About 3 months ago I got to play a little bit with a Bosch ADS 625 diagnostic thing.
Amazeballs. And it should be since it costs $5000. It's just been a while since I've had an OBD2 vehicle so I'm a little out of the loop.
I'm looking for a new scanner/diag tool. I need to be able to command things to diagnose transmission, evap, ABS, etc, not just read codes. Bonus for touchscreen and bluetooth. Can also be a phone app. I'm a visual person, so I prefer graph displays instead of just numbers. Budget is $300 ish.
I think after some research, the term I'm looking for is bi-directional control.
Just bought a foxwell 530. Hasn't showed up yet but has programming capabilities so hoping for a pretty dang good deal for 160 bucks.
I did look at the Foxwell. My desires are a wee bit lofty I think. I need to be able to do bi-directional things and monitor stuff simultaneously. Right now working on the new van with a CEL, it has a 0446 code... which is usually the purge solenoid on the intake, but I don't want to throw parts at it. The really good diag tools let you do things like view a graph of the tank pressure while activating the purge and vent solenoids. It's also really handy for transmission diagnosis.
The Launch x431 seems to do everything I want, but it's $900 and the reviews are sketchy at best.
I have been pretty pleased with our Matco Maximus 2.0 branded LAUNCH scan tool. New it was probably $5000 plus extras. Now that they are on to the Muximus 3.0 I would imagine a LAUNCH product with much the same functionality would be more cost effective. It can scan just about any car we have in the shop.... like I think it even has SKODA. touch screen, intuitive, bi-directional.
Wait... are you telling me that Launch made the Matco tool?
cuz with a coupon I found and some leftover amazon card points I can get the x431 for $650 and change. I wasn't keen on dumping that much money on something I know so little about, but maybe it's a bargain.
Bi directional control scan tool that works for $300.
Hahahahhahahahahahahahahhhhhhh...
You so funny...
I have a Foxwell 510, I bought it with two manufacturer add-ons (Toyota and Honda) for $189. I've been thrilled with it, it does a lot of detailed diagnostics, and will also display real-time info. I haven't found a good way to save and graph data logs with it, which is something I can do with the Torque + app.
Be very careful with Amazon and Launch. I bought one 2-3 years ago and turns out it's a scammy asian based one. Launch update downloads from their website won't work and they won't touch it based on the serial number I entered. Last I recall they had a section on their website warning about this.
I have been looking into that. Apparently the x431 V Pro is a genuine Launch, but the V+ Pro is a hacked copy.
The problem is, I can't find a Launch website. I looked for it to see if their direct price was the same as Amazon so I could avoid that.
https://www.launchmena.com/diagnostic-scan-tools/
https://www.x431tool.com/
https://www.launch-x431.net/
https://www.launchtech.co.uk/
All of these websites (and about 20 more) say they are the official website for Launch products. All of them are scammy looking.
I traded some emails with them. When I get hime I'll look for those.
Looks like launchtechusa but sent you a pm - I'll forward an email with a real person at the company from last August.
I don't know about the us, but here I Canada Chen up in Ontario is the key launch tech guy. I have experience selling and providing minimal support for diagnostic tools. The other companies are ok. But launch is really very good to deal with.
If you didn't need bi directional i would recommend the millenium series as I used to sell them as a great quick service tools for shops that want something for oil resets and steering angle sensor resets. But they can only do basic actuation I think.
X431 is super capable...far more than me. But I've never sold one and had it returned.
In reply to 1SlowVW :
I managed auto/transmission repair shops for years a decade ago, and my techs had some of the high-end diag tools. I used them a lot. Now that I'm a broke-ass artist, I'm thinking an investment in a diagnostic system will end up saving me tons of money.
Current repair situation: P0446. It could be a clogged vent line, leaking/degraded vent line, bad vent valve, bad purge valve, gasoline in the charcoal canister, or a badly leaking gas cap. I could just replace the purge valve (the most common failure) and hope. If I had a proper bi-directional tool, I could simultaneously command each solenoid while watching the graph of pressure sensor data and narrow it down to one thing. That is instead of dropping it off at a garage where they would likely throw parts at it and charge me more to fix it than what this scanner would cost.. I can throw parts at things myself, but I don't have place to work on things other than my snowy driveway. I would rather draw on my history in auto repair to be armed with info. I can diagnose things better than most shops are willing to do (and charge me for). It would be nice to figure it out on my own. If I determine it's the purge valve, great. That's $13 and two screws on the intake. If I determine that it's the fuel tank pressure sensor inside the tank, I might pony up the money to let someone else do it so I don't have to lay in the snow on my back and drop a gas tank.
I'm thinking an investment in a proper, bi-directional diag system will end up saving me money. Even if I end up farming out the work, I trust me more than I trust a tech who just suggests parts.
I'm also thinking about how my time in repair has kinda ruined me. I'm now so untrusting of repair shops, but I don't have the facilities to work on things myself in many cases. At least if I can properly diag something, I can choose to tackle it myself or farm it out.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
Wait... are you telling me that Launch made the Matco tool?
cuz with a coupon I found and some leftover amazon card points I can get the x431 for $650 and change. I wasn't keen on dumping that much money on something I know so little about, but maybe it's a bargain.
Yes, our Maximus 2.0 both automotive and the HD version with all the add ons come from Matco with Launch boxes and Launch updates. But they are spendy. I really like the blue tooth connectivity and it is graphis interface. My students have very little trouble figuring it out. Now to be honest to work on your new van maybe you need to find a cast off GM Tech II that is the standard for GM scan tools and repairs and they have been "obsolete" for years.
In reply to LopRacer :
Not a bad idea on the Tech2, but A) I have a tendency to not keep cars for terribly long, and B) I'm planning on adding a Jag to the stable at some point. God knows that a Jag will need all the diagnostic help it can get.
I always want a car that I will love forever, then I spend as little as I can on buying it because I'm cheap... then I beat the crap out of it with work... then pretty soon I realize that I have an old, beat up vehicle that is falling apart and the process repeats.
