic and up till now I've worked on older (pre 96) cars
for myself and friends. But now a 1996 car is an older car! LOL

A local chain, Princess Auto, which is in Canada what Harbour Freight is in
the US, has a no-name OBDII code reader. Cost is $100 Can., or about $85 US. 

The blurb says:

- Retrieves and displays trouble codes on all 1996 and newer OBDII compliant
vehicles.
- Reads both Manufacturer specific and generic codes
- Automatically clears codes and turns off "check engine" light
- Includes extension adapter cable and trouble code definitions manuals

I have a number of questions:
- Is there anything that makes one brand of OBDII reader better than another?
- What features should I look for?
- Will this be of any use in diagnosing problems in post '96 VW/Audi vehicles?

Thanks for your help and opinions in this.

Cheers
George
--------------------------------
George and Dot Harris
harchris at smokesignal.net