Where to get Techstream and dongle

I am wanting to do a full brake flush including cycling the ABS... and probably program new TPMS sensors soon... on my 2009 and it looks like Techstream or Techstream Lite is the only way to do the ABS. I searched and found a bunch of threads on tuning but none on where to get Techstream for reasonable. I'd rather pay for the tool and software than pay the dealer for the work as long as it isn't too $$$. Any help appreciated...

 

Yikes. Way too $$$ for a home mechanic for occasional use.

 

The cheap versions are put together in China. You'll receive a cable and a disc full of viruses. Best to install on an old XP with NOTHING on it or use VM(only available on professional grades of Windows).
There are as many opinions on how to configure it as there are Chinese ebay sellers of the pirated Techstream.

 

Great advice. No way I'd trust that stuff on my critical PCs. I do have an old XP laptop that I swapped over to Linux but haven't used in years. Is this software compatible with Linux OS? I do have win pro on my other notebooks but I don't have a VM set up on either. Have to look into that...

It really is too bad Mr. T doesn't have a cheaper consumer license for this stuff so we can buy it legitimately. It really wouldn't hurt dealer service departments because the DIY population is very small compared to the numbers that just go to the dealer or shop.

And I won't go to a shop for my brakes. I'll just flush the lines then go drive on a snowy day or gravel road to activate the ABS to circulate the fluid. Plenty good enough without spending $1500+ for a 1 year license. Cheee-rist.

 

I really don't know if anyone has gotten this Techstream to run on anything other than Windows.

 

I bought an ATEQ VT36 to program/read TPMS sensors. Goodbye tire pressure gauge. You may need the ATEQ QuickSet tool to upload new sensors into your ECU via your OBD2 connection. The process takes seconds. ATEQ comes with some pretty good PC software so you can manipulate the location of the sensors on your vehicle by using the software on your PC when you do tire rotations. They have really good support via web and phone. The units are kind of expensive, but my wife's Camry has the same setup.....except she is not running a set of Goodrich KO2s. I swap out her summer tires for dedicated Blizzak snow tires every season and the QuickSet is a godsend. Easily uploads all TPMS sensor ID data to the car's ECU. Makes quick DIY work out of it and say "goodbye" to dealer reprogram charges when they want to charge for every single TPMS reset or upload. There is a reason we call them stealerships.

 

I took a look at these... why do you need both?

 

The VT36 talks to the TPMS sensors (i.e. reads pressures, programs them, etc.). The QuickSet talks to the ECU via the OBD2 connection. VT36 is wireless. QuickSet has OBD2 cable. They do different things, but can work together when you use the PC application to transfer the TPMS sensor data (wirelessly acquired via the VT36) to the QuickSet (via a PC cable connection), and then use the QuickSet to write/get TPMS sensor identity data to/from the ECU of your vehicle (via a OBD2 connection). Hope that helps.

 

Yes, that helps. I guess I don't see why they don't make one single device that has all the necessary functions.