Good Scan tool recommendations

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08lmm72mm

Active member
May 13, 2019
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Hey guys, so the old lady and her friend are opening an all female mechanics shop in the next couple weeks. They've been busy getting everything they need but are wondering what is a good scan tool to purchase that won't break the bank and will be be outdated right away.

They are looking at a XTool D9 Pro but I'm not exactly sure what would be best. They will mostly be working on cars, vans, suvs halftons and probably some diesels.

Any suggestions?
 
Dozerboy

Dozerboy

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Jun 23, 2009
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Got to get something good with support and updates. Otherwise it's worthless down the road for a non-specialty shop. I don't have to worry about a startup shops budget, but the snap-on ability to diagnose is pretty impressive. Not that that is necessary. Really depends on what part of the market has a void that your trying to fill. Other then female...lol
 
H

Hoser

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Jun 19, 2016
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Which Autel are you guys using? I have an old Snap On Ethos that is looooonnnnnggggg in the tooth. Would like to get something that does 2-way or bi-directional control.
 
1FastBrick

1FastBrick

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Dec 1, 2016
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The Autel Maxisys 906 is great for the money BUT.... Make sure you purchase it from a legit reseller such as AESwave. If you don't buy from an approved USA seller you will NOT be able to update it or get warranty support. Alot of amazon and ebay sellers are selling from different market's and putting the software on before it ships. You won't find out until something is wrong, you want to update it, you call for support, or try to get a warranty issue resolved.

Autel has a few variations of the 906 as well.

Aftermarket Scan Tools for Automotive Diagnostics

Scan Tools for Automotive Diagnostics available from AESwave, a factory authorized distributor for Autel, Launch, Bosch, AutoEnginuity, OTC, Hickok
www.aeswave.com www.aeswave.com

As the shop grows you may find you need something else. Always make sure you can test drive before you buy. At one time I tried just about every scan tool on the market. Some of them could not do 1/2 of what they claimed they could. I made each sales person either let me try it out or I had them show me on a customer car. If the Bi directional controls don't work or were not available for what we worked on, the tool was nothing more than a code reader at best. Certainly not going to waste thousands on a glorified code reader....

I would stay away from Launch and Bosch for the Diagnostic portion. Code readers maybe, but not diagnostic.

All that being said. I ended up with Snap On. They do have various Scanner's options and they all have the same diagnostic coverage. The higher end units come with a scope built in. Like the OEM's, they are trying to get you on a subscription based system to access some of the features. Trouble shooter used to be a valuable feature that no one else had. They now make you access it through a website with a current Scan tool Software subscription. Some of the older vehicles still show some of the data but all the newer stuff is on the web. I haven't updated mine in a while but now they have something else they are trying to sell as part of it too. You can keep track of the repair order, see the code history from the scanner data and email it straight to the customer through one of there sites.
 
ikeG

ikeG

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Apr 19, 2011
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I cancel my subscription after the year ends, then don't start a new one until I come across a function of data pid that I need. Ive been making it a couple years between paying the subscription. I first verify that the update includes what im looking for, then have the tool truck guy update the tool.

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk
 
1FastBrick

1FastBrick

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ikeG said:
I cancel my subscription after the year ends, then don't start a new one until I come across a function of data pid that I need. Ive been making it a couple years between paying the subscription. I first verify that the update includes what im looking for, then have the tool truck guy update the tool.

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Let's just say Cooperate is well aware of who I am... ;)

I have meet or conversed with a few of the Guys on the Scan tool side. Even took a tour of there facility.

I have reported a few bugs in the past as well too.
 
LBZ

LBZ

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Jul 2, 2007
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ikeG said:
I use Snap On but I've been told Autel has great support & updates. Which is a large reason to go with Snap On.

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Buddy has the Autel. It works pretty good. Bluetooth to the dongle that plugs in the OBD port. Only thing I couldn’t find was cyl contribution testing and obviously it can’t flash but can do most everything else a guy needs.
 
shakenfake

shakenfake

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Sep 15, 2022
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@LBZ Which Autel? I am using the MK808 and I have cylinder contribution. Perhaps I need to double check on my LBZ but I have used it before on PSD and LS engines no problem.
 
LBZ

LBZ

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shakenfake said:
@LBZ Which Autel? I am using the MK808 and I have cylinder contribution. Perhaps I need to double check on my LBZ but I have used it before on PSD and LS engines no problem.
Click to expand...
Don’t recall. It starts with a 2 and is the Bluetooth model.
 
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