Hot take: I actually don't think dealer scanners are a rip-off anymore

Had a 2018 Ford Transit van come in last Thursday with a check engine light. My $400 Autel scanner couldn't even talk to the ABS module. Borrowed my buddy's Snap-on Verus Pro and it found a bad wheel speed sensor in 10 minutes. I used to think spending $5k on a factory tool was stupid, but after wasting 3 hours guessing on that van I get it now. Has anyone else had a cheap scanner leave you hanging on a modern vehicle?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_robinson205d ago

Couldn't even talk to the ABS module"? That's wild. I mean I knew those cheap scanners had limits but damn I didn't think they'd straight up ghost a whole system like that. My little $200 one won't even do ABS codes on my 2017 F-150 but I figured that was just Ford being weird. Three hours guessing on a wheel speed sensor sounds brutal. Makes me wonder if I'm gonna have to bite the bullet too someday.

danielr995d ago

Borrowed a launch x431 from a buddy and it talked to everything on my silverado including the abs module no problem. Cost about $400 used but it paid for itself after one weekend of diag. Way better than staring at a multimeter for three hours guessing lol.

green.noah5d ago

Man, I feel your pain on that. I had a similar thing happen with my 2015 Ram when the ABS light came on and my old scanner just said "no communication" no matter what I tried. Ended up borrowing a friend's Autel scanner that cost about $350 used and it talked to everything like butter, even let me watch live data from the ABS module while I drove. @miles_robinson20, I'd say if you're already guessing on sensors for hours, you're probably better off finding a used higher end scanner than throwing parts at it. The Launch x431 the other guy mentioned is solid too, but I went with Autel because it had more Ford coverage in the reviews. Either way, three hours of guessing is three hours too many, especially when you can literally see the sensor output on a screen.