Does anybody have experience with a MAXIDIAG US703 scanner?

[BrooklynBay]

http://auteltech.com/us703.htm. Here's the manual: http://www.auteltech.com/pdf/JP701_EU702_US703_FR704_Manual_EN.pdf. I saw this scanner on EBay. The company claims that it could read GM, Ford, and Chrysler air bag, ABS, generic, and manufacturer specific codes on OBD1, and OBD11. Normally, a scanner like this in a brand like OTC or Snap On would cost about $1,000-$2,000. This one is under $200! Only one seller in the UK has them. I also saw another one on their website which seems to be a little fancier, but I don't know if it's capable of performing the same functions or possibly more: http://auteltech.com/das.htm.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Amazon sells this scanner with free shipping: http://www.amazon.com/Autel-US703-M..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1232691527&sr=8-1. It's $152.77.

 

[gsx220]

They have this one too: http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3140-Diagnostic-Post-1996-Vehicles/dp/B000R3SNJU/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_title

 

[BrooklynBay]

That scanner looks nice, but I don't think it's capable of reading ABS, SRS or other codes that this one is capable of doing.

 

[joshwho44]

I don't know about that scanner but I have the Autel Maxiscan MS509 and it works great, does everything the website claims. Harbor Freight sells some of the products under the name Cen-Tech which is how I got mine.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Which Cen-Tech model is equivalent to the Autel Maxiscan MS509?

 

[joshwho44]

Its Harbor Freight P/N 98614-2VGA. There is no Cen-Tech website or anything and the manual is exactly the same as the Autel one just with a new cover page and a Harbor Freight warranty. Mine was $119.99 at my local store.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Amazon sells that model from Autel for the same price: http://www.amazon.com/Autel-MS509-MaxiScan-OBDII-EOBD/dp/B001LHXTO0/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2. I don't think Harbor Freight sells their copy of the US703.

 

[joshwho44]

Interesting...at least it's not cheaper. I would be pretty pissed at myself for not checking amazon first. It still seems a hell of a lot cheaper than most other scanners, however.

 

[99EBEXP]

Hi BrooklynBay, thanks for the link to this thread. Do you think I should buy the Autel MS509 or the US 703 instead of the Equus 3130?

There are no reviews for the Autel units at all, while there are a lot of review for the Equus.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Compare their specifications on their websites to see which one matches your needs.

 

[StephenHenry]

I just fired up my 703US today. Here's the review I posted to Amazon:


The scanner powers up quickly and overall seems a bit faster than the Actron. It’s easy to use; as a guy I’ve yet to open any kind of manual for the Autel, yet was able to read by my check engine and ABS codes that are popping up on my vehicle. In playing with the Actron the other day I pulled up the screen to read all live data at once and scrolling down was very, very slow and the tool would lag when it was asked to display the next page of data. The Autel 703 scrolled through all the live data without any lag. I haven’t exported any data to a PC yet so I can’t tell you how well that works. On screen descriptions were provided for both PCM codes and ABS codes.

I have an Actron 9185, which is the same as the 9190 without all the OBD 1 connectors for pre-1996 vehicles. The Actron is a great tool, but I needed to read ABS codes and the Autel was about $50 more than the Actron ABS reader only, and the Autel 703 reads ABS, Airbag, and Tranny codes, so for the extra few bucks I figured it’s worth a try, and I can always sell the Actron. I paid about $50 more for the Actron 9185 than I paid for the Autel 703.


The tool is new and there don’t appear to be any updates on the manufacturers site. I do expect Actron to have more frequent updates based on other online reviews. The Autel 703 DOES NOT come with the connectors to connect to pre-1996 vehicles though the software supports them. I have not seen the cables for sale anywhere.

As a hard core DIY mechanic that likes to troubleshoot and fix almost everything with my vehicles, I would recommend the Autel 703 because of the number of systems it reads, and at a lower price point than other products.


Steve

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum, and thanks for posting your review! I wasn't aware that it lacked the cables for OBD-I/EEC-IV. Did you contact the manufacturer?

 

[StephenHenry]

I haven't. I don't really need them. I have a 96 F250 I could use it for, but I have an old school scanner that just blinks the LEDs that should work for that. I know the additional connectors for the Actron are about $45 each, so if you want to do a lot of pre-96 stuff then the 9190 with all the connectors is a better deal. It won't read ABS codes, but the Autel doesn't read the ABS stuff for pre 96 I don't think either.

Steve

 

[BrooklynBay]

My 93 & 95 have air bags, and use the OBD-I/EEC-IV system. I know that to access the ABS diagnostic, it's only possible to read by watching the flashing light on the dashboard when the diagnostic wire is grounded. I'm not sure about the SRS air bag system, but I think it might be possible to read the code with a scanner or a code reader. The company has a link to contact them, so an email was just sent explaining the lack of necessary cables, and a question on where to get them. I hope that they respond.

 

[sontakke]

Please excuse for barging in here. I do not own Explorer but this is the only forum where the latest Autel scanner is being discussed. I hope my input would be valuable to the community.

I just purchased similar one for Japanese cars, JP701 from Amazon but I find it too buggy. I already have BR3 scanner for laptop and Autel GS400 but wanted to have a standalone unit with live data capability. The ABS/Airbag/AT scanning provided by JP701 was icing on the cake.

I tried to scan by ABS and Airbag on my 2000 Maxima which had no code but after the scan Airbag light started flashing :-( Fortunately, it went away after a restart of the car. Also the freeze frame data and live data for Maxima has too many errors. The unit confuses English/Metric units and sometimes the numbers are completely bogus. With GS400, I have the ability to verify the correct freeze frame data.

My conclusion:- Save your money and buy a cheaper one or wait until the manufacturer fixes multiple bugs which would be forever given the lack of any support from the manufacturer.

Here is the copy of the review that I posted on Amazon.
===========================================
I already have Autel GS400 and wanted to upgrade with an unit with live data and ability to diagnosis ABS/AT/Airbag etc. Unfortunately, JP701 does not seem to handle vanilla OBD-II that well. The freeze frame data from 1999 Camry has half the parameters with wrong data! I compared GS400 vs JP701 and JP701 gave bogus data for coolant temperature, MAP, vehicle speed, intake air temperature. It also has couple of impossible parameters such as fuel trim data for BANK 3!! The unit also has some inexplicable delays e.g. trying to review freeze frame data, it has lag of 5 seconds. It looks like this product was pushed out the door without much of testing. I will be returning this product as soon as I get an RMA from Amazon.

I wish I could keep this as the features on this unit are great. You can connect it to PC. Here is the freeze frame data from JP701 ...

[ EOBD ]
Record1 -> Freeze Frame
DTCFRZF P0420
FUELSYS1 CL
FUELSYS2 --
LOAD_PCT(%) 74.9
ECT(°F) 28
SHRTFT1(%) 2.3
SHRTFT3(%) -100.0
LONGFT1(%) 11.7
LONGFT3(%) -100.0
MAP(psi) 10.9
RPM(rpm) 1710
VSS(mph) 35000
IAT(°F) 0


The GS400 gave me ...
COOLANT 183 F
MAP 22.1 INCH HG
VEH SPD 21 MPH
IAT 86 F

As you can see GS400 gave the correct values whereas JP701 gave garbage.

Update:-
MAP values are correct as they are being reported in different units. JP701 is giving it in PSI and GS400 is giving it in inches Hg
10.9 PSI = 22.1 inches Hg. But the coolant temperature and intake air temperatures are definitely wrong and so is the VSS. Both scanners are set to report in English units.
=============================

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum, and thanks for your input on these scanners! Do you have any experience with the US703? The company never got back to me since I sent them an email at the beginning of the month.

 

[sontakke]

Welcome to this forum, and thanks for your input on these scanners! Do you have any experience with the US703? The company never got back to me since I sent them an email at the beginning of the month.

I had sent them few mail messages regarding their GS400 unit which I had purchased couple years ago and I never got a reply back.

I suspect US703 probably has similar bugs. I just obtained return authorization from Amazon for the JP701.

It had so much potential :-(

- Vikas

 

[StephenHenry]

I've used my US703 several more times since my last post. I haven't noticed any buggy readings though I've only read Fords with it. I'm guessing the problems with the unit for Asian vehicles have to do with the variety of brands it has to cover?

I don't expect it to be as good as a Snap-On, but it's not thousands of dollars either.

I do know there's no live data for the TFT sensor though. Not sure if a more expensive tool would be able to pull that. I doubt my Actron will either, though I didn't try it yet.

Steve

 

[BrooklynBay]

Is it possible to get an EEC-IV cable from another brand or model to use with it since it doesn't come with one?