Scan Tools

[couesaddict]

Hoping you guys can give me a little advise here. We are in the market for a do all scan tool if possible. One that could handle cars, hd trucks and equipment. The matco guy let me take their new Maximus 5.0 to demo and it does that. I had it plugged into a cat 320GC today and a ford f-150 so it seems pretty capable but I was wondering if there was anything better or equivalent for less. It’s spendy! I have customer level ET for my laptop and have used it a fair bit as most of our equipment is cat but an all in one tool has some appeals to me. I get stuck working on the pickups and the dump trucks and transports too. As it stands I don’t have anything that supports other brands than cat. Anyways, if anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate your opinion. Thanks.

 

[ozarkag]

Haven't seen the Matco but sounds interesting. Can it do forced Regens and dpf resets etc?

We use Jaltest and do like it. Haven't tried their HD truck option but is available.
For ford. . . . forscan.

 

[couesaddict]

Yes it does regens and resets. The tool itself is made by Launch but best I can tell, they don’t offer one under their brand name for equipment. Played around on snap-on’s site and I don’t think they do either.

 

[Birken Vogt]

$3,100 rent per year after you pay $10k up front?

 

[couesaddict]

Correct! That’s why I’m exploring other options if there are any…..

 

[Junkyard]

Question, how deep with diag are you wanting to go? If you want to read codes, force regens etc then one size fits all might be sufficient. I have a mixture and it seems to be doing what I need when I need it.

For automotive I have an Autel MS906BT. I wanted something that would do the diesel pickups but also all the controls and test for automotive systems.

For trucks, heavy equipment and ag I have a diesel laptops with Jaltest. I currently rent it as I wasn’t really sure how much I’d use it. I’ve used it enough I’ll more than likely convert it to a purchase. Nice thing about rental is any issues with hardware or software they swap it out.

I do have my own toughbook and on it is software I purchased for certain customers. Allison transmissions, the International BCM software etc.

If you get deep into diagnostic work you’ll end up with a 4 channel scope and a bunch of breakout harnesses. The automotive world is way ahead of trucks and heavy equipment when it comes to test gadgets. I have an entire roll cart that’s strictly electrical test stuff.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Who are you renting from? I have a one-off European HPCR engine I am not even sure if it is an engine problem, would just like to get a check on codes etc. Jaltest says they support it, might be a good option to rent for a month or whatever.

 

[couesaddict]

Well I’d like to basically be self sufficient with it and avoid the $200+ an hour dealer or shop fees where they throw expensive parts at it and hope to get lucky. I’m pretty green on diagnosing this new age stuff to tell you the truth though. I usually spend a bunch of time going down dead end rabbit holes….. At this point sometimes the dealer fees are probably worth it but I figure the more I do the more efficient I’ll get at it. The matco unit does come with the scope as well. I’ve never used one before though.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Everyone feels green diagnosing this new stuff because the manuals are poorly written, it is way too complicated and the software plays tricks on you.

It is not your fault.

 

[Nige]

The matco unit does come with the scope as well. I’ve never used one before though.

Don't let that put you off. There is plenty of information out there to help you use it.

 

[rangair94]

I haven't found any one size fits all that can stand up to the dealer level software. I recently bought autoenginuty with the Ford, Chevy, Dodge expansion for a job on a Ram. It worked for that, then I tried using it on a Ford and it didn't offer the functions I needed. So, I had to get Forscan for that. I bought Jaltest a few years ago, and it didn't do anything I wanted it to do heavy equipment wise, so I never renewed the license. It has been ok for hd onroad the little bit I have used it for that. It may be a better program now as I haven't updated it since 2021. But for the 12k investment into it I would not recommend it based on my experiences with it. I would try to stay with OEM software as much as possible. It may be a bit of a "gray" area but it's not that hard to find most OEM software for purchase.

 

[couesaddict]

Really the only reason we’re considering this is the hour or so I spent playing with that 320, the matco unit seemed pretty equal with the customer level Cat ET that I have and it seems it should be pretty equal with customer level everything else all in one if not getting close to dealer level with some. I do have some good contacts if I get into a situation where dealer level is needed on the cat stuff though. From the research I’ve done in the last day or so, I’m not finding much else out there that covers everything we have. Bosch may but I read several threads on other forums that were pretty negative towards that option so I don’t think I want to dig much deeper in that avenue. I really appreciate the replies you guys have written!

 

[couesaddict]

Also, I know there’s dealer level software for most of this stuff on the “black/gray” market for most of this stuff but I just don’t really want to be pirating stuff. I think the price of all of this is outrageous but when you actually get to thinking about what all goes into the software for such a broad spectrum, it starts to make a little more sense. I don’t work cheap and I’m sure the people cracking all this stuff don’t either.

 

[Birken Vogt]

No, the price is just outrageous full stop.

It is just huge, evil corps that found a way to milk us all.

And then they have the gall to charge rent on top of it after you buy it, or it turns to a brick.

 

[couesaddict]

My understanding was the “rent” was for updates so that you had the latest software for the newest vehicles/equipment and that if you didn’t pay for it, it would still be good for everything that it was after the last update. Is that not correct?

 

[rangair94]

I think it depends in the brand. When I was looking some made you but a new license every year for the newest stuff, but it would still work with what you already had. Some would stop working all together if you didn't keep the license up to date.

 

[couesaddict]

The rep told me it would still work as it did before but you wouldn’t be able to use it on newer years than the last update. Also, these things kind of have a shelf life as I’m sure you know…. They give updates for an additional five years after they drop the model. They don’t say when they’re dropping the model so you can’t nail it down to a hard stop life on it when you get it. All I know is they’re still offering the Maximus 4 which is several years old so the countdown hasn’t started on it yet and this is the newer model. I’m thinking possibly five years from now they drop it then another five years of the latest/greatest updates and still useable after that on everything except the brand new?? Makes the price SLIGHTLY easier to swallow looking at it that way for a company investment. I’m not the owner of the company, just the mechanic, but I’m pretty invested in this job and really like who I work for so when I do, I spend his money like it were my own. I didn’t really think this was an option for us but when I told him about it, he told me to run it through the paces and see if I thought we should get it. Now I’m just trying to see if there’s a better option out there.

 

[Junkyard]

Who are you renting from? I have a one-off European HPCR engine I am not even sure if it is an engine problem, would just like to get a check on codes etc. Jaltest says they support it, might be a good option to rent for a month or whatever.

Diesel laptops. They have a rental fleet for lack of a better term. One month or 60 they don’t mind. Computers, tablets etc.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Diesel laptops. They have a rental fleet for lack of a better term. One month or 60 they don’t mind. Computers, tablets etc.

Thanks. They are on my radar if the mfr refuses to play ball.

 

[JAJ]

Has any one used the “NEXIQ electronic technician” software? I’m doing some research looking for something similar to the OP as a fit all option. This program, based on the little info I can find looks like it might be an option?
I know nothing replaces dealer level manufacturer specific, but a bit more than a code reader would be good and very handy at times.