VSC, ABS, Brake, and (!) combo ONLY above 65mpg

While this doesn't apply to most of the car's ECUs, codes from the brake/skid ECU can be read using a paper clip. A well-respected brand is Acco and they have several styles made in the US, though the cheap offshore knockoffs also work.

If counting the right number of pins for where to poke the paper clip makes you anxious, you can make the one-step-more-civilized tool using a J1962 connector and a couple switches:



but you can always read your current codes using the Acco tool, and make something nicer later. Again, there are ECUs in the car that won't blink you codes this way, so you will eventually want a real scan tool if you'll be keeping and working on the car. But this will work on the brake/skid ECU, and a #1 Acco takes up very little space in the glove box for use whenever you need it.

-Chap

 

NO.

Glutton for punishment.

Just my opinion, but Tachycrap (Tachyon Tools) is CRAP! They just make the GUI (Graphic User Interface) nicer, package it in a nice looking box, and have a splashy website, and charge the unsuspecting/gullible, a boat load of money for what little it can do (and its not much). Essentially its a really nice version of Torque. Is it worth $38 or $40, Tachycrap (Tachyon Tools) charges, for an OBD2 reader that can't read crap?

Ask co-workers/friends/family if they know anyone in IT (Information Technology). These people will likely have access to obsolete 32bit Window laptops just sitting around, or they will know someone who will likely have a spare collecting dust.

All the mini VCI cables on Amazon, crapBay (eBay), will likely come from the same one or two suppliers in China. It really doesn't matter who you buy from. B/C these are knock off cables, there is no quality control; some cables will work, some will work intermittently due to a bad pin. Ultimately, luck of the draw.

Techstream software is the only way to go, if you want to read ALL of the codes on the Prius. Everything else is junk b/c those universal OBD2 readers CAN NOT read ALL of the Prius ECUs, or misread, and are unable to bleed the Prius brakes. The latest software version will be required for the latest (newest 2018 model year) Toyota, and it can reader older Toyotas; older software may not read the latest model Toyota. Toyota = Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Daihatsu (JDM); anything made by Toyota, you can read.

Call your local dealerships and see how much they charge just to read codes? This should encourage you to buy mini VCI and buy/acquire a 32bit Windows laptop.