wirtgen
Junior Member
Hello all- I'm in Stroud, Gloucestershire and I drive a Rav4 MK2. I'd like to keep it running well.
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Post by wirtgen on Jan 9, 2021 11:56:08 GMT
Hello all, 
I've got the warning light on my dashboard and my garage says it's the
O2 sensor- Bank 1 sensor 2. They used their own reader.
There are loads of diagnostic readers available which give you fault codes. I'd like to get one at a reasonable price (under £100). Can anyone suggest a model for my Rav4 Mk 2 (June 2000) on the basis of personal experience? I've been on e-bay, amazon, machine mart and the choice is wild. I do my own servicing as long as the weather is OK.
regards
Robert
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Post by firemac on Jan 9, 2021 17:40:48 GMT
Hello all,
I've got the warning light on my dashboard and my garage says it's the
O2 sensor- Bank 1 sensor 2. They used their own reader.
There are loads of diagnostic readers available which give you fault codes. I'd like to get one at a reasonable price (under £100). Can anyone suggest a model for my Rav4 Mk 2 (June 2000) on the basis of personal experience? I've been on e-bay, amazon, machine mart and the choice is wild. I do my own servicing as long as the weather is OK.
regards
Robert
I've had one of these for a few years now.
Cheap and cheerful; less than £20 on eBay. Won't read the deep ABS or G/box codes but you'll need to spend way over £100 for one that reliably does those as well.
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Post by charliefarlie on Jan 9, 2021 18:11:13 GMT
You can spend from £20 up to zillions but you will get what you pay for.
I bought an Autel MaxiDiag Elite which scans all systems like Airbags ABS Gearboxes all manner of kit. It even seems to check out stuff like HiFi and so on. My one cost a lot of coin but they have of course dropped in price massively.
Take a look at the Autel range you will find something to suit your budget.
I bought two other units before the Elite but ended up with what I think is a good unit. So I bought 2 units I don’t use. Best get something that does what you want first time. 👍👍
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Post by firemac on Jan 9, 2021 20:12:20 GMT
You can spend from £20 up to zillions but you will get what you pay for. I bought an Autel MaxiDiag Elite which scans all systems like Airbags ABS Gearboxes all manner of kit. It even seems to check out stuff like HiFi and so on. My one cost a lot of coin but they have of course dropped in price massively. Take a look at the Autel range you will find something to suit your budget. I bought two other units before the Elite but ended up with what I think is a good unit. So I bought 2 units I don’t use. Best get something that does what you want first time. 👍👍 Absolutely right, Charlie. You get what you pay for. I intentionally referred to more expensive kit being able to "reliably" read the more specialised codes. Some marques use dedicated readers that can only be replicated at considerable expense, e.g. Saabs can only have their ABS, airbag, g/box codes read by GM's Tech2 equipment. Toyota had Techstream, I think it's called. Before spending big bucks you need to be sure that the kit will deal with a specific manufacturer's protocols. 👍 |
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Post by firemac on Jan 9, 2021 20:14:15 GMT
You can spend from £20 up to zillions but you will get what you pay for. I bought an Autel MaxiDiag Elite which scans all systems like Airbags ABS Gearboxes all manner of kit. It even seems to check out stuff like HiFi and so on. My one cost a lot of coin but they have of course dropped in price massively. Take a look at the Autel range you will find something to suit your budget. I bought two other units before the Elite but ended up with what I think is a good unit. So I bought 2 units I don’t use. Best get something that does what you want first time. 👍👍 Absolutely right, Charlie. You get what you pay for. I intentionally referred to more expensive kit being able to "reliably" read the more specialised codes. Some marques use dedicated readers that can only be replicated at considerable expense, e.g. Saabs can only have their ABS, airbag, g/box codes read by GM's Tech2 equipment. Toyota had Techstream, I think it's called. Before spending big bucks you need to be sure that the kit will deal with a specific manufacturer's protocols. A cheapo will generally read the most common generic codes. 👍 |
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Post by charliefarlie on Jan 9, 2021 21:10:50 GMT
Absolutely right, Charlie. You get what you pay for. I intentionally referred to more expensive kit being able to "reliably" read the more specialised codes. Some marques use dedicated readers that can only be replicated at considerable expense, e.g. Saabs can only have their ABS, airbag, g/box codes read by GM's Tech2 equipment. Toyota had Techstream, I think it's called. Before spending big bucks you need to be sure that the kit will deal with a specific manufacturer's protocols. A cheapo will generally read the most common generic codes. 👍 Jim I wasn’t having a pop at your tool or any other. I didn’t even read your post but only because I don’t usually understand technical stuff... I would bet my reader could read your GM stuff. Mainly because the readers that cost must be set up to do so. I can hook my one up to the internet and download the latest stuff. Well my son does it for me. I could interrogate the kit on the 19 plate Honda Civic and also works on the wee VW which is also 19 plate. I think it goes back to my previous comment about getting what we pay for. I would hope and imagine that having spent nearly 500 quid when I bought it that it will do a lot more than the previous ones I bought. What GM and it’s computer wizards write and set up another can crack. If they didn’t we wouldn’t buy. 👍👍 |
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Post by unclebob on Jan 9, 2021 21:21:52 GMT
Looked up my reader but no longer sold by Amazon, only about 4 years old and cost around £50..so not need to spend more
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Post by charliefarlie on Jan 9, 2021 21:42:49 GMT
Looked up my reader but no longer sold by Amazon, only about 4 years old and cost around £50..so not need to spend more Unless you want more capability in the tool ? |
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Post by firemac on Jan 10, 2021 0:40:57 GMT
Jim I wasn’t having a pop at your tool or any other. I didn’t even read your post but only because I don’t usually understand technical stuff... I would bet my reader could read your GM stuff. Mainly because the readers that cost must be set up to do so. I can hook my one up to the internet and download the latest stuff. Well my son does it for me. I could interrogate the kit on the 19 plate Honda Civic and also works on the wee VW which is also 19 plate. I think it goes back to my previous comment about getting what we pay for. I would hope and imagine that having spent nearly 500 quid when I bought it that it will do a lot more than the previous ones I bought. What GM and it’s computer wizards write and set up another can crack. If they didn’t we wouldn’t buy. 👍👍 Understand your point, Charlie. What I mean is that the cheapo one that I've got is fine for pinpointing the sort of problems that I'm happy to deal with myself. For any serious stuff, Mr.T or my Saab guy is going to have to plug in their specialist kit anyway to satisfy themselves what the problem is; they understandably ain't gonna take the word of my little box before committing to a repair . Bearing in mind that Tech2 costs over £300 to buy or Techstream is nearly £1k, I'm happy to pay £60 diagnostic fee on the few occasions I might need it.👍 |
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Post by shcm on Jan 10, 2021 10:47:16 GMT
.........to buy or Techstream is nearly £1k, Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell, sorry, yes and no. If you bought a second hand, originally supplied to Toyota unit, it may well cost you £1k, but it's nothing much more than a windows laptop in a "ruggedised" case with a VIM (vehicle Interface Module). You just need a PC (an old laptop will do), a tiny bit of PC skills (maybe that's the killer for most here) and a VIM, like one of these of mine:  VIMs by shcm, on Flickr "J2534 pass-through" is the key requirement (I won't go into the technicals of J2534 here). These are of course 3rd party "reversed-engineered" devices, but they do the job. The "mini-vci" is the cheapest, and has been around for many years. e.g: www.amazon.co.uk/ROYALTEC-Diagnostic-Interface-Techstream-Software/dp/B0779M319M/but a little care is needed as there are a few around that claim to be J2534 compliant and aren't. Due to its age, there can be issues with the windows drivers, but it can be made to work with win 10. The VCX Nano, is a little more expensive (but I didn't pay the £60 it is now). www.vxdiagshop.com/wholesale/vxdiag-vcx-nano-for-toyota-compatible-with-sae-j2534.htmlThis is mostly straight forward as far as windows driver installation is concerned. Any difference? Well both work. The "mini-vci" fails with TPMS valve ID programming into the TPMS ECU via techstream. Maybe due to its age. "mini-vci" will interrogate the TPMS ECU via techstream and clear DTC there, just not program IDs, even though it will go through the motions. The Nano is possibly a touch faster and has no problem with TPMS or anything else, AFAIK. Going off at a tangent -> This is why I have the nano. The TPMS ECU on the RAV has the capability to take/store two sets of 4 (or 5) TPMS valve IDs. Normally in the UK, just the one set of IDs are programmed in. I have winter tyres on a set of rims (yeah, I could fit all seasons, but I already had the winter tyres & rims, so why bother until they need changing?). So, program in the extra TPMS valves for the 4 winter tyre set, into the TPMS ECU and then changing between the two sets of TPMS IDs, when the wheels are changed over in spring/autumn, is done via the TPMS button under the dash (the button sequence escapes me at the moment but it's something like 3 presses within 2 seconds). You will probably get a "knocked-off" copy of the techstream application for the laptop supplied on CD, with the VIM, but it can still be done "legally" with a pukka copy. Techstream can be downloaded (see link) and a short term, genuine licence, purchased for a relatively small fee: www.toyota-tech.eu/DiagnosticTools/SetupIf the 3rd party VIM connected to a laptop is a worry, just find an old laptop. Yes, it involves a tiny bit of PC skills, which will put many off, but it's not £1k. I've mentioned all the above many times before, but as many here seem to prefer, praise and recommend a self contained generic OBD unit, I generally just keep my gob shut about it now. Yeah, OK, the more expensive handheld units will do more than one manufacturer and may do a few more extra systems, as well as power-train, but not everything. I just prefer access to everything....and if you need to do some serious or head scratching diagnosis, "real time" parameters, such as engine data can be graphed side by side. |
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Post by firemac on Jan 10, 2021 13:05:20 GMT
I wouldn't dream of arguing with you, shcm;your specialist knowledge is much greater than mine. And I accept that being able to accurately interrogate all a car's electronics is ideal, especially when you then have the skill (& the time) to act on that info to repair the fault yourself.
But I guarantee that if you have to take the vehicle to a garage for repair, even if you know what the problem is, they are still going to plug in their own reader and charge you for it. 😉
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Post by charliefarlie on Jan 10, 2021 13:39:11 GMT
I wouldn't dream of arguing with you, shcm;your specialist knowledge is much greater than mine. And I accept that being able to accurately interrogate all a car's electronics is ideal, especially when you then have the skill (& the time) to act on that info to repair the fault yourself. But I guarantee that if you have to take the vehicle to a garage for repair, even if you know what the problem is, they are still going to plug in their own reader and charge you for it. 😉 From my point of view having the capacity to test myself gives two major benifits. Firstly I then have the option to do the job myself if I feel capable. Secondly it lessens the risk of being ripped off. If we’re to present my car for repairs that I was sure I had been diagnosed correctly I would simply request the job was done, Yes they may plug in themselves but not at the average 70 quid or so they love to charge. Any of the people I use now would have no problem with that. |
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Post by davrav on Jan 10, 2021 14:17:44 GMT
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Post by charliefarlie on Jan 10, 2021 14:37:54 GMT
That could be applied to any jobs we do to our cars.. No matter how small. |
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Post by shcm on Jan 10, 2021 14:46:14 GMT
But I guarantee that if you have to take the vehicle to a garage for repair, even if you know what the problem is, they are still going to plug in their own reader and charge you for it. 😉 In my reply, basically all what Charlie said. I'm just pointing out, if there's a miss-conception that Techstream is expensive, well no, it can be done relatively cheaply. Hence the details above for anybody they may find it useful. As I see it, it basically boils down to: 1. Buy a cheapo hand-held generic plug in OBD reader, for probably less than the cost a a standard "diagnostic charge". Will do basic OBD stuff across most makes, but is limited. No techy PC setup required. or 2. Buy a "professional grade" hand held tester. Autel? Snap-on? Cost of very many "standard diagnostic charges". Will do more vehicle systems across several makes, no techy PC setup. or 3. "Home" Techstream setup for the cost of less than 1 to around 1 "standard diagnostic charges" and maybe a few £ charge when you use it (legally licensed) or nothing extra if you use an illegally "cracked" copy (I'm not recommending this). Requires a PC and a tiny bit of PC knowledge. Full (except Supra?) Toyota and Lexus range diagnosis/programming only. (Will I think do basic OBD across all makes). Pays your money and takes your choice. If I take the "watching" rate, does that include videoing for later evidence of workshop incompetence? 
EDIT:....and I am aware of cases where it was obvious customer had more knowledge of the workings of the vehicle than the franchised dealership. So are others here. That may perhaps be a rarity, but.........
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