Which multimeter for a car

[redsquash]

On eBay there are a ton of Multimeters.
I require one to trouble shoot a short circuit I suspect in my car.
Battery has been eliminated.

You pay for what you get , however I don't really know what i need for probably a one off job or two in the future.

I can get something for !00 dollars which is probably overkill or something for $11 , but will it be accurate and have sufficient switches to do what I want with reliability.
Should i get one with Induction capability or is that superfluous or a gimmick.

If someone could private message me an ebay link that would be great

 

[BayView]

Spend some time talking to a few of the guys in places like Bursons, or Autobahn, or Autocheap etc.

(Side rant): Then you can do what everyone else does with retail; use them up for their expertise and time, and burn them when you buy off Ebay.

 

[Peter Parker]

Get one with an audible continuity tester.

Something like http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM1444 should be OK.

Or http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM1524 is a bit cheaper but looks fairly rugged. It's but a step or two above the $5 cheapies.

 

[Banvard]

For your use, that second multimeter in Spiderman's link is probably perfect. I have something similar (but much older) from Jaycar and it's great. Never had an issue and it gets chucked in the toolbox with everything else.

 

[Strannik]

i've got one like this:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM1502

the cheapest one is usually more than enough unless you need to measure high current for some reason.

 

[Scott No Mates]

The second one will get my vote too for 240v but if working on the car you want DC/12v ranging.

I need a new one for home so off to Jaycar.

 

[Freckle]

Mastech mm's are a good mid range meter (I have 3) that will do everything you want and a bit more. The last one I bought was an ms8268.

What's your electrical problem?

 

[xanh]

You'd have to tell the kinds of things you'll be using it for but generally, I'd go the QM1524 or something around $20-$40 range. I'm not sure how accurate the cheap ones are. Only pay more if you really need those special features (inductor pick up).

I thought continuity was pretty standard.


I bought one from Jaycar once (online) and they sent me two by mistake. Now I have a 'car' one as well.

 

[redsquash]

great response which guided me into getting a vichy
VC99
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121293957671&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:3160 .

probably a bit of an overkill but I changed my thinking as once I get to know how to use it I will probably use it more often for a few other automotive things

 

[eXc]

Bit late now, but....

Anything from $30 up at Jaycar/supercheap etc will do the average person. As mentioned by others, audible continuity test is a must have in my opinion - I use it just as often as voltage while working on cars.

I wouldn't bother with ebay unless you want a good price an expensive unit and willing to wait 6 weeks...

Also, the aligator clips that come with the one you bought will make life much easier.

 

[datto]

I need something to clear the red light error message on my commodore.

Its the airbag thingimajig. One mech said its a short in the driver's side seatbelt pretensioner. Another said the error came up as the airbag clock spring malfunction.

The mech charge about 70 bucks to run a 2 min (if that) test. Holden want 150 bucks And most mech wont pass car for rego if that light and flamin alarm go off.

I was wondering if anyone knows a rev head, or the like, who knows where I can get my hands (legally) on one of those scanners that clears the errors on my dash?