Can anybody recommend a reader for a TDCi '04...I've read that some OBD readers don't work with these early vehicles.

unsure on this 1. i have the torque app on my s3, and had to buy a bluetooth dongle of ebay for it to work... cost me a tenner all in

Most obd readers will only work on diesels from 2006 onwards. That's not to say one won't work at all on your model, but with these things, unless you are going to spend mega money, even units over 100 quid will only pick up so much and could leave you still needing a garage to diagnose potential problems...

any obd2 reader should be ok as obd2 was standard for diesel from 2004 onwards, it depends on what you want to spend,cheap and cheerful or a more indepth unit like this

http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_GCR25.html

Thanks...I suppose I don't really want to spend more than fifty quid but I suppose the software is all, could be handheld or laptop based is there any advantage to either system?

The Laptop based ones are more of a faff because you have to load the software (which can sometimes have compatability issues) and you obviously need a laptop as well

A stand alone (handheld) one is better, it can be kept in the glove compartment, no problems with operating systems/ no laptop required asy and quick to use

The superchips blufin handset is the best - it cost about £450 new, it can read pre - 2004 cars (OBD1 AND OBD11 ) and the Ford specific codes - it is completely self contained and does not even require batteries - it can reset fault codes as well - the icing on the cake is it can remap your car as well (may need to be reset by Superchips todo this though)

Funnily enough i have one for sale -

linky-

http://www.fordowner...di-bf05-ford-t/

I will let you have it for £60 + £10 P+P for you as a FOC member (it was for sale at £100, cost £450, fully functional for reading/ resetting codes, but needs reset for the remap,)

i can guarantee it can work on earlier (pre 2004) cars,- worked perfectly on a 2002 TDDI

Its about the same price now as a garage would charge to read the codes (ONCE!) - + you can read/ reset as often as you like - at no extra cost! - Does 99.9% of what a garage one does anyway - (not a lot of people know that - and the garages don't want you to know this)

Seems like a great price thanks for the offer...unfortunately I've just ordered an Elmscan 5 for $25 a couple of hours after my last post, if it doesn't work out and the offer is still available I'll be in touch.

no worries, thanks for letting me know