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Best Scanner for General Repair


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Hello, 

We're in the market for a new scanner and figured I'd ask fellow shop owners their ideas and experiences. I did search the board archives and didn't see much within the past year or so. 

We are a general repair shop servicing most anything, according to customer attitude. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

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I have the snap on verus pro, the snap on ethos edge, Snap on modis, autel maxi sys pro, a cheap harbor freight $89 code reader and the bosch mastertech j2534 passthru. If i could start all over again i would probably ONLY have a few obd2 dongles that work with smart phones, a j2534 pass thru and a pico scope. 90% of the time obd2 dongles would be used, when i needed deeper capabilities the j2534 would come out and the customer would understand the NEED to pay more and in about 2% of the cases the pico comes out and the customer REALLY understands they need to pay more! Its been my experience with the big aftermarket scanners with updates and maintenance, well they just are not worth the investment.

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Don't even both with a snap-on, they are decades behind in development. I had a verus for a few years, I would have been better off throwing the 10+k in the scrap bin. I get calls from other shops all the time that can't do basic tests on european cars or swap modules and need them programed.  I stop by to do a favor and sure enough, they've got a snap-on, worthless.  Best overall that I've used is the Autel Maxisys elite.  Does most everything and comes with a J2534 passthrough adapter for when you need the OEM diag tools or need to do flash programing. I also have dealer type VCIs for the brands I use the most like BMW, Mercedes, VAG cars. I have a vag-com which is fast and capable for vw-audi. Most other manufacturers software work pretty well with J2534 passthrough like Jag/Rover, volvo. I have a laptop setup just for using these tools and swap hard drive trays to change software. Each one is setup for a manufacturer just like the dealer would have (subscriptions are required). This gives the broadest capabilities but takes a lot of time and technical investment. If you want to actually diagnose and fully repair problems though its the best way to do it. We can update software on all modules and even program keys on most vehicles.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We use the cheapest autel code readers and plug into identifix or sure trac then test the old fashioned way. I own a Maxisys elite and it works well for bidirectional testing and the coding. We’ve used about every scanner out there these tool trucks try to sell magic but there’s no avoiding hands on component testing. 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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