F250

From my previous 10 years of life with my '02 F250 PowerStroke diesel, I have the Pro-line tool for Autoenginuity, and am wondering if anyone here has experience in using AE with their Lexus vehicles? I also have the Volvo VIDA-Dice diagnostic scantool equipment, but am really not interested in amassing every flavor of scantool that is out there, so am considering adding the Toyota Lexus upgrade components to my existing AE package for the "new to me" '10-'11 RX350/450h I'm planning to buy this week. I'm sure there are other good alternatives, but like I said, I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible for my own diagnostic work in the coming years.

That said, I'm only willing to consider alternatives to AE if the AE package is seriously short-changed in terms of OE proprietary sensor-level diagnostic capabilities.

Any and all insights are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

BDSL

I have an $8 ELM327 and torque app (free)....works perfectly fine over the last few years.

Carista

You can also use the Carista app with a generic ELM327 adapter (cheap) or our official Carista OBD2 adapter (less cheap, but still affordable - $39.99). The app does support customizations and Lexus-specific diagnostics of all modules, but it doesn't have live sensor data. Just fault codes. More info in my signature below.

F250

Thanks for those tips. I assume, though, that neither the Torque nor Carista apps are capable of programming the vehicle for a new smart key fob? Please correct me if that is not correct.

I know I can do that with the Ford PATS system on AE, but I'm not yet sure if the AE Lexus tool can do the same. I do know, though, that there is a LONG list of SMART and SMARTkeyCAN sensor and functional commands available within the enhanced Lexus bundle for AE, so perhaps there is a way to set up a new smart key fob as a subset of those capabilities. If so, that alone helps justify nearly half of the $179 cost for adding that module to my existing system.

Carista

That's correct. Torque just does generic OBD2 stuff (not specific to any brand). Carista does Lexus-specific diagnostics and can change the car's electronic configuration, but at this time cannot register new keys.

Mandrake

Does Carista have any GM specific diagnostics? I have the ELM327 bluetooth adaptor but I've been told I need a GM TECH-II for my 04 Cadillac. They're selling it as an entire laptop online. Apparently you can't just get the USB dongle. You need a USB hardware key and the Windows XP software too. It won't work on anything but XP apparently. I had a Volkswagen VAGCOM before and it was perfect. Just $250 and you get the dongle that has the license built into it. Plug and play.

Carista

No GM-specific support at this time. We're looking into it, but most ECUs in GM cars are not accessible through an ELM327 device. So we're exploring other options.
We do have VAG-specific (VW/Audi) diagnostics, customizations, and service tools - basically, the same type of things that VAGCOM does, but presented in a much easier-to-use manner for non-professional users. Our pricing is much lower as well, and is subscription-based: $39.99/year or $9.99 for a 1-week pass. So if you don't use it too frequently, you can just get the 1-week pass a few times and be all set.
The other group that we support right now is BMW Group (BMW & Mini). When you buy a subscription in Carista, you can use it on an unlimited number of vehicles of whatever brand you want, for as long as your subscription is valid.

Mandrake

Oh cool. Thanks.

Golden95SC

iTrader: (21)

I had purchased a scanner of eBay for $60 . Amazing scanner. It would even tel you exactly what the fault was without having to look up the code. Crystal clear and color display.

Then I left it in my old is300 that I sold and there goes that

BDSL

You will be surprise what a $5-8 ELM327 can do....

Golden95SC

iTrader: (21)

Yea I know the cheaper stuff works I have both. Just for the convenience factor it's a nice gadget

F250

This past weekend, I pulled the trigger on an interim solution for myself so that I can have some basic diagnostic capabilities if I'm away from the house (and my laptop with full diagnostic capabilities). I bought a couple of BAFX OBD2 Bluetooth adapters along with a low profile right angle flat cable connector so I can put the adapter in the bottom shelf of the console. I have not yet connected them because the cables were on back order and have not yet arrived. Once I check them out, I'll post up my findings. I also went ahead and downloaded the Torque Pro app for use with the adapters. I'm going to leave one adapter in my Lexus and the other in my F250.

BAFX Adapter
https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products.../dp/B005NLQAHS

Low Profile Cable Connector
https://www.amazon.com/Diageng-Profi...XG9XBZHJJPMYR6

703

For Toyota/Lexus - Nothing comes close to Techstream.

Carista

OBD Fusion is one of our partner apps and they do a lot of cool stuff, especially with reading live data off of the car.

The Carista OBD2 adapter is compatible with the OBD Fusion app on both Android and iOS.

The Carista app does full diagnostics (equivalent to Techstream) for supported models: http://www.caristaapp.com/supported_vehicles_list/
(and it can also do customizations, i.e. Lexus Personalized Settings, which no other mobile app can do)
The Carista app is $39.99/year as a subscription or $9.99 for a 1-week pass for unlimited use on all supported cars.

Check my signature for links