Hello again everybody, so I'm wondering if I purchased the Maxisys 908pro that has ECU programming capability how much of an opportunity would one think that I could have by contacting various shops in the area and advertising my ability to do that if needed. Or should I just purchase the 906 and go with a good scanner without the programming capabilities? , And save $1,000. Thank you for your input!
I believe it would depend on your area & how many other people around you offer the same service. I make small talk with the guy that does my programming & it seems like it's a PITA. He has endless stories about shops that have no idea what they are doing & think the "flash" will fix everything. He says that body shops are the worst & no one want's to pay when the flash doesn't fix anything, or they expect you to diagnose what is wrong when the flash fails.
Also, my "guy" has at least 5 or 6 different programmers, some handheld & some PC based. Seems like one tool isn't going to do everything. All the different tools, subscriptions & possibility of bricking something, makes me happy that I'm not doing this.
I would talk to some of your potential customers & see what the interest is. Doubt you will find anyone that does this for a living that wants to give you any real feedback. If they tell you how to do it that's just taking money out of their pocket.
My guy is always very vague about the actual details of what he does. I also know that he has an Autel Maxisys flasher, but I have never seen him use it with anything he has done for us.
I would do a lot of research before I look at this as a significant source of income.
I wanted to do something similar, but the various subscriptions required to work on all the models you'll encounter is really cost prohibitive.
I thought about buying the subscriptions as needed and rolling them into the cost of programming, but how could you justify the cost to the customer when some subscriptions are literally thousands of dollars?
I think if I had to come up with a plan to make it profitable, I would focus on one manufacturer to start out with.
For me it would be Honda. Not because I'm a Honda fan boy, but in my area, Honda is by far the preferred vehicle of consumers.
You could leave a dead new Audi unlocked with the keys in it, but you better have lug locks and a damn good alarm on your 91 Civic.
I'd also be interested to hear feedback on the Autel J2534 capabilities. I've got my eye on the MaxiSys Elite, but I'm not sure that the J-box adds up to a Bosch MVI or Cardaq.
cheryl hartkorn wrote: its free after the 2001 model year for emission programming
So I could flash the ECU on my '05 Civic for free, if I pick up the hardware? Where would I download the updated firmware?
I have a reoccurring code for a lazy rear O2 sensor. Sensor looked fine, but I replaced it anyway. Light still comes on every few weeks. I know there is a flash update for this issue, I'm just too cheap to pay my guy to do it. I hate spending money on my own car, at least this one.
I would gladly put the "flash money" towards a tool that would allow me do some flash updates. I do work on & own a lot of Honda's
The 908p is a more capable scantool even if you don't do programming. But as far as I know, no manufacturer has approved the autel jbox. That doesn't mean it won't work, but if you need support the manufacturer won't help you. With that being said I wouldn't try to start a side business doing programming unless you intend on buying factory tools. To much liability trying to use an aftermarket jbox.
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