Hi I am ibrahim
I am begginer in vehicle technician field. Following Paul Dannet (scanner danner) for last 2 years.
But can't afford expensive tools like snap-on devices.
Can any one suggest me cheap PC based tools under $600?
That can operate most of the modules in most brands .
My personal research pointed me to autoboss PC-max .
Is their any thing else working better and more then this under my budget?
Why are you looking for a PC based tool? I find that handheld scanners are much more convenient. I have an old autoenginuity that I purchased a long time ago. Haven't used it in years. The Autel & Snap-On tools are the way to go. You have to consider setup & break down time & test drives with a PC get old fast.
For $600.00 you should be able to pick up a used Autel scanner (DS708 or for a little more a mini) or even a Snap-On Solus. Unless you work on the newest of cars, the older software shouldn't be much of an issue. All are a good place to start. Unfortunately, one scanner isn't going to do everything. Whatever you choose, educate yourself on the cost of the updates. Snap-On wants a grand to update my Solus Edge & the Autel was $600 or $700 last time I did it. Figure that into your long term plans.
If your stuck on a PC based tool, the autoenginuity is as good a place to start as any. The base tool is about $250, but if you want any "enhanced" abilities, your looking at $1200 for Asian & Domestic. Euro is more. I do remember that the updates were very reasonable & the tech support was very good also. I stopped upgrading mine when the hardware had to be replaced (at my expense) to handle the newer software.
There are a lot of options out there. Check Craigslist & Ebay. Good deals to be had, if your patient. Buy something cheap, to get started. You can always sell it later, after you upgrade & probably recoup most of your investment.
Good luck - arbez
The following user(s) said Thank You: Noah, Ibrahm
I grabbed a used Solus Edge for $800 while I'm trying to repair the Verus since I figured I'd have no problem getting my money back for it. I think I'll keep it, this thing is great!
I just get more fixes, more quickly with the snap on scanners.
There's a lot of info built right into the tool that you would have to go digging for otherwise.
I spent an hour playing with the top tier Mac Tools EDT10 made by Bosch trying to get to the bottom of a VSA light on an Acura TL.
After getting no where, I plugged in the Solus and the car was fixed in less than 20 minutes.
I'm not familiar with that one & couldn't really find anything out about it (not a good sign). Talk to people who have used it & see what it is capable of. First impression is that they are talking it up to catch someone off guard. Save your money & buy something that is actually going to be useful.
Plenty of $50.00 code readers out there that will read/clear codes & give you some live data. If you need more than your going to spend more. Look hard at the Autel DS808 (
www.amazon.com/Autel-Diagnostic-Function...=Maxidas+DS808&psc=1
). $750.00 with the coupon. New with updates. Proven platform. Really good for the money & when you outgrow it, you can sell it & recoup most of your money.
Save your Xmas money, beg & borrow. Do what you have to do to buy something that will allow you to make money. Buying something that is just a glorified code reader isn't going to do you any good in the long run.
Talk to people & find what they use. It's the best way to get something that will really be useful.
I know you have a budget of $600. Are you a new tech, new tech saddled with tool & tool box debt, etc? Are you doing this full time or as a hobby as you stated you were following scanner danner.
IF you're working in a shop and don't have to bad a credit you can get a really good used Solus Edge albeit for about 4 times the amount you mentioned but if you have it and work hard enough doing side stuff you can make the payments. IF that's not your case start small and work your way up.
I traded my Solus Edge in for just as much as I paid for it at 7 months. It was current on updates. Moved into a Modis Edge for the Oscilloscope function. Snap On had a big promotion going where they were begging dealers to give top dollar for trade ins to get newer stuff such as the modis edge, Zeus into people's hands.
Had I known Snap On was coming out with the Zeus I would've waited. I just do side diagnostic work within the scope of what I know I can handle. Hopefully someday I can jump to it and leave all the other worries behind and gain a bunch of new worries.....
I know my Snap On guy will give me what I paid for the Modis Edge but I'm not sure if I want another payment after just paying $5k off in 6 months. I think my guy quoted me my Modis plus 4k , no interest through him. I generally pay about $500 a month. If you can do $400-$600 a month in side work after hours and on weekends you can move into something nice sooner than you think.
I had a innova 3160 and still do somewhere around here that'll show live data such as O2 , Fuel Trims and I paid less than $200 on Amazon. It does ABS and Air Bags which was the reason I bought it. Some of the air bag codes won't show on that device though as I found out the hard way.
I forgot to mention that there's also a OBDII wireless plugin called "Blue Driver". Read alot of good reviews of it. You can use smartphone apps that show alot of data. Seems to have alot of good reviews for $99.95 . You can check it out on Amazon if you're interested.
Never heard of that tool. Website looks old. Advertising Windows 8. Doesn't appear to be available in the US.
Stay away from obscure tools. There is a reason they are cheap & no one has heard of them. They are no good with no support.
Your coming here for professional opinions. If you wan't something that works & has good support you need to look at Autel, Snap On, Launch. Probably others, but you severely limit yourself with the $600.00 dollar budget.
You haven't explained why you are stuck on a PC based system. You are going to spend at least a grand on a usable setup that has enhanced features & it will be much less convenient than a hand held unit. Like I said earlier, I have an old AutoEnginuity, with enhanced domestic, Asian & European, that I haven't used in years. It is an OK system, but dragging a PC around on every test drive is a PITA. A total waste if time and time is money.
For $600.00 you are going probably going to get a glorified code reader that displays generic live data. Nothing enhanced. If you are going to do this for a living, you need to stick with the name brand tools. Everybody uses them for a reason.
Look for a used Autel DS708, its a good tool to start with & can make you money. For a little more than your $600.00 You can pick up an Autel DS808 (highly recommended) or a used Snap On Solus. Thousands of us are using these tools every day. There is a reason for that.
You came here for advise. Now take some....... brother
IF the free update he got is a current as new as you can get update then he did pretty good as he seems happy with it or the honking the horn part at least.
As you stated I would've either got the upgrade you recommended or waited a month or two until I could. Anyways he seems happy and that appears to be what counts.
You came here for advise. Now take some....... brother
Don't call me dude - arbez
arbez, I appreciate your help and comments to Ibrahim, most of it was extremely thoughtful and was something that would help him make a decision. Except for the above comments. It was completely unnecessary and rude. Sorry man, I'm not down with this kind of stuff here. Ibrahim said nothing to you to deserve to be spoken to this way. I understand that sometimes text on a screen does not show intent. Maybe you can clarify. Maybe not. In any case, all I ask is that we all respect each other here.
No problem. I understand how things can be misunderstood. It's nice to know that we are being held to a higher standard here. Keep up the good work & happy holidays.
On a broader view than any individual post we should all remember the lack of being able being able to see the other persons to see body language causes misunderstandings on all forums and sometimes I have to remind, myself this is a very international forum with people coming from not just from all parts of North America but all parts of Europe, Asia, Oz & NZ , Africa, Arabia and a host of island nations scattered across the seas & oceans.
" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)
I have heard statements that Autel will not be providing updates for the DS808 anymore as the last update is Dec 2017. Is this true? I would hate to buy a scanner that is not being supported anymore
dkggpeters wrote: I have heard statements that Autel will not be providing updates for the DS808 anymore as the last update is Dec 2017. Is this true? I would hate to buy a scanner that is not being supported anymore
Who told you that? It's a new tool, why wouldn't there be updates? I would expect it to receive the updates like all their other scanners. Show us something from Autel that indicates there are no updates.
I would call their support:
Support Phone
1-855-AUTEL-US (288-3587)
0086-755-22672493 (Other)
Topic Author
