Yes, the scan tool will tell you more, but the quick easy free route gives you great information to get started on repairs without spending any more money. Fixing the problem successfully results in the CEL turning itself off.

Yes, when living with younger siblings it was a wise choice to purchase the replacement plan. I've had many a disc go bad due to my little brother, and his friends, leaving them out of their cases, stepping on them. I remember the day Diablo II met the fate of one of his friends misplaced feet. Both the install AND play disc in a double disc jewel case. I like the insurance of, if -anything- happened to my discs, I could go back and replace them. Now that I'm older, and live on my own, I only purchase it from time to time on games I value a little more than the rest of the games I purchase. 3 dollars beats waiting for canada post to get off their asses and perhaps ship me a package within less than a week.

The replacement plan covers -any- damage do the disc. Be it liquid damage, flinging it in anger, smashing it with a hammer, stepping on it, it being melted in some way, so long as they can tell it was the game your receipt shows, they will replace it.

Is shipping less than five dollars? I doubt it. EB games, which is the same company as Gamestop, offers a replacement plan for 3 dollars for -life-. So long as you have that crappy receipt, you can replace your game -that- day, for the low low cost of 3 dollars. Even if the disc is in multiple pieces, say, someone stepped on it.

Yeah, I'm sure you're lugging your xbox around the same way you lug around a LAPTOP, a PORTABLE DEVICE. I don't know about you guys, but my xbox stays firmly planted IN A VERTICAL POSITION, beside my tv, where it has never once scratched a disc in its 2 years of use.

my 1001 is still fine, though the mod chip seems to be flaky now, even still I use it primarily for RPG's that I legitimately own so no worries there. My old ps2, on the other hand, was a release model, built like total crap, and refused to play games unless it was upside down after just a year and a half of owning it. Worked like that for many years, eventually retired it to my little brother in favour of my xbox and kept the 1001 around to play old RPG's.

Know what's awesome? Most vehicles have a system in place for you to get the basic codes yourself. Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Plymouth use a keyon/off sequence. Flick your key from 'off' to 'run' three times if you have a CEL light on, leaving the key in the 'run' position the third time. Your CEL will now flash a number of times, stop for a short moment, flash another number of times, stop for a slightly longer period, flash a number of times, stop for a short period, flas another number of times, etc. So, five flashes, then pause, then three flashes means Code 53, the long pause is the break between codes. All you need is a list of codes, freely available via google or your trusty haynes manual, and you've saved yourself 200 bucks.