Had to choose between a used Snap-on scan tool and a new Autel last month

My old scanner finally died after 8 years. The Snap-on was $1500 used but the Autel was $900 new from Amazon. I went with the Autel honestly. It reads codes faster and updates are free. Anyone else skip the big name brand and go budget?

2 comments

2 Comments

fionagibson24d ago

I went with the Autel too and honestly it's been great. That $600 savings paid for itself when I had to do a TPMS job for a buddy's old Honda. The Snap-on might have a prettier screen but my Autel fired off a full ABS bleed in under two minutes. Free updates mean I'm not stuck paying $300 a year for the privilege of keeping my tool working.

brookep2723d ago

The "free updates" thing sounds nice until Autel decides to drop support for your model in two years. I've seen it happen before. That $600 savings looks a lot smaller when you're stuck on some old firmware that can't talk to a 2024 Ford. I get that Snap-on overcharges for everything, but their tools actually work on every car that rolls in, even the weird stuff. The Autel might fire off that ABS bleed quick on a Honda today, but try it on a newer Benz or a RAM with a funky module. I'm not trying to hate on your choice, I just think long term the Snap-on is way less of a headache, especially if you're doing this full time and not just working on buddies' cars.