Hot take: paying $120 for a Snap-On scan tool was a total waste compared to my cheap Autel reader

I blew $120 on a used Snap-On scanner at a pawn shop in Phoenix that gave me two codes before it bricked itself, but I'm the sucker who ignored reviews and now my Autel reads everything for half the cost, so who else has been burned by brand hype in this trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey_lane7312d ago

That "bricked itself" line hit close to home. I read in a forum thread that Snap-On scanners are basically old tech with a high price tag now, they don't support firmware updates for long. My buddy bought a used one from a pawn shop too, same story, it died after a week. Autel is just smarter for the money, plain and simple.

luna_craig588d ago

Wait, the pawn shop actually sold a tool that was already half dead? That's wild to me. I always figured pawn shops had some basic testing policy, but I guess not. And @julia_jones72 is dead on about the update support being a joke. I know a guy who spent over a grand on a used Snap-On scanner and it couldn't even read a 2018 Ford properly. People get so hung up on the name, but the tool has to actually work for the cars you're seeing.

julia_jones7212d ago

Funny thing is, even if that Snap-On worked perfectly, you'd still be stuck with a tool that can't do the newer cars most shops see now. @casey_lane73 is right about the update support being a joke, but the real problem is that Snap-On built their whole business on techs being scared to try anything else and paying a fortune for the name. The pawn shop cycle just makes it worse, because those tools are already halfway to the scrap pile when you buy them. Autel might not feel as fancy in your hand, but it won't leave you hanging mid diagnostic either.