I work at an independent shop so I see every make and model of car imaginable. I’m looking to step up to a big boy scan tool and was curious what everyone in the field uses. I have a lot of experience with the Snap On “red brick” and MODIS but not much experience with anything made by OTC or anyone else. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys
Tom
I use/have an OTC and love it
If you want to stay within a reasonable budget, look into offerings from Launch.
Is it dealer level diagnostics? Not exactly. However, it will give you the opportunity to talk with most modules in most cars in the US.
If you want to get into coding, there really isn’t an all-in-one tool that will do that job for you.
I’ve got the earlier Launch X431 and it works great for what it is.
I have used Tech2, Genisys, Modis, Brick. I currently use the Genisys at my shop. Great for some vehicles not so great for others. Modis was a very good scan tool if you know what you’re doing with it. It is extremely pricey and I can’t justify the price of it over the Genisys.
we have the snap on solus pro, just got it and it seems to do a lot and it seems pretty good
OTC Genisys is the same as the Matco Determinator but the Matco unit has a 2 year warranty instead of 1 and a bit more software out of the box. It is more expensive, however, but you can make weekly payments on it. 
Both are easy to use and durable. If you want to go really big, then you could go Matco Interceptor which is an all inclusive wireless system made by OTC.
I had a Genisys and loved it. haven’t had real experience with any other.
What model Genisys does/did everyone have? I’m leaning towards that just because of the price. My shop foreman has a Snap On Solus but when I looked into that and they were asking $7k I figured that was not for me haha. Thanks everyone for your input.
i’m at bmw so we only use the ISID or GT1. when i’ve needed to scan other cars ive always used a MODIS, worked well for what i needed it for but i dont use it often at all.
I’m seriously considering a GT1 now. My Launch scan tool does fine with fault codes in all modules, but actuations and soft coding are seriously lacking.
Thats where us independents get screwed. Manufacturers only release so much stuff.
To a point, sure, although we’re still able to buy the dealer-level stuff. The issue lies with the access. Perfect example is Immobilizer matching keys to instrument clusters in VW/Audi cars. So, yes, I could buy a 5052 scan tool. I could even pay for access. Am I willing to spend $15-$20k for that scan tool and access to sell $125 keys? Nope.
Same goes with general service information, although I still buy it because I have to.
Is Alldata enough? Nope, and that runs me about $3k/yr
BMWtechinfo.com? Great for a single make, but there’s another $2500/yr.
It’s getting to the point where I may end up having an “information access” line item on every repair order. it’s becoming more and more common to do so.
My shop has Mitchell on Demand, All data, and direct hit. Still doesn’t give us enough info for a lot of things.
How are you paying 3k for alldata? Mine is significantly less.
How are you paying 3k for alldata? Mine is significantly less.