Exproblems
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- April 17, 2011
- Messages
- 1,684
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- 19
- City, State
- Orchard Park, N.Y.
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '05 Explorer XLT 4.0L
Yeah it helps, Thanks!
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best scan tool for the money
- Thread starter seanddrisc
- Start date
Yeah it helps, Thanks!
Divad968
New Member
- Joined
- June 2, 2018
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Toronto
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2018 Ford Fiesta
Moved up from the 908P. The docking station of Maxisys Elite is nice since I can leave it on my toolbox all day. the screen is a million times better than the 908p and it also has more memory. This thing is faster than the 908P in boot up time and also navigation through the menus and connecting to the vehicles. This comes with the newest J2534 which is smaller than the one with the 908P and also has no antenna. Ive used it to code a few cars and also with my Laptop to flash a few different makes of vehicles. You just need to make sure to install the right software. If your a professional this is the tool for you. my snap on versus stays in the toolbox 99% of the time now that I have this.
German Engineer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- February 2, 2016
- Messages
- 181
- Reaction score
- 79
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1999 Explorer Sport 2WD
The tool I bought two and a half years ago is the Autel AL-619 (I paid $120 bucks).
I love it and it let's you do pretty much anything that doesn't require a total high end professional tool of the type that can really do full PCM programming etc.
The only thing that's a little annoying on the AL-619 is that on the 99 Explorer it won't read out the VIN number so you manually have to enter the VIN whenever diagnosing ABS/SRS stuff. And because it won't let you save a VIN you have to enter it every time you read out ABS SRS codes. ( Luckily it's not necessary to enter the VIN for regular OBDII diagnostics though.)
The OBDII codes are universal and standardized by the way, but the ABS/SRS codes and diagnostic systems aren't and the scan tools available that offer ABS and SRS codes can vary greatly in what vehicles they cover, so I strongly advise you check and COMPARE the list of vehicles covered when you decide to purchase such a tool.
The Autel AL-619 scan tool that I have for example comes in two different versions, one for US brands and most of the popular imported cars, as well as a version that covers nearly all European vehicles instead (Which my dad purchased to diagnose Audi A8 and my mother's French Peugeot) .
If I remember correctly, then the reason for this was that there somehow is an incompatibility regarding the hardware needed to read the codes out. So it seems there are minor hardware differences between those tool versions, that are not just a matter of licensing (Some cheaper scan tools simply do not offer the whole variety of possible brands due to licensing cost). You might want to keep those things in mind, especially if you have one of the less popular European or Japanese imports.
Autel has a bunch of newer tools now that are probably better than mine by the way, but you can still find the one I have if you look for it.
From my impression, Autel seems to be a pretty good brand for these types of tools.
I got mine for a comparatively good price. The scan tool is really good high quality robustly built. And the updates were also all free and worked good also.
So all in all just perfect, I really can't complain!
I love it and it let's you do pretty much anything that doesn't require a total high end professional tool of the type that can really do full PCM programming etc.
The only thing that's a little annoying on the AL-619 is that on the 99 Explorer it won't read out the VIN number so you manually have to enter the VIN whenever diagnosing ABS/SRS stuff. And because it won't let you save a VIN you have to enter it every time you read out ABS SRS codes. ( Luckily it's not necessary to enter the VIN for regular OBDII diagnostics though.)
The OBDII codes are universal and standardized by the way, but the ABS/SRS codes and diagnostic systems aren't and the scan tools available that offer ABS and SRS codes can vary greatly in what vehicles they cover, so I strongly advise you check and COMPARE the list of vehicles covered when you decide to purchase such a tool.
The Autel AL-619 scan tool that I have for example comes in two different versions, one for US brands and most of the popular imported cars, as well as a version that covers nearly all European vehicles instead (Which my dad purchased to diagnose Audi A8 and my mother's French Peugeot) .
If I remember correctly, then the reason for this was that there somehow is an incompatibility regarding the hardware needed to read the codes out. So it seems there are minor hardware differences between those tool versions, that are not just a matter of licensing (Some cheaper scan tools simply do not offer the whole variety of possible brands due to licensing cost). You might want to keep those things in mind, especially if you have one of the less popular European or Japanese imports.
Autel has a bunch of newer tools now that are probably better than mine by the way, but you can still find the one I have if you look for it.
From my impression, Autel seems to be a pretty good brand for these types of tools.
I got mine for a comparatively good price. The scan tool is really good high quality robustly built. And the updates were also all free and worked good also.
So all in all just perfect, I really can't complain!
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