Way before I'd ever purchase an $1800 tablet, I'd purchase a $1500 vehicle lift. These tool reviews are starting to get to me. I need me some more classic ETCG repairs!
You should read the post on my forum as to why I don't have a lift. It's a bit more involved than just the price of the lift. If you're into 'classic ETCG' tune in every Friday. I only post tool reviews every other week which means I do twice as much classic ETCG as I do tool reviews.
Nice scanner. i was looking at new scanners but not sure which one I want. be nice to have internet capability. They are cheaper than some others .I think it also has J2534 capability .
Do you know what your internet speeds are at the shop? Maybe that has something to do with the lag, but in all honesty, android is a little slow in general. Another great video Eric, can't wait for the Fairmont vids.
That's possible, but for the functions that were slow, I don't believe it needed to access the internet. I think it's a great tool, I just wish it had a faster processor.
EricTheCarGuy I too am confident that some of your issues were down to your wireless and internet connection. wireless (as far as i have experienced) have always added a level of connection problems with dropped packets and variable latency and bandwidth. Thunder can play havoc with wireless too.
Cadde David Knowles I think the make and models are programmed into it, I'm not sure though. The time it took while pulling the trouble codes shouldn't have been the internet. It was pulling them straight from the vehicles computer. I doubt internet had anything to do with it being slow. Now don't take my word for it but it doesn't make sense why internet would be a problem.
In a recent video, Eric said that the product had been sped up quite a bit by updates. Recent comments on this video include people who have bought it and found that to be true too.
1800 geeze. 5 dollars for torque pro. Get the code and do your own research. So many wonderful videos online to help you find and fix your problem. I guess you pay if you need info at your fingertips.
I have been looking for something like this lately but I need live streaming data viewing. No start for instance and the capability for diesels. I don't like that it needs Wifi though.. a TechII would work, but I'd need a broad range of vehicles.
Might a little late but is nearly 2ks worth it or is this scanner better than a snap on?? Plz let me know I'm a just getting in the field and want to find a good scanner
I feel is though you could buy your own tablet, flash this software on it, and purchase a bluetooth or usb dongle for much cheaper. Would solve the issue with the "slow processor" that ETCG claims it may be whats holding this tool back..
Hmm, "Tire pressure monitor transmitter identification number 5" - does this mean, there are 5 wheels on that car that have pressure monitoring? Does the spare wheel also have a TPMS sensor? I almost couldn't believe this...but then, it must be, or where else does number 5 come from?
Some concerns after purchasing an OTC Encore: I found that none of the three ports were usable to export data from the scanner! The two USB ports do not work and the Save to SD card option doesn’t work. I verified with OTC Support that the ports do NOT work. The only way to get info out is through a wireless connection. If you don’t have a wireless connection or cannot use wireless because of a sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and want to transfer data or access the web-forget it. They could have included an Ethernet cable port. I found that I could not set up an email account for Outlook. I understand that it is because the Android OS is old. OTC Support told me that it is not updatable. I have updated my OS in my phone, I am pretty sure and of course various computers can be updated. Another significant issue is that to make the email function with Gmail, you HAVE to turn on less secure email access. I have had an email account hacked so this is totally unacceptable. I also have found that the display can be hard to see at times when the ambient light is bright.
Man that thing is a freaking snail.. I bet u would break out your actron scanner for a drivability problem before you would that thing.. I guess it has it's uses being able to to communicate with other modules orther then the ECM plus bidirectional capabilities.
So I just spent as much time reading the comments as I did watching the videos ... I suppose in today's society the first option is to be negative? Why, I don't know? I appreciate the review of the OTC Encore... Thank you Eric! Many technicians, mechanics and diyers are sucked in by the bells and whistles and the nostalgia of Snap on and other high priced hand held products. I am a long time user of snap on diagnostic equipment. I too was sucked in at one point. Do we really need all those bells and whistles? Overtime I have realized that a lot of the bells and whistles are useless. If you are a true technician, encore is a great great guideline that can, with the push of a button instantly direct you to Google or help websites which is where many of us, at the times we get jammed up, head to anyway! So really, viewers are knocking the device for leading them in a direction that they end up going to on their own in the first damn place? Okay! I won't try to figure that one out! This business, like any other is a passion to make money by spending as little as possible. So, for all the nay sayers, feel free to unload another 2 grand to accomplish what we can at a much lower price point! Ha ha ha....argue that one bitches!!!! LOL
I hve used a snap on modus at college and it seems to be faster and easier to use than the unit shown here but I believe its much more expensive but that will auto detect any car and tells u wich chip to insert into the tool u get the chip put it in the machine and it will automatically bring up any code on the vehicle its really awesome
The auto detect works off the vehicle software, not the scan tool you use. Manufacturers started using that after 2007. Before that only on select models. At least that's my understanding anyway.
EricTheCarGuy I get what your saying but from my view point, my cheap $100 scan tool, can find my vin and calibration codes for the pcm, So therefore OTC just needs to add a vin decoder algorithm like all other scan tools do such as autel or snap on and it would be fine, but then again for that model of otc it would just make it slower, I perfer the genisys evo.
Hi Eric, happy to see you are showing items that the pros might use rather than the DIYers. This scanner looks like it could be a good deal...but unfortunately OTC missed the nail head again as they have done in the past with former scanners. It is 1/3 the cost of the Snap on Solus Ultra but like most items, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I would like to see you do a comparison with the Solus Ultra. I have been in the business for close to 40 years and one of the things I have learned is when it comes to tools you should buy the best and leave the rest.
I was looking at ScannerDanners Solus just the other week when I was in PGH. It is a faster tool but it costs about twice as much. You do raise an important point but depending on use, price is a factor for some.
It had a issuer with the TPMS, now my question, do the batteries go bad in them, or is there some sort of technology in them that when the tires spin do they get recharged? I've always wondered this.
This is not the tool i would like to be stuck with on a serious diagnostic / drivability problem , your survivability as a technician would be seriously compromised. Please keep up the cool diagnostic tool reviews and thank you.
Love the tool hate that I have to connect to wifi. How much per month extra is it for idetifix after the free two months. For 1,500 should be faster but still seems very capable. Can you wait after the free two months of identifix and upgrade yearly?
Just got one and wow is it limited and slow, Compared to the Bosch KTS340, Snapon, and BMW icom. This is a good tool for the back yard do-it-your-selfer. As a shop owner of a high volume independent BMW shop this thing has very little use for me. On a 08 bmw 335 i have to look in the transmission to see the coolant temp. One would think it should be with the engine. Cannot see the CAS module to determine if the starter is faulty.
my work bought the new genisys touch, which is almost the same as the encore... I forced myself to use it for a week. Every car i hooked it up to i had to give up after 5 mins and go get my snapon. Not because i didnt know how to use it, but because its extremely flawed, too slow, even after updates .. Its definately not designed for a real diagnostician.
I have scanxl pro software from scantools on a laptop and it works fine on the 2003 and up vehicles and you can add what you want to monitor via graphs etc.
You keep mentioning the good price for the tool. I saw 1875USD, which is quite expensive, given the usual price range of Android devices and the fact that this tool is not even equipped with a very fast processor. In fact, the "Android tablet" part of it looks more like one of the cheaper devices in the 100-bucks category, so what is it that makes this tool so expensive? Is it the OBD2 connector module w/electronics? Is it the rugged design and casing? Or could a tool like this one be sold for under thousand bucks and still produce some decent profits for both the manufacturer and the vendor? Somehow I don't get, what the really expensive part of this tool actually is... (Edit: Of course, since I don't work professionally on or with vehicles, there would be no point for me in buying it anyways, but when I look up prices of scan tools, many of them are much cheaper. What does "bi-directional" mean? Other tools can also write data to the car, like clear codes and stuff...)
For an explanation on bi-directional, see the video in the description about choosing a scan tool. As for the price, I suppose it's relative. A Snap-on equivalent is 4K.
eric will make his money back with it by taking in more work than what he could before without having a scantool. he can sell it and upgrade to something better in the future.
From my understanding he makes his money by doing these types of videos, and or more that are much more in depth, and charging for those videos from his site. Think of the videos like a video version of a helms manual, I think he said something like that. Anyway, since most viewers would not use the tool, like most do not have a lift, I doubt he would use it much when making repair/instructional videos. This was more or less a tool review, maybe he bought it? Maybe it was loaned/given to him to review, and he may have to return at at some point in time, or keep it who knows. If he is to stay true to form with his personal ideology on making these types of videos, it's doubtful that he will use it since it's out of the range of regular people. Also he has said on a few occasions that I can remember, is that he doesn't just do car work willy nilly, he primarily only does so when he can make a video/videos of the work he does. So again by that metric, the scan tool if he bought it, would be more or less fruits of that labor, and for his own personal use that does not fall under an area where he would make a video for, or has already covered.
I'm waiting for a *ETCG APP* (enter vehicle info/problem category, it redirects to the appropriate video, and/or database of discussions of that topic) HMM ???
Eric...., is it ok to leave the key in KOEO position for a good length of time? Will it damage anything when left in that position (except battery drain)? How does tool directly compare to Autel Maxisys ms906bt?
No idea what CPU they used in this tablet but it's obviously not good enough. Custom GUI is nice and everything is highly polished except for the most important part; the performance! I would get very frustrated trying to use this tool. It's simply not fast enough. It needs a better CPU, faster BUS, or less overhead to allow it to perform faster. I could hook up a Windows 98 laptop and get faster response times using serial. No excuse for modern hardware and software to be so slow especially since BUS speeds have steadily gotten better the past 10 years. With that said I'd still try it because it has way more ability than a DIY $50 code reader. Great honest tool review Eric.
The need fot a constant connection means this really isn't for home users and i suspect a number of indy garages too. I know VM/Skoda shops have there own custom scan tools that connect back to the VW to look up on a central datastore. The slowness of that tab is a let down too; most recent tablets have a decent set of hardware specs so would expect them to be quicker.
Not very fond of the fact that it relies on an internet connection. Makes it kind of useless outside the shop. It also seems to be full of ads. If they're making money on the ads and promoted services, than the price should be well under $1000 in my opinion. A cheap import android tablet + Torque + Bluetooth ODB2 adapter would ring in under $300 all together.
I'm using torque. But his one have much more capabilities, albeit slow. The major part of this tool I think is the ability to looking into different modules for various brands. Those data and controls are great help. You can do a lot more with this kind of tools. But, yes, it is painfully slow. I guess it has something to do with ETCG's WiFi.
motofan16 He did a recent video with this device again, and another buyer of this commented 5 months ago that with updates it's gotten to be rather quick.
Great review ! I would like to know if there is a free or non-free software for Windows/OsX / Linux that would help me to scan and diagnose OBD codes? Thanks a lot guys !
Eric - for managing software updates and data storage on home computers (for the many vehicle profiles and history files) is the Encore Windows 10 compatible?
I'll stick with my Snap On MT 2500 it works great with pre 1996 and post 1996 vehicles and is bidirectional if the vehicle it's used on allows it. Good review though.
I love your tool reviews, and all your other vids because they are longer than the 2 minutes most guys do. can't stand that! you really get into it, thank you for your time and work!
It depends if it was modified for ODBII, a quick internet search shows that it is pre-ODBII, which this tool would not even plug into. You would almost certainly be looking at ODBI, and would need an ODBI tool. Eric touches on this in the video if you watch it all the way through, he said something to the effect of "1996 and newer" in relation to what the tool can be used for, and goes onto talk about a few more advanced features that are only available on newer automobiles.
Boy they've come a long way since the OTC Genisys. Now THAT has a HUGE case! I'd love to get rid of it, but it's still useful to scan older cars with it's plethera of cables and cards and power adapters. It's nice to see that they don't hold the European makes hostage for $900 and put a lock icon over them now. That drove me crazy. I felt teased and resentful. This new one starts up fast too. No more Ford Taurus screen followed by "Loading Parameters!"
hi can you do a review on the autel scan tool I want to know your opinion on it I do see its pretty affordable at $839.99 thank you love the channel Eric
Camera work could be better, in this review tripod a better choice? As to the tool as a whole maybe ok, but they could have put a better hardware - it really dosnt cost much more, it should have some kind of offline mode too.
Hmm it seems the software upgrade didnt do it any good, do a backstep if you can eric, you hand scanner would have reacted so much faster. It looks like they forgot the functionality should allways come first, internet links and gimmics need to be ignored, hope you get it behaving itself, looked like a nice tool :-)
probably doesn't have the air suspension, but if my 20 year old ford SUV (98 expedition) has an immobilizer stock from factory as standard on ALL trims, i find it hard to believe that a 13 year old toyota suv doesn't
From watching the past few videos, I was thinking maybe. But after this video I am sure now. You hired a camera man. CONGRATS It will greatly improve your repair videos when you can preform work with both hands and still keep everything in frame. A few things kinda wondering about 1.Any type of 12V adapter 2.Any type of recording function 3.If no on #1 how long is batt life while in use?
I just can't see why a simple Android application couldn't do all of this. It is however not a slow device but very comprehensive. For the easy stuff it will be faster just getting an easy OBDII cheap tool, but if you need more information..... Its going to take some time....
fightingfalconfan Not entirely true, Some, not all tablets do offer a bigger ram chip sets for installs. It's rather expensive and the gain usually isn't all that great but some tablets, and phones are able to add larger amounts of ram.
fightingfalconfan I've never had a tablet that didn't have a spot for a mini sd card. Eric did put a SD card in it. He added to it's memory without thinking about it...his goal was more so there was another way to transfer data from it to a computer.
Hey, Eric, could you take a look and possibly review 2 ios apps for Ipad? Autolaunch & easydiag (made by the same company) the screenshots look a lot like the interface of this android device, so there is a chance (although slim) that they may have similar functionality. You will need an ipad though. Thanx
Eric dudr seriously, I told maybe I say 2 Marines in pendleton about your channel. Now seriously 10+ marines watch and love your sh**! We love what you do and you help Marines tackle automotive challenges every single day! Keep it up
Love my autel maxiCheck pro got it for 300$ it does epb/service reset/airbag/abs/tpms/steering angle reset/obd-2/live data of all components including electronic steering.
Wow.. I would not pay more than 150 for that. I have a 30 dollar old 2 scanner with a nexus 7 and it does everything that could do, plus more. With absolutely no loading screens. And to top It off all together came to 150
So basically, if they make some sort of an adaptor, so you could plug an OBD2 type plug into a normal android tablet. Couldn't you just purchase some software and do the same thing with a normal tablet?
You are assuming that the software is cheap or free, The software is what makes a tool like this useful. I am certain that the hardware on this scanner is not what drives the cost. The software to display and interface with all the control modules in so many vehicles is not a 99 cent ap you can get at the playstore.
howpeculiar You should check out what the torque app can actually do and all the cool features it provides. It won't beat a professional scanner, but for the DIYer it's pretty nifty and useful.
Come to think of it, a friend of mine has a bluetooth OBD2 reader you can use with your phone. Software for it is 5 bucks, and the thing itself was around 20 I think. But I would like to see some software comparable to the tool in the video for sale to tablets. Sure it would be expensive, but a lot less expensive than the tool
The tablet is a cheap tablet, probaly inside a enclosed dock. But yea the software makes the price, If you get your hands on the tablet and Dump the ROM or someone leaks it on the internet, sure it can run on other stuff. Some tablets like Lenovos Thinkpad has a full size USB port on it
+Ioannis Tzon Tsolakidis Just buy yourself an Bluetooth or Wi-Fi ELM327 for next to nothing (10-15 bucks) and download an OBD Auto Doctor app. It has all these functions and it runs way waaaay faster. The app is free too and is available on all the phones Android, Windows Phone (I don't know about iPhone, but I don't care about Apple's overpriced crap anyway so that's not a minus in my mind, but it should be available there as well if you're into that). It even does fuel trims and that kinda stuff.
+Ioannis Tzon Tsolakidis For the home gamer, a bluetooth ODBII connector, Torque and google will do the job; but in a workshop, you don't really want to be relying on your personal smartphone or consumer tablet and cheap ODBII adapter; you want something that is a bit more robust, and ideally does everything at once. It also looks like it has manufacturer specific codes on there; IE my Torque/ODBII can't touch the body control module on my car. The price is high for a home user, but for a workshop charging £30 for diagnostics, it'd pay for itself pretty quickly.
A $30 Bluetooth OBII adapter from Amazon and $5 Android App will do 90% of this devices capabilities. Also is 10x faster and can use your phones LTE network (no need to setup WiFi). I will take $1800 worth of hand tools over any diagnostic tool any day of the week.
Little Bit expensive but yeah, i understand how useful might be this tool but in my opinion, universal diagnostics tools mostly sucks. If i have vw (seat, skoda, audi) using ROSS-TECH. If i have fiat (alfa, lancia, opel), using MultiEcuScan. And etc... But very well thanks for this useful video Eric. Good job.
That Tablet Seems like a waste of Money, Its just a Single Core Android tablet with Different I/O Ports. Seems easier to just do something like this with a laptop or something. It doesent Even have the Play Store on it. you have to manualy instal it.
Yeah it seems you could take a normal laptop, and or tablet and a USB cable with an ODB adapter? Not sure if they make those, but it seems likely that they exist. A quick search and I found ELM327, it's a USB to ODBII connector, the only thing left would be the software needed to read the codes, which a dumbed down, cheap version might be included, and or find other software that is compatible, and then the cost of a cheap laptop/tablet whatever is compatible, and there you go. A likely cheaper way to go, but not all in one package, and likely a bit more knowledge involved to get the features you want.
Way before I'd ever purchase an $1800 tablet, I'd purchase a $1500 vehicle lift. These tool reviews are starting to get to me. I need me some more classic ETCG repairs!
I'm sure Eric didn't pay the full $1800 for this, as the review video is also posted on the suggested site that sells the tool.
You should read the post on my forum as to why I don't have a lift. It's a bit more involved than just the price of the lift. If you're into 'classic ETCG' tune in every Friday. I only post tool reviews every other week which means I do twice as much classic ETCG as I do tool reviews.
Nice scanner. i was looking at new scanners but not sure which one I want. be nice to have internet capability. They are cheaper than some others .I think it also has J2534 capability .
Do you know what your internet speeds are at the shop? Maybe that has something to do with the lag, but in all honesty, android is a little slow in general. Another great video Eric, can't wait for the Fairmont vids.
That's possible, but for the functions that were slow, I don't believe it needed to access the internet. I think it's a great tool, I just wish it had a faster processor.
EricTheCarGuy I too am confident that some of your issues were down to your wireless and internet connection.
wireless (as far as i have experienced) have always added a level of connection problems with dropped packets and variable latency and bandwidth.
Thunder can play havoc with wireless too.
Cadde David Knowles I think the make and models are programmed into it, I'm not sure though. The time it took while pulling the trouble codes shouldn't have been the internet. It was pulling them straight from the vehicles computer. I doubt internet had anything to do with it being slow. Now don't take my word for it but it doesn't make sense why internet would be a problem.
In a recent video, Eric said that the product had been sped up quite a bit by updates. Recent comments on this video include people who have bought it and found that to be true too.
1800 geeze. 5 dollars for torque pro. Get the code and do your own research. So many wonderful videos online to help you find and fix your problem. I guess you pay if you need info at your fingertips.
I have been looking for something like this lately but I need live streaming data viewing. No start for instance and the capability for diesels. I don't like that it needs Wifi though.. a TechII would work, but I'd need a broad range of vehicles.
Might a little late but is nearly 2ks worth it or is this scanner better than a snap on?? Plz let me know I'm a just getting in the field and want to find a good scanner
What you think about Autel Android Based Scan Tool? Its called the MaxiSYS® Pro
I feel is though you could buy your own tablet, flash this software on it, and purchase a bluetooth or usb dongle for much cheaper. Would solve the issue with the "slow processor" that ETCG claims it may be whats holding this tool back..
Hmm, "Tire pressure monitor transmitter identification number 5" - does this mean, there are 5 wheels on that car that have pressure monitoring? Does the spare wheel also have a TPMS sensor? I almost couldn't believe this...but then, it must be, or where else does number 5 come from?
You are correct. On this vehicle the spare does have TPMS. BTW after clearing those codes they didn't come back.
Some concerns after purchasing an OTC Encore:
I found that none of the three ports were usable to export data from the scanner! The two USB ports do not work and the Save to SD card option doesn’t work. I verified with OTC Support that the ports do NOT work. The only way to get info out is through a wireless connection. If you don’t have a wireless connection or cannot use wireless because of a sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and want to transfer data or access the web-forget it. They could have included an Ethernet cable port.
I found that I could not set up an email account for Outlook. I understand that it is because the Android OS is old. OTC Support told me that it is not updatable. I have updated my OS in my phone, I am pretty sure and of course various computers can be updated.
Another significant issue is that to make the email function with Gmail, you HAVE to turn on less secure email access. I have had an email account hacked so this is totally unacceptable.
I also have found that the display can be hard to see at times when the ambient light is bright.
Man that thing is a freaking snail.. I bet u would break out your actron scanner for a drivability problem before you would that thing.. I guess it has it's uses being able to to communicate with other modules orther then the ECM plus bidirectional capabilities.
The "fastest" CPU is nothing without *RAM*. Is this unit upgradeable? In that aspect- *more* RAM would make the loading of programs faster. (caching)
So I just spent as much time reading the comments as I did watching the videos ... I suppose in today's society the first option is to be negative? Why, I don't know? I appreciate the review of the OTC Encore... Thank you Eric! Many technicians, mechanics and diyers are sucked in by the bells and whistles and the nostalgia of Snap on and other high priced hand held products. I am a long time user of snap on diagnostic equipment. I too was sucked in at one point. Do we really need all those bells and whistles? Overtime I have realized that a lot of the bells and whistles are useless. If you are a true technician, encore is a great great guideline that can, with the push of a button instantly direct you to Google or help websites which is where many of us, at the times we get jammed up, head to anyway! So really, viewers are knocking the device for leading them in a direction that they end up going to on their own in the first damn place? Okay! I won't try to figure that one out! This business, like any other is a passion to make money by spending as little as possible. So, for all the nay sayers, feel free to unload another 2 grand to accomplish what we can at a much lower price point! Ha ha ha....argue that one bitches!!!! LOL
I hve used a snap on modus at college and it seems to be faster and easier to use than the unit shown here but I believe its much more expensive but that will auto detect any car and tells u wich chip to insert into the tool u get the chip put it in the machine and it will automatically bring up any code on the vehicle its really awesome
The auto detect works off the vehicle software, not the scan tool you use. Manufacturers started using that after 2007. Before that only on select models. At least that's my understanding anyway.
EricTheCarGuy
I get what your saying but from my view point, my cheap $100 scan tool, can find my vin and calibration codes for the pcm, So therefore OTC just needs to add a vin decoder algorithm like all other scan tools do such as autel or snap on and it would be fine, but then again for that model of otc it would just make it slower, I perfer the genisys evo.
Hi Eric, happy to see you are showing items that the pros might use rather than the DIYers. This scanner looks like it could be a good deal...but unfortunately OTC missed the nail head again as they have done in the past with former scanners. It is 1/3 the cost of the Snap on Solus Ultra but like most items, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I would like to see you do a comparison with the Solus Ultra. I have been in the business for close to 40 years and one of the things I have learned is when it comes to tools you should buy the best and leave the rest.
I was looking at ScannerDanners Solus just the other week when I was in PGH. It is a faster tool but it costs about twice as much. You do raise an important point but depending on use, price is a factor for some.
thats really cool honestly
It had a issuer with the TPMS, now my question, do the batteries go bad in them, or is there some sort of technology in them that when the tires spin do they get recharged? I've always wondered this.
This is not the tool i would like to be stuck with on a serious diagnostic / drivability problem , your survivability as a technician would be seriously compromised. Please keep up the cool diagnostic tool reviews and thank you.
We picked up the new OTC Genisys Touch for our shop and we love it
Camera moving. Now thats something new on a ETCG video.
Love the tool hate that I have to connect to wifi. How much per month extra is it for idetifix after the free two months. For 1,500 should be faster but still seems very capable. Can you wait after the free two months of identifix and upgrade yearly?
Just got one and wow is it limited and slow, Compared to the Bosch KTS340, Snapon, and BMW icom. This is a good tool for the back yard do-it-your-selfer. As a shop owner of a high volume independent BMW shop this thing has very little use for me. On a 08 bmw 335 i have to look in the transmission to see the coolant temp. One would think it should be with the engine. Cannot see the CAS module to determine if the starter is faulty.
In a recent video by Eric, he said updates sped it up. Maybe you should update it.
I'd suggest the slowness could be your internet rather than the device.
How many languages does it have?
my work bought the new genisys touch, which is almost the same as the encore... I forced myself to use it for a week. Every car i hooked it up to i had to give up after 5 mins and go get my snapon. Not because i didnt know how to use it, but because its extremely flawed, too slow, even after updates .. Its definately not designed for a real diagnostician.
how much of an difference is there between the Encore and the Genisys touch ?
The genesis touch is a piece of shit. We have that one in our shop.
Im starting to believe that the old Genisys Evo is better than both .
No hands? Camera guy?! Rad!
I have scanxl pro software from scantools on a laptop and it works fine on the 2003 and up vehicles and you can add what you want to monitor via graphs etc.
Welcome to the channel, Brian.
Will this do complex tasks like testing different actuators in the EVAP and other systems?
Yes
You keep mentioning the good price for the tool. I saw 1875USD, which is quite expensive, given the usual price range of Android devices and the fact that this tool is not even equipped with a very fast processor. In fact, the "Android tablet" part of it looks more like one of the cheaper devices in the 100-bucks category, so what is it that makes this tool so expensive? Is it the OBD2 connector module w/electronics? Is it the rugged design and casing? Or could a tool like this one be sold for under thousand bucks and still produce some decent profits for both the manufacturer and the vendor?
Somehow I don't get, what the really expensive part of this tool actually is...
(Edit: Of course, since I don't work professionally on or with vehicles, there would be no point for me in buying it anyways, but when I look up prices of scan tools, many of them are much cheaper. What does "bi-directional" mean? Other tools can also write data to the car, like clear codes and stuff...)
For an explanation on bi-directional, see the video in the description about choosing a scan tool. As for the price, I suppose it's relative. A Snap-on equivalent is 4K.
EricTheCarGuy Yeah, but what is it that makes them so expensive?
Option to buy one at $250. Worth it?
how about you do a tool comparison with an Android tab, Torque app, and a bluetooth obd2 reader and compare it to this otc encore
eric will make his money back with it by taking in more work than what he could before without having a scantool. he can sell it and upgrade to something better in the future.
From my understanding he makes his money by doing these types of videos, and or more that are much more in depth, and charging for those videos from his site. Think of the videos like a video version of a helms manual, I think he said something like that. Anyway, since most viewers would not use the tool, like most do not have a lift, I doubt he would use it much when making repair/instructional videos. This was more or less a tool review, maybe he bought it? Maybe it was loaned/given to him to review, and he may have to return at at some point in time, or keep it who knows. If he is to stay true to form with his personal ideology on making these types of videos, it's doubtful that he will use it since it's out of the range of regular people.
Also he has said on a few occasions that I can remember, is that he doesn't just do car work willy nilly, he primarily only does so when he can make a video/videos of the work he does. So again by that metric, the scan tool if he bought it, would be more or less fruits of that labor, and for his own personal use that does not fall under an area where he would make a video for, or has already covered.
that would be a cool job get paid to make videos have no annoying boss at work who thinks there shit dont stink. hes got a good thing going
I'm waiting for a *ETCG APP* (enter vehicle info/problem category, it redirects to the appropriate video, and/or database of discussions of that topic) HMM ???
The most important part is how do you replace the batteries?
Or does it just go in the trash when the battery stops charging?
A replacement battery is fairly inexpensive and readily available.
Eric...., is it ok to leave the key in KOEO position for a good length of time? Will it damage anything when left in that position (except battery drain)?
How does tool directly compare to Autel Maxisys ms906bt?
No idea what CPU they used in this tablet but it's obviously not good enough. Custom GUI is nice and everything is highly polished except for the most important part; the performance! I would get very frustrated trying to use this tool. It's simply not fast enough. It needs a better CPU, faster BUS, or less overhead to allow it to perform faster. I could hook up a Windows 98 laptop and get faster response times using serial. No excuse for modern hardware and software to be so slow especially since BUS speeds have steadily gotten better the past 10 years. With that said I'd still try it because it has way more ability than a DIY $50 code reader. Great honest tool review Eric.
The need fot a constant connection means this really isn't for home users and i suspect a number of indy garages too.
I know VM/Skoda shops have there own custom scan tools that connect back to the VW to look up on a central datastore.
The slowness of that tab is a let down too; most recent tablets have a decent set of hardware specs so would expect them to be quicker.
Not very fond of the fact that it relies on an internet connection. Makes it kind of useless outside the shop. It also seems to be full of ads. If they're making money on the ads and promoted services, than the price should be well under $1000 in my opinion. A cheap import android tablet + Torque + Bluetooth ODB2 adapter would ring in under $300 all together.
You're so right man.
If my car had OB2 I would do what you said in an instant.
:-)
I'm using torque. But his one have much more capabilities, albeit slow. The major part of this tool I think is the ability to looking into different modules for various brands. Those data and controls are great help. You can do a lot more with this kind of tools. But, yes, it is painfully slow. I guess it has something to do with ETCG's WiFi.
motofan16
He did a recent video with this device again, and another buyer of this commented 5 months ago that with updates it's gotten to be rather quick.
You get a Bluetooth obd adapter btw. So you can connect your droid
indentifix is also 189 a month after the trial...
not bad for the price.
you get what you pay for.
woops lol take that back! thought the price said $875.00
for the real price.....lmao
Great review ! I would like to know if there is a free or non-free software for Windows/OsX / Linux that would help me to scan and diagnose OBD codes? Thanks a lot guys !
Autel AL519 is this a good scanner?
Eric - for managing software updates and data storage on home computers (for the many vehicle profiles and history files) is the Encore Windows 10 compatible?
Disappointing that $1600 doesn't get you a fast processor or the ability to function without wifi.
I'll stick with my Snap On MT 2500 it works great with pre 1996 and post 1996 vehicles and is bidirectional if the vehicle it's used on allows it. Good review though.
Still a currently manufactured and sold tool. Has had many updates to the software since this review.
+Terry L Yea, it works a lot better now.
I love your tool reviews, and all your other vids because they are longer than the 2 minutes most guys do. can't stand that! you really get into it, thank you for your time and work!
I'm Neil suarez.. I am from Venezuela .. yours videos are very good. . Congratulations friend.. I always see it.
In the next software update, when the tool boots-up it will say ETCG instead of Encore! You read it here first!!
Sad part is they are like buying a new computer they are obsolete after you buy it. After 2 years you my as well by another scan tool.
This tool is horrible I'm hoping that they fix it?
At this price range Eric, you should of tried a computer based scanner like auto enginuity and a fast laptop.
Would this tool work on my 1992 Nissan 300zx?
It depends if it was modified for ODBII, a quick internet search shows that it is pre-ODBII, which this tool would not even plug into. You would almost certainly be looking at ODBI, and would need an ODBI tool. Eric touches on this in the video if you watch it all the way through, he said something to the effect of "1996 and newer" in relation to what the tool can be used for, and goes onto talk about a few more advanced features that are only available on newer automobiles.
FFirst LLast thanks for the info. I must've missed when Eric mentioned it.
Boy they've come a long way since the OTC Genisys. Now THAT has a HUGE case! I'd love to get rid of it, but it's still useful to scan older cars with it's plethera of cables and cards and power adapters. It's nice to see that they don't hold the European makes hostage for $900 and put a lock icon over them now. That drove me crazy. I felt teased and resentful. This new one starts up fast too. No more Ford Taurus screen followed by "Loading Parameters!"
Hiw does this tool compare to a Snap-On MODIS Edge?
The DLC port is probably strapped onto an internal USB port. Probably easy to hack into a better tablet.
I actually won one of these and waiting on delivery. They sent me a tracking number today.
I've been entering everyday.
what did they make you do after you were selected?
pdgeman they sent me 2 forms to sign. One for tax purposes and the other I can't recall at the moment. The tool arrived Wednesday and is pretty nice.
I won one yesterday and immediately sent in the tax and affidavit. Did they contact you back with a reply or just send you a tracking number?
you lucky lucky dog you...lol congratulations man. I don't mean to one up you or anything but I found a $20 bill on the ground the other day lol
how does this compare to a $1500 Autoenginuity Scanner + a $400 laptop?
hi can you do a review on the autel scan tool I want to know your opinion on it I do see its pretty affordable at $839.99 thank you love the channel Eric
Nice
Camera work could be better, in this review tripod a better choice?
As to the tool as a whole maybe ok, but they could have put a better hardware - it really dosnt cost much more, it should have some kind of offline mode too.
Hmm it seems the software upgrade didnt do it any good, do a backstep if you can eric, you hand scanner would have reacted so much faster.
It looks like they forgot the functionality should allways come first, internet links and gimmics need to be ignored, hope you get it behaving itself, looked like a nice tool :-)
probably doesn't have the air suspension, but if my 20 year old ford SUV (98 expedition) has an immobilizer stock from factory as standard on ALL trims, i find it hard to believe that a 13 year old toyota suv doesn't
Love seeing android being implemented into devices.
From watching the past few videos, I was thinking maybe. But after this video I am sure now. You hired a camera man. CONGRATS It will greatly improve your repair videos when you can preform work with both hands and still keep everything in frame.
A few things kinda wondering about
1.Any type of 12V adapter
2.Any type of recording function
3.If no on #1 how long is batt life while in use?
After 2 years how do you like the Encore now sir? Still loving it? Keeping it? Selling it?
Sorry to say Blade, Haven't been used since then.
I just can't see why a simple Android application couldn't do all of this. It is however not a slow device but very comprehensive. For the easy stuff it will be faster just getting an easy OBDII cheap tool, but if you need more information..... Its going to take some time....
Can you add more RAM memory to it?
Not to my knowledge but they do provide software updates that help keep the tool updated.
You can't add ram to tablets...
fightingfalconfan
Not entirely true, Some, not all tablets do offer a bigger ram chip sets for installs. It's rather expensive and the gain usually isn't all that great but some tablets, and phones are able to add larger amounts of ram.
fightingfalconfan I've never had a tablet that didn't have a spot for a mini sd card. Eric did put a SD card in it. He added to it's memory without thinking about it...his goal was more so there was another way to transfer data from it to a computer.
You both are getting SD card memory and RAM confused...they are not interchangeable.
looks like an ordinary tablet to me. In a waterproof case.....
I feel like an Bluetooth ELM327 with an galaxy tab and torque is $1675 less and would blow this thing away.
Hey, Eric, could you take a look and possibly review 2 ios apps for Ipad? Autolaunch & easydiag (made by the same company) the screenshots look a lot like the interface of this android device, so there is a chance (although slim) that they may have similar functionality. You will need an ipad though.
Thanx
Car dude do you work on surbura awd cars
Eric dudr seriously, I told maybe I say 2 Marines in pendleton about your channel. Now seriously 10+ marines watch and love your sh**! We love what you do and you help Marines tackle automotive challenges every single day!
Keep it up
Wait? Who is holding the Camera?
The next version of this tool will include EricTheCarGuy videos on how to fix your video! :-)
Good day ETCG. So now that you've had the encore for a couple of years, do you still like it? Any major issues?
Love my autel maxiCheck pro got it for 300$ it does epb/service reset/airbag/abs/tpms/steering angle reset/obd-2/live data of all components including electronic steering.
wow that thing is pricey!!!
hows old is the tool?
maybe they need to work out software issues still?
Eric has a camera person now?!
I am in the market for one of these encore scan tools. how has it worked for you so far since this review?
Any body have a recommendation for an OBD 1 scanner.
Wow.. I would not pay more than 150 for that. I have a 30 dollar old 2 scanner with a nexus 7 and it does everything that could do, plus more. With absolutely no loading screens. And to top It off all together came to 150
So basically, if they make some sort of an adaptor, so you could plug an OBD2 type plug into a normal android tablet. Couldn't you just purchase some software and do the same thing with a normal tablet?
Search "torque app" on Google play store.
You are assuming that the software is cheap or free, The software is what makes a tool like this useful. I am certain that the hardware on this scanner is not what drives the cost. The software to display and interface with all the control modules in so many vehicles is not a 99 cent ap you can get at the playstore.
howpeculiar
You should check out what the torque app can actually do and all the cool features it provides. It won't beat a professional scanner, but for the DIYer it's pretty nifty and useful.
Come to think of it, a friend of mine has a bluetooth OBD2 reader you can use with your phone. Software for it is 5 bucks, and the thing itself was around 20 I think. But I would like to see some software comparable to the tool in the video for sale to tablets. Sure it would be expensive, but a lot less expensive than the tool
The tablet is a cheap tablet, probaly inside a enclosed dock. But yea the software makes the price, If you get your hands on the tablet and Dump the ROM or someone leaks it on the internet, sure it can run on other stuff.
Some tablets like Lenovos Thinkpad has a full size USB port on it
So they couldn't just make an App for every phone that reads Bluetooth OBDII.. They had to give you an Ugly crappy Tablet as well..
+Ioannis Tzon Tsolakidis Just buy yourself an Bluetooth or Wi-Fi ELM327 for next to nothing (10-15 bucks) and download an OBD Auto Doctor app. It has all these functions and it runs way waaaay faster. The app is free too and is available on all the phones Android, Windows Phone (I don't know about iPhone, but I don't care about Apple's overpriced crap anyway so that's not a minus in my mind, but it should be available there as well if you're into that). It even does fuel trims and that kinda stuff.
+Ioannis Tzon Tsolakidis For the home gamer, a bluetooth ODBII connector, Torque and google will do the job; but in a workshop, you don't really want to be relying on your personal smartphone or consumer tablet and cheap ODBII adapter; you want something that is a bit more robust, and ideally does everything at once.
It also looks like it has manufacturer specific codes on there; IE my Torque/ODBII can't touch the body control module on my car.
The price is high for a home user, but for a workshop charging £30 for diagnostics, it'd pay for itself pretty quickly.
A $30 Bluetooth OBII adapter from Amazon and $5 Android App will do 90% of this devices capabilities. Also is 10x faster and can use your phones LTE network (no need to setup WiFi). I will take $1800 worth of hand tools over any diagnostic tool any day of the week.
HI BRO
Cool but poorly developed apps and OS.
I wouldn't blame the OS any way with this device's poor performance. Android 4.2.2 is still very good.
He recently put this scanner on a new video and he said that a lot of the slowness is gone after an update.
Identifix is AWESOME by the way. has saved my butt a couple of times with weird stuff
Little Bit expensive but yeah, i understand how useful might be this tool but in my opinion, universal diagnostics tools mostly sucks.
If i have vw (seat, skoda, audi) using ROSS-TECH.
If i have fiat (alfa, lancia, opel), using MultiEcuScan.
And etc...
But very well thanks for this useful video Eric. Good job.
For live pid monitoring, you've got to check out Torque Pro sometime Eric.
Android is quite slow on some devices
You should do a review on the autel maxisys pro. Great tool
hey, eric has a camera man, now..........
You'll be seeing more of his work in future videos.
This tool is for rich people. Too bad I'm not rich.
That Tablet Seems like a waste of Money, Its just a Single Core Android tablet with Different I/O Ports. Seems easier to just do something like this with a laptop or something. It doesent Even have the Play Store on it. you have to manualy instal it.
Yeah it seems you could take a normal laptop, and or tablet and a USB cable with an ODB adapter? Not sure if they make those, but it seems likely that they exist. A quick search and I found ELM327, it's a USB to ODBII connector, the only thing left would be the software needed to read the codes, which a dumbed down, cheap version might be included, and or find other software that is compatible, and then the cost of a cheap laptop/tablet whatever is compatible, and there you go. A likely cheaper way to go, but not all in one package, and likely a bit more knowledge involved to get the features you want.
Informative review video Eric! Nice camera work Brian!
You'll be seeing more of his work in future videos.
This tool is NOT worth the price, i would still like to have one for much less money though!