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Budget scan tool?

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5 years 4 months ago #24884 by Zerstoren
Budget scan tool? was created by Zerstoren
Hope everyone reading this will have a good Thanksgiving. Long story short I'm a relatively new technician, I served in the military as an electrician so I have a decent understanding of electronics and computers. I've been working as a general tech for two years, and I have now acquired enough tools so I can do my job well and I figure it's time to start my diagnostic tool box. The gentleman I work with is against computers, scanners, scopes and the like. I have been researching till I'm blue in the face of all the scan tools available with their pros and cons. However, recently I got a good coupon for the scary harbor freight on their new Zurich pro diagnostic tool. Which offers live data and bi-directional controls. However, I'm figuring it's so new that nobody has really done a review on it. My shop only has cheap scanners and we have to borrow a Snap-On modis all the time, and I would really like to stop doing that. If anyone on this forum can give me a line to follow whether or not purchasing the Zurich would be a good idea to begin with. Or if anyone has any idea on the coverage, usefulness, or even customer support of the Zurich brand. There's a coupon to get it at $1,200. Thanks for any replies, cheers.

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5 years 4 months ago #24911 by Andy.MacFadyen
Replied by Andy.MacFadyen on topic Budget scan tool?
By the lack of replies it would seem nobody has experience of this tool being from the UK I have no real knowledge of Harbour Freight other than they have a good reputation for budget tools. These days the most tools offer 40+ manufacturers coverage how well they work and how deep they go on each model & years of vehicle is always a lottery even with big brand tools. One of the deciders with me is always how good the graphing is. It looks a good tool but without feedback from other users Autel or Launch would be less of a gamble I guess it would hinge on the returns policy and update availability & frequency..

" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)



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5 years 4 months ago #24925 by Tyler
Replied by Tyler on topic Budget scan tool?
I could make some recommendations to you, but I'm really curious to see how good the Zurich Pro is! :lol: If you decide to go that route, please let us know how it works out for you. We're always interested to hear about how scanners perform in the real world.

The gentleman I work with is against computers, scanners, scopes and the like.


How does he fix cars? :silly:

My first thoughts are a new Autel MaxiSys, or a used Snappy Solus/Modis. The Snap-On will give you good coverage with fantastic graphing capabilities, plus the scope if you get a Modis. Used ones in the Ultra line, with the touch screen, can be readily found for reasonable prices on FeeBay.

An Autel will give you the best bang for the buck. Graphing isn't the same, but the functionality is outstanding. Modules it'll communicate with, available bi-directional tests, like that. Mode $06 is better, too. There's multiple options in the MaxiSys line, so there's pricing options, too. I'm told by other techs that the support is excellent.

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5 years 4 months ago #24940 by Desmond6004
Replied by Desmond6004 on topic Budget scan tool?
I just did a blog on budget scan tools plus some info on the expensive stuff we have at work.
At the moment I'm thinking that a good budget scope for a workshop would be the Launch touch pro on special at the moment.

Getting involved in discussions because I have a lot to learn still.

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5 years 4 months ago #25000 by Tutti57
Replied by Tutti57 on topic Re:Budget scan tool?
Do you work in any particular car line or just anything that comes in? Some scantool brands offer better coverage than others.

With a $1200 budget I'd probably go for one of the more tried and true brands like Autel, Launch, or a used snap on.

Like Tyler said, snap on graphing is King, but you pay the price to get that and updates are another big part of owning a higher end scantool. You'll definitely want to know how those work and how much they are for the brand you go with. You may not need something that is up to date as of 2018 since most newer cars are going to the dealership with their warranty. Most of the cars I work on outside of work are older than 2015, so having a super updated tool isn't too important to me. This will depend on your shop.

I can only speak for Launch since that's what I have. It came with one year of free updates (I think they offer two years now), and an update brings all makes and models up to date. You don't have to buy all of the updates you missed in between. Quick downloads, no need to wait or deal with a rep.

Another consideration is how the unit is powered. Is it an internal battery or does it come from the vehicle? My battery isn't lasting very long anymore and for the cost of replacing it, I'd probably just buy a new tool.

I think the flat rate master on YouTube does a good job of doing a scan tool review of the big 3.

Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

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5 years 4 months ago #25005 by Desmond6004
Replied by Desmond6004 on topic Budget scan tool?

Zerstoren wrote: The gentleman I work with is against computers, scanners, scopes and the like.

Going slightly off topic here but my boss is a year older than me but occasionally tries to show me how "old school is best".
The other day he spent 4 hours pulling a car apart to trace an open circuit in a relay at the front fuse box/module on a Nissan just to
show me "how to do it old school, without all those fancy gadgets!". I plugged in the scan tool and showed him how to diagnose the fault in 4 minutes.
On topic again: Besides the other scan tools I bought I just ordered a Nexas AL102P which, if it actually does what it says it does will be the bargain of the century at $100 considering it does 12v, 24v multiple systems and DPF regeneration.
I read a few of the reviews and watched a few videos. When reading reviews you have to keep in mind the fact that not everyone knows how to use a scan tool and what conditions are needed - like having the engine running to do a dpf regeneration :D
Also there are people who read the specs and when the tool can't do what it advertises on their own vehicle, which doesn't actully provide that function, they rate the tool as junk.

Getting involved in discussions because I have a lot to learn still.

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5 years 3 months ago #25114 by wnrwade
Replied by wnrwade on topic Budget scan tool?
I read a few of the reviews and watched a few videos. When reading reviews you have to keep in mind the fact that not everyone knows how to use a scan tool and what conditions are needed - like having the engine running to do a dpf regeneration :D [/quote]
Now that's funny. I had a customer haul a machine 3 hours because of faults. Only fault was it needed a park regen. Did the regen and told them that they could have done it themselves. All they have to do is hit 1 button to start when the symbol shows. Was told that is beyond operators capabilities.

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5 years 3 months ago #25115 by Desmond6004
Replied by Desmond6004 on topic Budget scan tool?
I had a 90 year old tell me the battery light comes on when he turns on the ignition - then goes off once the engine starts. poor guy, he was starting to "lose it"

Getting involved in discussions because I have a lot to learn still.

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