Auto Enginuity vs Star Scan

[Axion]

I have always thought that it would be nice to have a factory Star Scan tool for my truck. Prices on eBay fluctuate but always seem to end up north of $1000.

Does anyone run the Auto Enginuity software? The price point is definitely better but does it duplicate the functionality of the Star Scan completely?

Thanks in advance for any and all opinions!

 

[brods]

It was tough to find good info on AE. You might try PMing Spooled05. Iirc he had just purchased AE when I asked about scan tools about two years ago. If you do a web search on AE you'll find a bunch of disgruntled users, but that happens with any product. Maybe there is better info out there now. If you do go with AE make sure you don't lose the special cord because it could not be purchased separately.

 

[cerberusiam]

I doesn't in an way dupicate a DRBIII or StarScan. For the price point it is a pretty good tool though. You have access to a lot info, engine, trans, etc, and it does run the typical needed injector contribution and kill tests plus the the set point needed to test injector return. Still playing with all the stuff that is there and how to log it properly.

It doesn't do any writing or changing the BCM setup. You woud have to buy their writer module and subscribe to TechAuthority to get the flash files to do that.

 

[brods]

I doesn't in an way dupicate a DRBIII or StarScan. For the price point it is a pretty good tool though. You have access to a lot info, engine, trans, etc, and it does run the typical needed injector contribution and kill tests plus the the set point needed to test injector return. Still playing with all the stuff that is there and how to log it properly.

It doesn't do any writing or changing the BCM setup. You woud have to buy their writer module and subscribe to TechAuthority to get the flash files to do that.

That implies you have AE, yes? Can it at least change tire size or gear ratios? I almost pulled the trigger on the big three bundle, but the lack of positive reports from AE users made me wait. Knowing what you know now, would you buy AE again or would you buy a different scanner?

 

[CKelley1]

as cerb said it does not do any writing or changing bcm. it comes as a basic reader, you have to pay extra for each line of vehicle. i only work on my own fleet and it is very good for troubleshooting. i only had it two years, not enough time working with it to figure out all the things but impressed with the level it has with the things i used it on.

 

[cerberusiam]

It is a pure scanner\reader but it reads a LOT of data points. It will initiate the ABS purge which you need if you ever change a master cylinder or ABS unit, it will do cylinder contribution tests, injector kill tests, injector return flow set points, read demanded vs actual pressures in the fuel system, trans gov pressure, TTVA positions, etc. Don't think it will set a pinion factor though, that is a write function that a typical scanner does not do. The add on module to do writes and flashes is fairly resonable, a little over $1000 if I remember correctly and that may allow writing a whole lot more things into memory. Have spent hours working with it but we were chasing injector issues so have not had time to dig into every possible function, a lot of things there along with logging.

If you are looking for something to set pinion factor and program things get a Smarty with UDC and the AutoEnginuity for diagnostics\testing. For the about $1100 for both there isn't a better deal out there. With multiple trucks like we have it is well worth the investment, works fine on most things on the 01 also. The Smarty's we are using for the programming which is another long process to figure out the tune unless you buy one.

All the other options are much more expensive. DRBIII tools and bundles are almost $3k anywhere you look and you still need a TechAuthority subscription to get files to flash and they don't allow custom tuning. The StarScan things are a little cheaper on Ebay but still won't allow programming without a subscription.

There is a DRBIII emulator that installs on a laptop that is around $2500 but still need subscription for flash files and no custom programming.

The Smarty UDC adn AutoEnginuity is th ebest deal out there for the biggest bang.

 

[brods]

Thanks for the info cerb. The vehicle that needs a ratio change is a Dodge Caravan (we replaced the trans with one with a different final drive ratio). We bought a Actron CP9580a a year or so ago when we installed a rebuilt trans in my son's Ford Escape and it is does quite a lot for a relatively cheap scanner. Stores data, creates graphs, can download the stored data to a PC and more stuff than I'll ever play with, but it just does engine and ABS modules. It would be nice to be able to access all the data from the various modules like AE supposedly can......