Who uses an Endoscope for working on their cars

[Mitsuru]

I was wonder if anybody on here uses an Endoscope for working on their cars and what type?

I know there are some which are proper endoscopes and some which could be best described
as a camera and a few led lights at the end of a long usb cable to work with a laptop or pc.

[JPB]

I have the use of a surgical one and found that quite useful when I have wanted to peek inside sills and such enclosed regions on vehicles that I was thinking of buying or selling, so had to be sure.
But endoscopes have many more entertaining uses outside of car maintenance and something from the Pound Shop USB endoscope range should be good enough if comfort and hygiene aren't a priority.

[tractorman]

I bought a Maplins one last year, but the one that has its own monitor, not the one that needs a computer. It has proved handy with the Land Rover - I had a look in the gearbox to check reverse gear for problems - and checked the fuel tank for internal corrosion etc. I've used it for all sorts of similar tasks. I suspect the computer based one would be fine if I wanted to take pictures of the bits, but it would have been a real pain in confined spaces. My main problem is moving the probe about - I keep moving the handset to whichever side I want to see

[Richard Moss]

I've got a cheap, 5 metre long USB one (with LED lighting) that runs from a laptop. For about £5 on ebay it was a bargain! I don't use it very often, though, as the need rarely arises.

[TerryG]

I have 2, a 5m USB one which is great when you need eyes on top of the car while you are under it (it was REALLY cheap and gets connected to a free laptop) and a short-ish one with a 7" screen and a camera on about a 60cm flexible thing. the shorter one is handy as the "probe" behaves like a coat hanger ie you bend it and it stays in whatever position you bend it in to. They are both amazingly useful but if I had to pick one it would be the cheapo long one as with the addition of a coat hanger it could replace the more expensive one but the reverse is not true.

The first use of my 5m one was to mark my crank pulley for where TDC actually is by myself. Pull plug one, put the camera in the hole and turn the engine over from underneath while looking at the laptop. I am sure it cost something like £15 so money well spent.

[JPB]

^^ Both of these with the long reach sound very much like the Pound Shop one I was on about earlier. Amazing value and far, far more useful than their USB vacuum cleaners.

[Fatbloke]

I had an endoscope at the hospital opnce. How anyone could do car maintenance with one of those stuck up his ...... well lets just say my eyes are watering at the thought!!

[Mitsuru]

Talk about getting the wrong end of the stick
Mike in hospital you re the patient so it gets used on you by the doctor, when in the garage the car is
the patient and you are the doctor submitting the patient to the internal examination

[Fatbloke]

Phew! that's a relief! Thanks for explaining.