Best scan tool

Xtool Anyscan A30M. it's bidirectional so you can reset throttle maps and the transmission's learned values amongst other things. for just monitoring stuff like temps, timing advance, and air/fuel ratio, I use a cheap Veepeak Bluetooth OBD module.

 

Any of those scan tools have a movie feature for live data ?
just had a member ask me what the best scanner and most economical one to purchase would be .
He wants to watch when the torque converter is applied and when the computer in your tacoma turns the converter off .
All I have is the Snap on stuff $$$$$$$$$$$$$ so i dont have anything cheaper to compare to
Snap -on is good but very expensive

 

you can use one of the OBD apps to monitor that. The Car Scanner app is free and it does this.

 

I am balls deep in the ol' scan tool wormhole and for anyone that knows how software is written and interacts with hardware, this all seems so capitalistic and scammy. So here I am debating Xtool/Autel/Launch/etc etc. I'm not vibing with the whole bootleg techstream thing, and I want something with bidirectional control on more than just Toyota. Part of the problem getting meaningful feedback (from actual people, not paid influencers) is people hook these things up to cars that don't have sensor X/Y/Z to begin with, and wonder why it's not reading anything. The people I'd want feedback from are too busy to make youtube videos. I have an A30M in my Amazon cart, but keep almost going back to the D7, glancing at the D8. A common claim is the A30M is just a D7 without the tablet - but that doesn't appear the case. Bummer, dude.

I contacted 3 different XTool "groups" - since they have different websites and emails (all outlook/hotmail). Sketchy, but that's never stopped me from a good time, so I asked what the difference from A30M vs D7 for Tacos was. In the Amazon listings and the website(s) they send to send your VIN to get a list of functions, which is convenient, but apparently it's not that easy.

First one "Official XTool" I sent my make/model/VIN inquiry. They said "It (A30M) has no vehicle specific special functions such as relearn, reset, calibration and so on. D7 has 36 special functions, it can perform key program and also has vehicle specific special functions." Interesting, since some toyota people like the A30M and have used special functions like relearn/reset. So I sent them the snip from their own amazon listing that says it does all these things - and asked to check the "21 special functions" for my VIN. Nothing back yet. Sure, they have a look up tool on the websites, but they aren't consistent and terminology varies.

So I asked the same questions to "XToolDirect" which has not responded yet. Not great, especially for presales, what's the response look like once they've already got my money? So anyway, there's a 3rd XTool "group" I found (there's probably more), but I think I'm done attempting to find signs of intelligent life there.

It seems clear what's happening in the "Scan World" is there's a handful of actual manufacturers in Shenzhen, and the drop-ship/whitelabel/junkfluencer craze has finally discovered scan tools are a niche profit center. There may actually be 3 completely separate teams/groups competing to push XTool to the world market, also not uncommon. You can see the same "case" moldings across brands - these new brands (like XTool) aren't paying for custom tooling if there's "whitelabel" or "5th shift" options. Since the new brands don't have distribution networks, all they can do is go direct (via Amazon etc) and push product claims through influencers, fake reviews, and forum spammers. <golf clap>

So it's safe to assume the key hardware is all the same - it's not like getting data from a pin port is rocket surgery. OK Great, but what about the difference in capabilities? This is where knowing how software is written and interacts with hardware becomes really frustrating. The only reason there's not "1 scan tool to rule them all" is profit. It's SaaS for cars and I hate it. One can assume Techstream and the like have a monopoly on OEM data under the guise of "partnerships." When corporations make partnerships, it's rarely for the benefit of peasants like us. The smaller startups and ambitious folk don't have the resources to decide all these systems on every vehicle, and OEM's (like Toyota) have no reason to help, because Techstream (or equivalent) exclusivity is profitable and vehicle service is like printer ink and/or crack rocks - you gotta keep coming back. See also "Sealed" transmissions. If you'd like to share my tinfoil umbrella, I wouldn't be surprised if the big OEMs are behind some of these "less capable" devices, even if it's just licensing data. Cheap hardware, watered down capabilities that you can string people along with, upgrades/upcharges/subscriptions, oh yeah, it's all coming together. The first politician that comes out with a law to require open access for vehicle scanning gets my vote. It should have been included in the Right to Repair thing. They give us a big screen in the middle of the dash that's connected to everything and then load it with useless garbage. Open Table? Movie Tickets? Sports scores? Stocks? FACEBOOK? Seriously wtf nobody needs this garbage - give the people diagnostics and control. If they fear liability of rogue owners, make us sign a waiver to "unlock" it idgaf.

Continuing down the path, I've stumbled on the Youcanic scan tool - which is new (to me). It looks like a Foxwell clone, which looks like an Autel clone, which is just...you get it. It's all about the software. I reached out to them, and so far the response (which came quick, but landed in junk folder so you gotta watch for it) was "there are over 1000 vehicle models loaded, there's no way to show the exact functions available. The bidirectional functions vary from model to model, but it will be able to read, diagnose, clear, and view live data on all the systems of the vehicle." Well I would hope it can do more than scan/clear codes for the price, jeez. It's $499 to buy, but you can rent it for 5 days for $85. They said if you like it you can keep it and apply the rental fee and end up paying $485 total (400 deposit, 85 rental). They said most are used once or twice before someone decides to keep it. This looks like decent universal tool for the price, so I may rent it and report back.

Honestly the A30M plus a used iPad with a chonky case is my favorite bang for the buck option, but if it functions anything like their customer communications, yikes.

/endrant

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

 

I just grabbed the d8 mainly to hook it up to my Kia hybrid so I can check the hybrid battery cells it was like 60 of them gave me each cell voltage I made a note and now I’ll know when the cells start weakening and the hybrid battery may be in its way out.

But it does work just like techstream on my Tacoma I have it on a big clunky laptop and the d8 is much more user friendly. I like the actuator test I can do as a bonus many test I can run. I’m gonna unplug some sensors on my Tacoma 1 by 1 and get an error code and see if it tells me the issue.

programmed a key fob on my Kia yesterday I only had one. Worked like a charm my other family members have older 10 y/o vehicles so I’ll be on standby if they have issues.

 

Good to hear from someone who owns/uses both. NGL the D8 sounds suuuuuper tempting but man, that price tag stretches my ADHD justification abilities.

 

On the topic of the D8 - any idea why some D8's are less $$ than others? Consistently $50-100 price difference on what appears to be identical devices. Randomly odd question but, so far you've provided more feedback than XTool so, high five.

 

Some are less expensive because they don’t have the 3 years of free updates. I got the plug in version not the bt because I mainly just set in the drivers side with it plugged in anyways. And the obd port charges the battery while it’s plugged in. I think the d7 is a little cheaper but it’s not quite as user friendly and a few less functions but would probably do what you need. My d8 plug in was $461 with 3 years updates and after the discount and I got the Amazon card no interest that gave me $150 gift card so this is how it cost $461. I think a capital one cc gives you $200 off for $500 spent in 3 months so that would get it down to $411 no interest 18 months. I just canceled my capital one so I couldn’t get that deal.

 

Just messing around today with the xtool? unplugged Maf and a coil and pulled the codes with the D8.


Have to figure this out? Change shifts? hmmm not sure yet exactly

 

Change shifts? Interesting. Maybe that's the "gear relearn" thing? Being on 35s with stock gears, color me interested.

I've had some more back and forth with XTool Direct who has been *by far* the most helpful and responsive after initial clusterfk. They suggested I look at the IP819 which is basically a D7 (or D8? who knows) with newer hardware and key programming (which I kind of really want for car flipping/easy extra side cash). The IP616 is another new one, full blown diagnostics without the bidirectional, which would probably be ideal for majority of people - especially since it has lifetime updates (for now, limited time deal allegedly). If I wasn't permanently stuck on overkill mode, I'd probably go IP616. They did confirm that you have to "check in" with the internet every 30 days to avoid bricking on *all xtool devices* but said not to worry because it'll unlock when you get to Wifi again, and if it doesn't to just contact them to get it unbricked. Government requirement apparently, which I can understand with the ones that make keys, but I don't know why it would be required on non-key-making models. Who knows. Whoever comes up with these random model numbers and overlapping functions should maybe rethink their career in product marketing/management.

Right now I think the IP819 and the Youcanic are my 2 lead horses. If it wasn't for the 30-day bricking (which I know I'll forget, so I'd have to put faith in them restoring it...often) I'd have already ordered the IP819. I'm not in a rush, but one or the other will get ordered soon, and I'll do my best to report it's results/functions/frustrations.

 

I’m not sure I just did a base scan logging the trans to get a base line then I’m messing with the shift part.

 

Yes it does.

 

My xtool D7 does everything I need and much more.

Do a comparison and like me you may find that the extra $ for the D8 is not necessary.

 

I just got the Craftsman Auto Assist CMMT77695 Remote Diagnostic Tool OBD2 Bluetooth Dongle.
No experience yet, just checked if it worked. Anybody have experience with it?

 

that's pretty cool. i think it's so you can adjust the shift points when using cruise control. or is it just to test the actuation? not very clear. have you tried it?

 

this is different from resetting the learned values. there's another "special function" for that with the xtool.

 

Not yet. But soon I’ll check it out

 

i have the A30M. I'll see if mine has that function. I deleted a bunch of the updates/special functions because it was taking up 8 GB on my phone. I'll have to find the right module and download it.

 

I believe my Scan Guage does all that.

 

Does the D7 have the ability to recalibrate speedometer and odometer after changing tire size? I can't figure out what the special function "tire upgrade" actually does on their website. That may not even be the right function for what I'm looking for.

In my family, we have a 2013 Tacoma and a 2016 Camry that I would like an extra key for. If it can do keys and speedo/odo recalibration I'll bite the bullet on a d7 and just take the other functions as a bonus for unforseen future issues.

It's showing a d7 with 3yrs of updates for $459 minus a $90 coupon on Amazon at the moment. D8 with 3yrs of updates is $559.