Hi, I've been looking for a new scanner to replace the two I've got now. I have autoboss v30 and an otc genisys, neither of which I can update anymore. I work primarily on us and asian cars. I've been looking between the three scanners in the title, but am open to suggestions. Good bi directional controls are a must for me. I'd also like to be able to program keys. Flashing computers is something I've been thinking about because there's very few people who do it near me. I'd especially appreciate any input from people who have used these scanners. Thanks for your help.
I don't think many techs will have experience of both I like the Launch X431 family and have found they always connect reliably and quickly and cover huge range of vehicles most of which you or I will never encounter.
Having owned their products in the past also like Autel they have a huge user base --- Eric O uses his a lot in his videos. Autel tend to concentrate more on the 40 core car brands but that covers anything you will ever see never mind actually work on.
What I would advise is buy from the authorised dealer to avoid grey imports or fake items.
" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)
I have only used it to introduce new keys to the BMW EWS3 system ---- no problems deleting old keys and introducing new but they were factory supplied keys
" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)
Last edit: 6 years 10 months ago by Andy.MacFadyen.
I can't speak for those models BUT: We have an old Launch Diagun at work and it has been very reliable and still surprises with some of its features. I also have a Launch CRP123 of my own and it is a good little tool that has never given any trouble.
The work owns a Launch Maxisys tablet that is advanced BUT: it is a tablet with an operating system rather than a dedicated scan tool - so it has the occasional "computer type" issues with software updates etc. Then on my blog
budget scantools for workshops
I mention a few of the lesser Autel scan tools each with their quirks and update issues. Two of us at work bought the AL539 and after the first update both of us had issues getting them to show information properly again. Then a member here got the AL539B and lost his icons after the first update.
Launch is a top brand - Autel is well known but I'm progressively losing confidence in the brand.
Getting involved in discussions because I have a lot to learn still.
I consider Launch to be a fairly good scanner with a number of BI-directional capabilities. I own a X431 V+ Pro. However the coverage on its capabilities on an array of vehicles is certainly limited, that's considering the vehicles that i have been able to hook up. Moreover, it does not AutoVin as is advertised, thus never worked for me unless of course i acquired a pirated version. It states that it only does ECU updates and not flashing for now. The PIDs are great but also dependent on vehicle and availability. But so far so good. Most of these mid-level scanners have their inherent limitations. Best of luck
Thanks to all who contributed. There can never been too much discussion of Launch compared to
Autel. Each post has something of worth to make a note of.
Per dollar, the Launch is the best value. At the time of this posting, you can find the X431 tablet on Amazon for around $800. As for Autel, they have a slightly better coverage on European and market their J-2534 pass thru box. It is a nice tool, but buyer beware: the pass thru unit is not certified by any OEM. If you have a programming issue, no OEM will provide support. You would be better off to buy the Autel base unit and a Bosch MVCI or Drewtech for pass thru.
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