Otofix D1 Lite: review

A lot has changed when it comes to maintaining cars over the past 100+ years. As our vehicles have become more capable, they’ve naturally become increasingly complex. Evolving over the decades, we’re now in the age of advanced car electronics, meaning that diagnostic tools are as important as having the right spanner these days. The Otofix D1 Lite might be your missing spanner of 2022.

What is it?

The Otofix D1 Lite presents a neat and portable means of running diagnostic tests on many vehicles. Expected to survive in the harsh environment of a workshop, the D1 Lite comes in a hard case for protection, but what’s kept inside has also been designed with longevity in mind.

A modern tablet device and OBD II companion will give you everything you need to start speaking the troubled vehicle’s language. The 7-inch touchscreen runs a variant of Android 9, putting it in the same league as other popular smart devices. Its interface is easy to use thanks to large visual icons and quick responses to inputs. We’re also big fans of the rugged rubberised casing the table lives inside.

The Robin to the tablet’s Batman is the OBD II gadget that plugs directly into the car’s computerised brain. These ports can be a bit of a faff to find, but a handy LED light built into the OBD tool makes life easier. Data is then transmitted wirelessly to the tablet for diagnostic tests to begin.

How can it help?

Error codes can be confusing things to decipher, but running a diagnostic test via the D1 Lite will give you some clarity. Over 80 car manufacturers are supported and that list will only ever grow thanks to the database being updated.

You can run a series of diagnostic tests that will tell you what codes have arisen, what they apply to, and give you the ability to turn them off for further testing. If after a reset these errors persist, you can start to work at the issues. You can also get additional support via Autel MaxiFix, an online service that features various guides and the ability to request remote support from an expert.

Between the data retrieved from the vehicle and the online experts, the car should be back on the road in no time.

Should I buy one?

The Otofix D1 Lite is certainly a competitive product that offers a series of features that are pretty essential for modern car maintenance. For those with good mechanical knowledge who want to resolve issues on today’s car themselves instead of receiving a big bill from the dealer, it’s ideal. To small workshops, a tool such as this is essential, and the ease of use and additional support the D1 Lite provides certainly means it’s worthy of consideration. For businesses looking for even more functionality, the Otofix D1 is capable of bi-directional control.

Having something like the Otofix D1 Lite in your workshop will broaden your toolkit.

Otofix D1 Lite specification

Screen: 7-inch LCD

Operating System: Android 9

Processor: 4x ARM Cortex-A35, 1.5GHz

DDR: 2GB

Camera: 8M

Memory: 64GB

Bluetooth

WiFi

*This content is sponsored by Autel