Gen2 OBD2 app review

Found out the hard way that thinkdiag works better with an android. The ios software didn't work for abs bleeding for me. It could've been operator error but just a heads up.

 

too would love a write up on programming a new key fob for the gen 2 Prius.

 

Hey there! Thanks for sharing your detailed review of different OBD2 scanner apps. It's really helpful to hear about your experiences with each app and what they can and can't do. I've been looking for an OBD2 scanner myself, so this was super informative.
I wanted to share that I recently discovered Smart Engines, which has scanning tools that can be helpful for automotive diagnostics. While it's not an OBD2 scanner app, it can be used to scan and read VINs, license plates, and even engine codes in real time. It might be worth checking out if you're still on the hunt for a scanner that can do more.

 

Have you had more update on Anyscan A30? Does it really not read INF codes?

 

Hope no one has a seeing eye dog ...

I’m a brand new Gen2 Prius owner (less than one week). Here are my scan tool experiences and questions.

A couple of weeks prior to purchasing my Gen2, I’d bit the bullet and bought an Autel MK8089-BT Pro. After updating it, I did some initial familiarization work on my 2011 Honda Odyssey and 2010 Dodge Ram. Overall, it appears to be a very capable unit.

I took the Autel scanner with me when I looked at the Gen2. The car looked, drove, and performed well, with no warning lights. Overall it passed my initial and second-level ‘sniff tests’. The 12V battery is less than a year old, and putting out good numbers. The traction battery was replaced less than 2 years ago.

I hooked up the Autel and ran the comprehensive diagnostic. It returned a couple of minor, unrelated codes; however, it also caused the dreaded “Brake|ABS| VSC” warning lights to turn on. Try as I may, I wasn’t able to clear those, which led to some (understandably) awkward discussions with the owner. Fortunately, I’d already decided to buy the vehicle; however, my bargaining power was severely impacted, to say the least.

After a bit of research on PriusChat, I learned that this is not unusual when using 3rd-party (i.e., non-TechStream) scanners. Being a data sample size of 1, and not having a lot of experience with the Autel, I’m not willing to rule out operator error/lack of knowledge on my part. I was just about to pass the return window, so out of an abundance of caution I returned the Autel.

While there are a ton of scanning tool discussions, many of them are rather old, and I haven’t been able to find a definitive ‘yes, this tool works fine on Prii without causing problems that it can’t fix’ recommendation.

My questions:

1. Have we found a 3rd-party scanning solution which has been verified to
   1. Either not set extraneous warning lights, or is able to reset them, and
   2. Perform the most commonly-encountered (re)initialization activities, such as battery, brakes, etc.
      
2. TechStream is, of course, the One True Solution; however,
   1. Can someone confirm/refute whether it only works for Toyota, or can it also be used (even in a ‘degraded’ mode) on other CAN-compliant non-Toyota vehicles
   2. There are many different options for obtaining TechStream software. Can someone please provide a summary of the differences, and maybe even some recommendations as to the best option?

Thank in advance for any assistance. This looks like a great support community, and I look forward to being able to contribute as I gain experience with all things Prius.

 

A lot of Gen 2 owners prefer the cheap techstream knockoffs from CN due to the price diff of getting techstream lite setup and working. You have to decide for yourself which you prefer.

There are some Toyota DTCs that techstream doesn't even clear. I've read that some Permanent codes are just impossible to clear, although I've not seen any of those yet. Mostly due to my choice of waiting for an Opus Mongoose Plus Toyota3 MG Plus MFC3 adapter funding request.

Here is a link to the priuschat wiki page about techstream and 3rd party scan tools.
Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat

 

Mentioning "techstream lite" kind of slants any discussion of the options, because "techstream lite" is a specific bundled package Toyota sells that includes $500 worth of hardware and a $1400 full-year paid-up subscription, so it isn't even what anybody would use for comparison unless they are maybe a repair shop that would use it year round.

For any of the rest of us, the comparison is just between knockoffs from CN, or getting some less-than-$500 dongle and a laptop we already have and the two-day TIS subscription for $70.

 

Thanks Chap. your post leads to one more issue I can think of for anyone new to techstream and a compatible pass-through (either from Opus or a third party unit). The CN pass-through units that I've seen for sale all include the disclaimer (that their device will not work with the Professional 2 day subscription based software from TIS) downloadable from https://techinfo.qa2ddc.toyota.com/
The techstream bundles from CN that I've seen are all limited to the version of the software that comes with the pass-through unit, which can be much older than the current version available, which is not as much of an issue with Gen 2 Prius as with newer Prius.

As one can read in this thread 3rd party scan tools can be hit or miss and the posts try to describe what some of the more obvious misses are.

 

Strictly speaking, all Techstream needs to function is a working J2534 dongle, and the Windows DLL file that comes with that dongle. (It's always a Windows DLL file, because the J2534 standard is Windows-specific. I picture some corks popping in Redmond when the SAE approved that.) A standard J2534 DLL file doesn't contain anything except the standard methods Techstream needs to talk to the dongle and get data back.

So when you buy the $500-ish dongle that Toyota recommends, that's all you're getting: a working dongle, and its plain old J2534 DLL file. You get Techstream on your own, and activate your subscription, and you tell it "use this dongle" and it's off to the races.

Same thing for typical dongles at the next tier down in price, like the real Tactrix at $169, and I think the VxDiag around $90 or whatever. All you get is the dongle and its DLL, and you point your legit Techstream at it, and there you go.

When you get down to the dongles that are sold for super cheap and come bundled up with some version of Techstream that's been broken so it doesn't check your subscription, that's a different story. Obviously somebody there studied one particular version of Techstream long and hard enough to figure out how to break it like that, and then bundled up your dongle with the broken Techstream version and maybe the exploit code is in there or in the dongle DLL file or in some separate file.

Naturally, it would be unrealistic to expect the subscription-check exploit to work against a current download of legitimate Techstream. It might be that the dongle itself would work fine, if the extra exploit code was just in the bundled broken Techstream or in some separate file. If they buried their exploit code instead in the J2534 DLL file somehow, then that could pose a problem when a legit Techstream copy tries to use it.

 

Awesome resource, Thank-you for taking the time & effort to put it all together!

 

Just adding my data points on readers, for me with a P0A93 code, an Autel MS309 didn't see any codes, I think AutoZone couldn't see any codes either, but an AutoLink AL319 could see the code, it just lists 4 "modules" initially and you have to try them all to see which one has the code in it, some named funky crud like $EF7. In terms of bluetooth, between "Car Scanner" app (free) and Dr. Hybrid (free) I never needed techstream for battery codes anyway. Best!

 

Is it possible to adjust the speedometer to agree with gps speed with this app?

 

As an update to my previous post: I ended up returning the original MK808, and later and bought another one (same model - caught a great sale). This second unit appears to be working fine on my 2007 Prius, and it hasn't caused any weird problems. It was able to successfully perform the brake solenoid linear offset reset process with no issues, which also fixed my 'extraneous warning light' issues.

To your point, maybe my original unit had some sort of minor 'glitch' which caused those problems. Or maybe it was sunspots (PROTIP: Always blame it on sunspots). In any case, this latest Autel MaxiCOM MK808BT Pro appears to be working well on my Gen2.

 

... or your bargain basement "great price" was actually a factory second or a straight-up counterfeit.

PROTIP: Always buy from a reputable site.

 

Just ordered the AP2500E [2024 New Release, Upgrade of AP200] seems to have more hybrid battery functions.

Similar pricing to AP200.

AP2500E [2024 New Release, Upgrade of AP200]