terry_barnes•29d agoProlific Poster

Wasted $150 on a "professional" scan tool that couldn't even read a Ford PCM

Grabbed this Autel off Amazon thinking it'd save me trips to the dealer, but it took 20 minutes to connect and then gave me a generic code that meant nothing. Anyone else get burned by a cheap scanner that promised the world?

2 comments

2 Comments

noranguyen28d ago

Yeah I fell for that same trap with an Autel last year. Spent an hour trying to get it to talk to my F-150 and it just kept spinning the "connecting" wheel until I wanted to throw it out the window. Thought I was being smart skipping the dealer but ended up paying my regular mechanic $80 for a proper diagnostic anyway. Guess my wallet needed that lesson.

diana_black2228d ago

Honestly that "connecting" wheel is like the loading circle of shame for DIY scanner owners everywhere. Ngl I've sat in my driveway staring at mine for a solid 20 minutes just praying it'd wake up. Tbh the worst part is how confident you feel buying it like "yeah I'm saving so much money" and then you're just stuck with a paperweight. My check engine light came back on two days after I finally got a reading so that was a fun follow up. Guess my wallet needed that lesson too, just bought a Bluetooth one that actually works half the time.