An automotive vehicle diagnostic tool, comprising: a diagnostic instrument for obtaining diagnostic data from an automotive vehicle; at least one audio transducer (121, 123) for audible input and output; a vocoder for encoding audio signals coming from the at least one audio transducer and decoding received encoded audio signals for the at least one audio transducer; a wireless packet data transceiver, for wireless packet data communication of data relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument and the encoded audio signals; a processor for controlling operations of the vehicle diagnostic tool including communications via the wireless packet data transceiver; a memory; and programming stored in the memory for execution by the processor, wherein the programming includes: at least one vehicle diagnostic application relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument for obtaining diagnostic data from the automotive vehicle and to cause the processor to perform diagnostic functions of the vehicle diagnostic tool including data processing on the data obtained from the diagnostic instrument to help identify a vehicle problem and/or to propose a remedial action and to control the communication of data relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument via the wireless packet data transceiver; a voice communication application relating to control of the vocoder and the wireless packet data transceiver, for wireless packet data communication of the encoded audio signals; and a packet protocol stack formatting, encapsulating, and recovering data of both the wireless packet data communication relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument and the wireless packet data communication relating to the encoded audio signals for transmission and reception through the wireless packet data transceiver. a diagnostic instrument for obtaining diagnostic data from an automotive vehicle; at least one audio transducer (121, 123) for audible input and output; a vocoder for encoding audio signals coming from the at least one audio transducer and decoding received encoded audio signals for the at least one audio transducer; a wireless packet data transceiver, for wireless packet data communication of data relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument and the encoded audio signals; a processor for controlling operations of the vehicle diagnostic tool including communications via the wireless packet data transceiver; a memory; and programming stored in the memory for execution by the processor, wherein the programming includes: at least one vehicle diagnostic application relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument for obtaining diagnostic data from the automotive vehicle and to cause the processor to perform diagnostic functions of the vehicle diagnostic tool including data processing on the data obtained from the diagnostic instrument to help identify a vehicle problem and/or to propose a remedial action and to control the communication of data relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument via the wireless packet data transceiver; a voice communication application relating to control of the vocoder and the wireless packet data transceiver, for wireless packet data communication of the encoded audio signals; and a packet protocol stack formatting, encapsulating, and recovering data of both the wireless packet data communication relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument and the wireless packet data communication relating to the encoded audio signals for transmission and reception through the wireless packet data transceiver. at least one vehicle diagnostic application relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument for obtaining diagnostic data from the automotive vehicle and to cause the processor to perform diagnostic functions of the vehicle diagnostic tool including data processing on the data obtained from the diagnostic instrument to help identify a vehicle problem and/or to propose a remedial action and to control the communication of data relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument via the wireless packet data transceiver; a voice communication application relating to control of the vocoder and the wireless packet data transceiver, for wireless packet data communication of the encoded audio signals; and a packet protocol stack formatting, encapsulating, and recovering data of both the wireless packet data communication relating to operation of the diagnostic instrument and the wireless packet data communication relating to the encoded audio signals for transmission and reception through the wireless packet data transceiver.