LATEST UPDATE: The Ancel folks got the virus out of their print software, and appear to have gotten the issues with their web certificate fixed as well. Now all is good! I upped the rating to 5 stars, which it now deserves. It's great to be able to print out the test results of your battery, cranking system and charging system and show it to your mechanic. When testing your battery, you can use the CCA, or cold cranking amps, setting and set it for the number of cold cranking amps your car has. This is a great feature. There are a number of places on the Internet to find the CCA rating for your battery. Anyway, this BA 101 unit has become a mainstay in my "car tool bag" for keeping tabs on the battery and charging system. It will let you know if your alternator is in the act of biting the dust, or if your battery needs to be replaced. It's better to replace a dying battery on your own schedule than to wait until it dies in a parking lot in a blizzard! This has to be better than most of the testers on the market. Scotty Kilmer, in his Youtube channel, raved about another scanner that did not have all the capabilities of this one. Oh--if you got the CD with your scanner, don't use it--go to the web site at anceltech.com and download the latest drivers and software. That way you won't get anything loaded on your computer (for printing) that should not be there!
UPDATE: I received a response from Anceltech's customer support team. She assured me that the software did not contain a virus and they would try to fix their web site so Norton anti-virus would not recommend against going there. Well, I tried the web site this very day--and I get a message that the web site's certificate is not valid. So, that issue is not fixed. Until it is, I'm not going to try to download the software again. This is an example of how a company could make a potentially great product, but mess up big time by having an invalid web site certificate, and allowing someone to stick a virus into the software. The software for printing was kludged together in any event. Now, I think the tester itself is great, and you could use it without printing out the results. But I hate it when a feature is advertised and that feature is so problem-laden that it doesn't work properly. So, Anceltech has two very simple things to fix: (1) its web site certificate and (2) cleaning the virus out of its software. Why this is so difficult for them I cannot imagine.
I got this battery and charging system tester because I have been having trouble with the battery in our Ford. The Ford dealership had the car in its shop on two occasions, first taking a month to replace a defective engine, and second, taking three weeks to procure and install a new flywheel in the transmission. At neither of these times was the battery put on a charger. The battery is a Motorcraft premium battery with a 36-month free replacement guarantee---but a week ago I had to get a boost from CAA because it was dead as a doornail. I took it to my mechanic and it tested as good after about a week of driving it every day. But then I got this Ancel battery tester and hooked it up to the battery. Two days ago, the tester showed 100% healthy battery, but zero charge! Today, after more driving, it was up to 12% charge. So tomorrow I'm taking it to the mechanic to have it put on a battery charger all day long. Apparently this battery may have sulphated or otherwise just not got back up to a full charge. If driving it 30 km a day for a week doesn't charge beyond 12%, I know something else is needed. So--stay tuned! I will let everyone know what the tester says after a the battery gets charged up on a trickle charger!
UPDATE: I am lowering the rating to two stars. The battery tester itself is GREAT. However, when you try to access the manufacturer's web site at anceltech.com, Norton Antivirus warns you that it contains a Trojan. Well, I accessed the site anyway, because I was having printing problems, and sure enough--Norton detected a virus inside the software I downloaded. Now, again, the device itself is great--it will tell you things about your battery that are missed by a Snapon unit costing hundreds of dollars. But the manufacturer needs to scrub its web site. Possibly the little mini-disc also contains a virus or malware of some time. You shouldn't get a virus or malware on your computer from visiting the company's web site! When the manufacturer cleans up its software, I will revise my rating accordingly--but right now using the company's software can put your computer at risk.
| Manufacturer | ANCEL |
|---|---|
| Place of Business | TORONTO, ONTARIO M1H 2Z2,CA |
| Brand | ANCEL |
| Model | BA101 |
| Product Dimensions | 24.13 x 17.78 x 5.08 cm; 141.75 g |
| Item model number | BA101 |
| Is discontinued by manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer part number | BA101 |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Item Weight | 142 g |
