I can't believe something that costs less than $100 to make is marked up into the thousands. Most diagnostic tools do the same thing so there can't really be a patent. I think I'm going to buy a broken one and reverse engineer it. I guess Ebay would be good place to buy used. And I was told pawn shops may be a good place too.
The hardware may be very similar across the board but I think you'll find the software takes a lot of development. There's a huge difference between a cheap code reader and a dedicated scanner/scope.
Thanks for replying Matt, I am an IT guy and what fueled my career is nobody was able fix a problem I had and so i fixed it myself. Being in the business for 25 years, bored now, I see some infinite challenges in automotive electronics diagnostics. I'm beginning my journey with an 03 Chrysler TandC. I new it was a programming issue and took it to 3 trans shops and all 3 said I had to rebuild the trans, the 4th reprogrammed it for a 100 bucks.You are right the programming is one of the high costs but the hardware cost in imho is just over inflated. You can buy a reader for cheap. The higher costing models allow flashing. Chrysler recommends 5 models and the UCAN2 is the cheapest at 400 bucks. I'm going to take a closer look at that one. I still think that's about 30 percent overpriced. But then again you have to look at the limited market. I'm going to research them more closely. There are like millions of programmers, hungry, I don't think they have any idea the possibilities in this area. I made a vow the next car I was going to buy will have a carburetor because I can't work on my own car. Wouldn't it be nice to return to the old days. There would still be plenty of work for the shops but it would allow the backyarders some affordable options.
You are right there are some very real challenges in aftermarket scan tools. Both hardware and software. There is a lot of flux in the scan tool industry right now because of licensing concerns. At the same time there is also a lot of growth and advancement. You can buy a sub thousand dollar bi-directional scan tool. A decade ago that was a unheard of concept. The cost of both the hardware and software is more expensive over consumer electronics I think because they aren't going to sell millions of these units at a Pre Christmas release sale at an apple store. That and there are federal standards for safety (SRS and ABS) and emissions that have to be developed and proven as well as licencing fees for like 40 different auto manufacturers these days. Frankly I am thankful they can keep these things priced low enough that I can afford to buy my own. As far as "'the good old days'' of carburetors and points distributors? I am good with the automotive technology that has been and is continuing to be developed. I like 30 mpg. Oh and being able to breathe. Lower emissions are good.
Thank you for the insights! My feelings go beyond the scan tools too. But lets start there. If the costs were reduced drastically imagine how many more gifted youth would be able to explore their interest in the automotive discipline. How many would begin young to start their careers as skilled experts in diagnostics. Let's take an example. I had my trans fluid changed in an 03 Chrysler TnC and it took the shop a week to fix the hard shifting. A few years later I let the fluid get low and knew that had to be the problem. I took it to 3 trans shops and they all told me I had to rebuild the trans. I took it to a regular shop and they were able to program it and it worked fine. It's hard for me to believe that all of those were intentionally trying to rip me off. I have to believe they just did not know what they were doing. Could it be things have become just to complex That it requires a higher skill set not only in knowledge but innate ability, critical thinking, intuitive problem solving skills.I don't believe education has caught up with the automotive field. I would postulate that a 4 year degree is going to be needed to learn the skills necessary.to become an expert mechanic. And definitely it's now way beyond the backyard mechanic. I can't afford the hardware and software needed. So I'm left frustrated. After being in the IT field like forever this is something I would love to move into but am severely limited. I'm learning quite a bit but without the practical application I can't learn how it all works in the real world. First hand I know the difference between book knowledge. That's one reason I love ScannerDanner he has some awesome videos that really apply.I hope someday the automotive industry recognizes it's only hurting itself and pricing themselves into a growing problem.
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