Mini-VCI 1.4 vs 2.0 for 3rd gen (Techstream on the cheap)

I've read that regardless of version some work better than others, such as some allowing to delete lost FOBs, some don't. Cheap counterfeits are problematic like that...

 

Not so much QC... It's more like if you buy a Gucci handbag from a vendor on a street corner vs. going into a Gucci store and buying a handbag. The person on the street corner may only cost 10% the price as same handbag in the store, but if it's a defective bag or wears out sooner than it should, that's your problem, not Gucci's problem.

 

Yea, but counterfeit is a different animal than QC.

 

So what is the answer?

Similarly, "I wanna use a mini-vci with a cracked Techstream (hopefully some V14) "

I'd prefer to use it on my Win10-64, but do have a Win7-32(?), and even an old WinXP. I really don't want a research project. I've done some searching here and am still looking for a good answer.

Andrei, what did you go with, and how well did it work? If you mentioned the answer in a different thread, please point me there.

Thanks.

 

Thanks a lot for the quick and detailed answer. Sad to hear that even with the premium version ($89) it is still something of a research project to get it going.

I have an immediate need for it (I think), so bought a quick cheap $20 version on eBay that I expect will be a research project. Different sellers on eBay seem to sell a ton of these (all the same product between all the sellers), and at least some of them probably work. LOL.

 

Not really sure what I need it for yet. Got the car a year ago, and knew it would be needing a few advanced things at some point.

For the one I bought, the low cost, and hopefully fast shipping (in CA like I am) means it will be a quick success or quick failure, so I rolled the dice.

I generally do not go looking for problems - they always seem to find me on their own. Such as this afternoon when my wife called me (I am currently out of town in South Lake Tahoe) to let me know she had rear-ended a utility truck, setting off two airbags, and now the car won't shift into drive. Stuff like that. LOL

 

Old post now, but interesting discussion I missed. I think there is kind of an essential relationship between counterfeiting and QC, as in, you wouldn't have much incentive to offer a counterfeit of Bob's product unless you were sure you could undercut Bob's price. You can do that by lowering your QC targets, so you have a lower-cost product that fails more, but because you're using Bob's branding and packaging, you get to ride the reputation of his product rather than your own. (At least right up until you've driven Bob clean out of the business and you're left competing only with other counterfeits of the real product that isn't made anymore, which is the Mini VCI situation.)

To some extent the same calculation figures into competitive products that are not counterfeits (i.e. they don't claim to be some brand that they aren't, or use somebody else's packaging or logo). They're still generally meant to compete on price, and there are a lot of 'knobs' that can be tweaked in materials sourcing and QC to make that happen.

That is even something that can be done "in the same factory" that does production runs for the bigger brand. In modern manufacturing, it isn't hard to do different runs with different settings for some of those 'knobs'.

 

Which version hardware, firmware and software did you invest in and wind up using? Any issues?

 

The cable says MINI-VCI J2534
Bought on eBay. There are a zillion options (as you probably know) of software available. I have no special needs here. Just wanted something that worked. The eBay seller sent me an irrelevant CD with an instructional video in Chinese (i.e., Chinese Windows demonstrating the install). Completely useless. By the time I got responses on that, I had the car fully running with the only problem being the airbag light is still on. Definitely something near the top of my list, but I have not completed the Techstream install yet.

I also noticed the eBay seller removed (forced to?) their item from eBay.

I seriously wish they would have just taken an extra 10 seconds to provide relevant and updated (or old and working) software and instructions. I really did not want to buy a research project. In Chinese.

If I had to guess, I will say that I will get this working. But figuring out which instructions to ignore and which to follow is not fun. And if it were more urgent (e.g., car not driveable), I'd be on it faster and probably have it solved.

 

Well, I have ordered the cable from China, but not even opened the envelop with the CD. Try would try to get the Techstream and the driver from a trusted source.

 

Some feller did just that, the next month he discovered a hole on the motor block with some rod sticking out.

 

Yeah, that's why I'm in no hurry for the time being. The VCXnano seems interesting and I'm going to keep reading into for now. The Techstream $65 2-day subscription seems like a good investment. Does the subscription work with the MINI-VCI J2534?

Doesn't seem like an issue using the older versions that come with the MiniVCI's, other than reliability. Not sure why I'd want to do anything other than clear error codes. Seems I can go into maintenance mode without the cable and perform clearing of codes anyways. My ODBLink SX USB provides some insight into the performance metrics and I'm guessing will be able to clear codes, God forbid I ever have. Hoping, and have faith, I can hear somethings acting up before a code is thrown.

 

I've been doing enough work on my 2010 prius and running into problems with the ODB scanners not getting all the codes that I think it is time to invest in TechStream.

I'm perusing threads, and am leaning towards this:
Full Set Lenovo T410 Laptop with 500GB HDD Pre-installed Software for VCX NANO


I'd love to hear what people think.

I've seen references to the subscription through Toyota, the 2 day subscription. I'm not sure how that would play off of this pre-installed gig. For me, the price seems worth it to have as just an expensive(ish) scanner tool that I can get all the codes and do all the things. Would love feedback to be clear on any problems or considerations I might need to be aware of.

 

It's good to have Techstream handy, but you should be aware that neither the hardware nor the software in this bundle is "official" in any sense.

If you already have a Windows laptop (produced within the last decade) lying around and a compatible cable, you should be set. Some members will hustle to buy an older 32-bit system, but Techstream runs perfectly well even on a modern 64-bit computer. For the published system requirements, refer to page 7 of the linked FAQ.

 

I don't have any windows equipment.. I've been Mac and Linux for 15 years now, so getting this nice person a bundle appeals to me, and seems sort of cheap.

What is the implication of your use of the term official?