Question for auto techs

My question is for auto tech's that own their own shop or work for a shop or dealership.

What diagnostic tool would you recommend .

I need a tool that can tell me what's wrong with the car or truck when the on board computer is not working where i can't use a scanner to pull the codes .

so i know where to start.

I'm pretty good at trouble shooting most problems but there are times when I get stumped and I'm not very big on just swapping parts to see what's wrong.

I need to make sure that i found the problem the first time not hit and miss.

thank you for your time
Al

How much ya got to spend? No tool is gonna lead ya right to the part or the exact circuit in most cases. If they had a red flag that popped up and said "Here I am"! Alot of us would be out of a job.
Any decent reader/scanner for a coupla hundred bucks can get ya where you need to start your diagnosis for generic and most mfg specific fault codes and show freeze frame data too. Others will read generic,(mandated), and "manufacturer specific codes" with live data displays. Then theres scanners that have this plus bi-directional control where you can command things to happen.
The dealerships have the best but they only cover their make and models, like Nissan's Consult II. In the right hands they can save alot of time and make alot of money. They can do things you might not even be aware of. But you and I cannot afford them and they'll need timeley, expensive updates .
All these tools go hand in hand with the tech's knowledge and experience and some sort of repair proceedure reference like All Data. The best and most expensive tool is right there between your ears! :smile:

How much ya got to spend? No tool is gonna lead ya right to the part or the exact circuit in most cases. If they had a red flag that popped up and said "Here I am"! Alot of us would be out of a job.
Any decent reader/scanner for a coupla hundred bucks can get ya where you need to start your diagnosis for generic and most mfg specific fault codes and show freeze frame data too. Others will read generic,(mandated), and "manufacturer specific codes" with live data displays. Then theres scanners that have this plus bi-directional control where you can command things to happen.
The dealerships have the best but they only cover their make and models, like Nissan's Consult II. In the right hands they can save alot of time and make alot of money. They can do things you might not even be aware of. But you and I cannot afford them and they'll need timeley, expensive updates .
All these tools go hand in hand with the tech's knowledge and experience and some sort of repair proceedure reference like All Data. The best and most expensive tool is right there between your ears! :smile:

Thank you for your response I have found one that will do every thing i need it to do, and yes your right

Thank you for your response I have found one that will do every thing i need it to do, and yes your right

Autel MaxiDas DS708, by chance? I recently upgraded from an OTC Genisys to the DS708 since I could buy a new DS708 for less that it was going to cost me to upgrade the Genisys and I have no regrets. Autel's customer support so far has been non-existent, but fortunately I've been able to get things working for all the items I attempted to contact their support for. The DS708 has far more capability than the Genisys, and all that capability is included in the standard price. Autel doesn't make me buy software for imports, software for european models, software for ABS and Airbag, etc. It has built in wireless capability, that cost extra on the Genisys. Also, the DS708 comes with 3 years of free updates and I'm ending up with several updates a year to improve functionality and coverage. I was even able to program new keys to a 2001 Taurus to which the owner only had 1 programmed key. I don't think that capability is even offered on the OTC.

I'm just a hobbiest so I cannot say how the Autel would survive daily use in a shop environment, but it seems to have pretty good build quality and a ruggedized case. The only feature I wish the Autel had that the Genisys has is an internal battery so I could review saved files without plugging it in to the adapter or a car.

-Rod

Autel MaxiDas DS708, by chance? I recently upgraded from an OTC Genisys to the DS708 since I could buy a new DS708 for less that it was going to cost me to upgrade the Genisys and I have no regrets. Autel's customer support so far has been non-existent, but fortunately I've been able to get things working for all the items I attempted to contact their support for. The DS708 has far more capability than the Genisys, and all that capability is included in the standard price. Autel doesn't make me buy software for imports, software for european models, software for ABS and Airbag, etc. It has built in wireless capability, that cost extra on the Genisys. Also, the DS708 comes with 3 years of free updates and I'm ending up with several updates a year to improve functionality and coverage. I was even able to program new keys to a 2001 Taurus to which the owner only had 1 programmed key. I don't think that capability is even offered on the OTC.

I'm just a hobbiest so I cannot say how the Autel would survive daily use in a shop environment, but it seems to have pretty good build quality and a ruggedized case. The only feature I wish the Autel had that the Genisys has is an internal battery so I could review saved files without plugging it in to the adapter or a car.

-Rod

Yeah it's a Autel MaxiDas DS708 and I love it now I can put my training to good use.

Yeah internal battery would be good but I can deal with it but with every thing it comes with can't complain