Launch X431 PADVII Elite J2534 Protocols, Heavy Duty Truck Scanner, 13 inch

I’m not a professional mechanic or tech person at all I’m just a regular owner trying to keep my Mercedes Sprinter on the road without spending a fortune at the dealer. This scanner ended up being about 90% of what I needed to diagnose and fix the issue myself. (electric sliding door / aux battery / emissions re-set) From the moment I plugged it in, it was easy to use and didn’t feel intimidating like a lot of tech tools. The menus were straightforward, the explanations actually made sense to someone like me, and within minutes I was seeing real information about what was going on with the van. It saved me hours of guessing and probably thousands in unnecessary repairs. What impressed me most was how practical it was in the real world. I wasn’t trying to run a shop just needed something reliable to help me figure out why my Sprinter wasn’t operating the way it should. This scanner gave me the confidence to tackle the problem myself instead of just throwing parts at it. For any other non-professional out there, this thing is a lifesaver. It feels like having a knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat walking you through the process. I’m genuinely grateful I found it and would recommend it to anyone who wants to take a little more control over their own vehicle maintenance.

Takes some time to get set up, but goes smoothly if you follow the instructions. Lighting quick diagnostic scan, under 30 seconds on test vehicle (2012 VW Passat TDI). The large 13.1" screen is very easy to read, no more squinting to read live data. Battery life is very long, have not charged it yet after several hours of use. The customizable reports are well formatted and look professional, easily able to share to your Google Drive or any other Bluetooth receiver. Would have liked if it had included the assortment of adapters for OBD 1 makes and a normal sized Bluetooth VCI along with the SmartLink VCI. It's a bit much having to connect the SmartLink to the DLC just to perform a vehicle scan, I'll have to inquire about whether it can support 2 VCI's and the OBD 1 adapters I have from my previous Launch tool. You will still need to set up a dedicated PC for use with the vehicle manufacturers software and use the SmartLink C as the J2534 pass through, since it only has BMW and Mercedes-Benz PCM files in the cloud storage. Have not set up an FCA AutoAuth yet, may edit this review afterwards depending on the outcome. Pretty sure you are still required to pay the annual$50 AutoAuth subscription fee regardless. Very happy with the tool so far. It's heavy, rugged, and fast. Perfect for my shop environment. Dustman Diagnostics

Fast easy shipping! Item does take a while to set up and update but once all is done it is very easy to diagnose.

This is a great scan tool, a large one, with great capabilities! On a serious note, one of the reasons we choses this scan tool was the VCI. The better scan tools today use wireless VCI's (Vehicle communication interfaces), but this one takes it one step farther using WIFI to communicate between the VCI and the scanner instead of bluetooth. WIFI allows for communication over greater distances, at least 60 feet. Additionally WIFI has the ability to transfer data at a much higher rate, and is less prone to interference when compared to bluetooth. The VCI has it's own touch screen and can also serve as a J2534 device to facilitate programming / reprogramming of vehicle modules. On top of all that, the VCI can also connect to the internet to allow a technical specialist at a remote location to perform diagnostics or reprogramming on the vehicle. This scan tool is the flagship of Launch's lineup and is extremely powerful, you will not regret buying it!

great. don't buy anything else. works on everything

Good for 1st year, still trying to renew subscription after the first year. Now its a $2500 paper weight

My second time using the tool I was unaware the vehicle had several grounding issues in the electrics, burnt up the end of the cable that plugs into the obd port and was pleasantly surprised that the end of the cable is serviced separately from the cable or vci! What could have been a thousand dollars to replace on some scan tools due to damage to the vci or hardware was a $20 fix and two thumb screws! Having gotten to use it without issue since then the module mapping is incredibly useful. The scanner is quick to connect and pull codes or live data up, shorter wait times mean higher productivity which is a great thing in the shop. It comes very well equipped hardware wise, and has plenty of features other scanners don't have like being compatible with launch's additional oscilloscope kit. It is similar in size to most equivalent scanners from other companies but is heavy in the hand and well built.

This is a great top of the line scanner for what it costs. I use a bunch of different scanners, and this is my new go-to. The box is big and heavy, and the scanner itself is pretty big. Will recommend this to anyone looking for a high end scanner.

I bought this to identify exactly what caused the check engine light (2010 vehicle model) to go off several weeks ago. As it turns out, it's related to Evaporative Emission System that a small leak has been detected. After a quick research, I realized that it's not a major issue but a rather minor one (at this point in time) so I decided to go ahead and clear both Current and the Pending codes knowing that if this is NOT a false positive, the check engine light WILL come up again because the issue is still there and hasn't been resolved yet and the light is merely an indicator for the existence of an issue. The ODB2 scanner is fairly compact and of decent physical build quality that's no different than most other such tools out there. The on-screen menu is initiative for the most part and navigating around the various options and features is fairly straightforward process even if you possess little or no knowledge about vehicles. Note: the IGNITION must be ON (and engine OFF) in order for the scanner to work properly. The biggest issue I had with this is actually finding the location of the ODB2 port on my vehicle. Once connected, it's pretty easy to use. It also has additional diagnostic features (pic 8); however, I didn't test any of these other than reading and erasing codes. At first I was looking at some other ODB2 reader that are Bluetooth (BT) capable; however, nearly ALL of them require some sort of activation fees in order to use certain features which to me is just absurd and I can't imagine myself having to pay for each toast AFTER purchasing a toaster. Besides, I'm generally not a big fan of installing those untrustworthy Apps since I have no idea what they are doing in the background 24/7. All in all, this particular ODB2 scanner serves the purpose and does exactly what I need it to do (before taking the vehicle to a mechanics if necessarily) so I don't get ripped off or at least minimize the chances of being ripped off if and when I need to take it to a garage. Now I know exactly what caused the check engine light to go off and have successfully turned it off (until such time the fault is detected again provided that it's not a false positive). Definitely worth the $35 spent.

This is a nice little OBD2 tester with a lot of extra features that other more expensive testers don't have. Including a nice bright screen to read. Some of these extras didn't apply to my actually vehicle though (an import), but what do apply .... work very well. (especially the "live reporting") I did have a little bit of a problem figuring out what Current - Pending - Permanent "Errors" meant though and how they relate to each other. (and yes I did have an Engine Check light on) Just in case anyone else has that same question? A Current Error alert (on the tester) means your Check Engine light is "on" . A Pending Error Alert message means you may (or may not have a light on) but there is still an error present with your car, and once the car "cycles" it'll turn on the Engine Check light again (and your tester will then show a Current error once again) This would apply if you by chance erased a "Current Error alert" (with the tester) but didn't fix the problem. To get rid of a Pending Error (on the tester) you will need to fix the problem with your car (and not just erase the Current Error message) Current is really only telling you your Check engine light is on ... Dur! Dur!..... The Permanent Alert Error was what I had the issue figuring out (as in when the tester only shows that alert) This actually means the problem has been fixed. (as in when there are no Current or Pending alerts present) So when the tester only reports a Permanent Error alert. ALL IS WELL!!! "Permanent" means the car is fixed but now needs to go through a series of road tests to erase "the permanent alert" from its on board computer memory. There's no way to erase a permanent error alert (with the OBD2 tester) or many other OBD2 testers for that matter. To have the Permanent Error alert disappear there's a pattern of Start / Stop and runs cycles that each manufacturer presets for each vehicle. The vehicle needs to complete them in a sequence, and usually a few times (to get rid any registered permanent alerts). So it could take weeks or months to get rid of a Permanent Error Alert (from your vehicle) It will be there until you get those preset running cycles completed. As best I can tell the "Permanent Error alert" is a Government thing, that shows a record of fixes that have been done Which is especially important for Emissions testing. This is also handy info if you're buying a car (as you can see some of its recent history). Any Permanent error alert is just a history of what "was".... not what "is". That info was not in the OBD2 Tester Manual (although I expect a Mechanic would already know this ) a weekend warrior may not. Just remember. "Pending" means a problem is still there. Current means you have a Check Engine light on. If you simply erased the Check Engine light (a Current Error) but didn't fix the problem, then the Pending will still be there (because the problem is still there) and the Current will return. The permanent error will be there until the on-board computer is cycled as per preset by the manufacturer. (but the problem is fixed) As a summary to this little review. I do like this tester! I like it a lot. I'm not a mechanic (no kidding!.. ha! ha!) but I feel it was well worth the money (to me). It really gives a person valuable info on a vehicle, as in what its doing, and what its basic recent history is. In my opinion I'd say don't think twice (if you need a good OBD2 reader). Just buy this one. Its a solid investment as it does what is says it will, for a decent and fair price. (It's not for V/Wagon vehicles - as I understand)

This little scanner works great, minimal bells & whistles, but it’s small enough to stash in my glove box and reliably scan codes when needed. Quick, convenient, and just does the job.

Great little machine. I keep it in my car and have used it a few times on different vehicles. It wont check ABS or Airbag data, but reads codes for O2, PCM, TCM and shows freeze frame data. Great for checking if codes were deleted when buying a used car or doing repairs at home

Very accurate I love it