ODBII module

Tech stream on ebay

 

Software and cable separate

 

Techstream is the Toyota proprietary software that only runs on a PC. It is about $1,500 for the legitimate software and hardware interface. You still need an adequate PC. Plus the best use requires a subscription to their online information.

https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/appmanager/t3/ti?_pageLabel=ti_ts_lite&_nfpb=true

There is a hacked Techstream version on ebay with an interface called the mini-vci. Not technically legal and still needs a PC.

Techstream is not significantly better for diagnostics than some of the phone apps and bluetooth obd2 interfaces that are less than $100 combined. It is better for procedures like bleeding brakes and other custom Toyota processes.

In your case, I would pay a dealer to diagnose your current problem. There are other skills, knowledge bases, tools and straight out experience they possess that don't come with any software scanner.

I would be upfront with them - otherwise they assume all the correct parts and procedures were used when the engine was built or repaired.

 

If I remember right, that "$1500" is the price of an offered bundle that includes a $500 hardware interface and one year's use of the software (which is normally $1295 for one year, $65 for two days of use).

The $500 interface is the one made by DrewTech that Toyota officially tests and supports, but there are plenty of other J2534 interfaces for less money, which is what the software needs. Some here are using adapters made by Tactrix for under $200, by VxDiag for under $100, or ubiquitous knock-offs of a former product called the XHorse Mini VCI for under $50. (The knock-offs are under $50 because they are all flat-out counterfeits of the original XHorse Mini VCI, and you can't buy a real one of those anymore because XHorse couldn't compete with the counterfeiters.) All of those will work (with some varying amounts of flakiness especially with the Mini VCIs) with Techstream.

I think most non-commercial users here who choose to officially activate their Techstream software are choosing the $65 two-day option as needed. Those using the $1295 yearly activation are probably running shops.

I am not sure I agree that generic phone apps, etc., are close to Techstream in diagnostic value. Diagnosis only begins with reading some trouble codes; once you have those, you will often want to be reading various live data from the car or commanding various active tests and observing what happens.

Some of the various generic apps may be able to read some of the live data from the car; that depends on the availability of accurate PID definitions for them, compiled by people (sometimes PriusChat members!) painstakingly reverse-engineering how Techstream does it. I think the generic apps generally have a lot less support for initiating active tests. People would also have to figure those out by reverse engineering, but there are more people who are comfortable poking at their cars with random data-reading requests to find out what data they get, and not as many people willing to poke their cars with random active commands to find out what they do.

 

Can you get one of those for $65 to use for two days?

 

I was going to recommend a $19 code reader from Walmart but if an hour diagnostic for $198 is preferred at the dealership, by all means rev those benjermins.

 

What are you wanting to do then?

 

If/when known, please tell us which of the Apps or interfaces offer OBD2 codes (DTCs) and the associated INFs; aka Detail Codes.