Bought a $900 scan tool that does the same thing as my $80 Bluetooth dongle

I grabbed an Autel scanner thinking it would decode all those manufacturer specific codes on my 2014 Subaru, but it still misses stuff just like the cheap one. Anyone else regret dropping big cash on a mid range scanner?

3 comments

3 Comments

gray_patel8d ago

Yeah exactly, firmware updates might help but the real problem is these mid range scanners just don't have the full manufacturer level access. I read somewhere that even the high end ones still lock you out of certain modules unless you pay for a subscription. So you end up dropping a grand on hardware and still paying monthly just to read transmission data or ABS codes. Kinda defeats the point of owning the tool in the first place if you ask me.

wilson.claire8d ago

Did you try updating the Autel firmware or was it out of date?

phoenixb665d ago

I read somewhere that @gray_patel is right about subscription locks on high end scanners.