Diagnostic kit

[Belle427]

What do you guys use?
Im looking for a tool with good coverage for the home mechanic working on a variety of cars. Im not specifically looking for overly complicated stuff with ecu/key coding etc.
Ive looked at the launch X431 and equivalent offerings from Autel so far, willing to spend about £1200.
Both seem to have mixed reviews.
Any advice on stuff you use would be great.

[robbocop33]

Probably no need to spend that much to get a good one for home use, i've just picked up an Autel Ds808 for £350 which i thought was a bit of a bargain with free postage, it was only 10 months old, probably does more than i'll ever need. Heard a lot of good things about the Launch, if you are willing to pay that much then go for it!
Only reason i plumped for the Autel was simply because there are far more videos etc on Youtube about how to use them! :-)

[Belle427]

Sounds good, is it an official uk product or a clone?

[Mikey G]

robbocop33 said:

Probably no need to spend that much to get a good one for home use, i've just picked up an Autel Ds808 for £350 which i thought was a bit of a bargain with free postage, it was only 10 months old, probably does more than i'll ever need. Heard a lot of good things about the Launch, if you are willing to pay that much then go for it!
Only reason i plumped for the Autel was simply because there are far more videos etc on Youtube about how to use them! :-)

I have the DS708 and used it professionally for a bit, did way more than your average snap on kit and so much easier to use. Only gets used occasionaly now and hasnt been updated since 2014 but as I mostly now only work on older cars as a hobby its no issue, great kit.

Another one to look for although your more likely to find clones is the Autocom or Delphi system, also very good even as a clone for home use.

[Belle427]

Mikey G said:

robbocop33 said:

Probably no need to spend that much to get a good one for home use, i've just picked up an Autel Ds808 for £350 which i thought was a bit of a bargain with free postage, it was only 10 months old, probably does more than i'll ever need. Heard a lot of good things about the Launch, if you are willing to pay that much then go for it!
Only reason i plumped for the Autel was simply because there are far more videos etc on Youtube about how to use them! :-)

I have the DS708 and used it professionally for a bit, did way more than your average snap on kit and so much easier to use. Only gets used occasionaly now and hasnt been updated since 2014 but as I mostly now only work on older cars as a hobby its no issue, great kit.

Another one to look for although your more likely to find clones is the Autocom or Delphi system, also very good even as a clone for home use.

Yes I have a version of Delphi and it’s very good.
The kit is for my father who does it for a living and needs something up to date and easier to use and update.
I like the look of the Ds708 which has a successor now but still available second hand.

[alabbasi]

I have an Autel DS 708. It's the older version of the 808 mentioned above (I think) and supports OBD2, as well as the older standards like the BMW 20 pin and Mercedes 38 pin. So far, I've been able to get it do do anything on my cars provided that they're about 5 years old or older (my newest car is a 2007).

Launch and Autel are comparable products and you should get a pretty slick scanner for your price range. One poster said something about a fake product. I don't know that there is an authentic or fake Launch or Autel. They're both Chinese made so it's a matter of whether you want buy one from the official UK supplier, third party importer or from someone in China through Aliexpress.

I would suggest looking on Amazon as they have a decent return warranty. Or you can buy it from the MAC truck and pay 3 times more.

Edited by alabbasi on Tuesday 6th November 15:54

[Belle427]

alabbasi said:

I have an Autel DS 708. It's the older version of the 808 mentioned above (I think) and supports OBD2, as well as the older standards like the BMW 20 pin and Mercedes 38 pin. So far, I've been able to get it do do anything on my cars provided that they're about 5 years old or older (my newest car is a 2007).

Launch and Autel are comparable products and you should get a pretty slick scanner for your price range. One poster said something about a fake product. I don't know that there is an authentic or fake Launch or Autel. They're both Chinese made so it's a matter of whether you want buy one from the official UK supplier, third party importer or from someone in China through Aliexpress.

I would suggest looking on Amazon as they have a decent return warranty. Or you can buy it from the MAC truck and pay 3 times more.

Edited by alabbasi on Tuesday 6th November 15:54

Yes I’ve seen them and they are half the price, still a risk at £700 though.

[imagineifyeswill]

As has already been said about fakes, there all made in China anyway, the problem isnt so much with the hardware but rather with fake software. What makes these systems so expensive is the cost to the suppliers of the licenses to use each individual manufacturers software.