Autel scan tools on Amazon?

[Coloshaver]

I need to upgrade from my BMW specific Foxwell to a scan/diagnostic tool that covers more brands - BMW, Porsche, Audi, Jeep, Ford . . .. The Autel tools seem to cover most of my needs, but I wonder about the ones available on Amazon. I can find a lot of the xx808yy versions there with "The Autel Store" listed as the seller, but those models are not on the Autel.us site.

Do any of you have experience with the Autel units purchased from Amazon? Are they supported by Autel? Is the warranty good?

Autel seems to be the brand of high end consumer scan tools most often recommended, but I am not committed to that brand. I would be open to alternatives, but want the features of the Autel MK808BT PRO. I'm looking in the $500 range. Xtool? TopDon, iSoft?

Thanks,

 

[cgrutt]

I have an MP808 I believe it has been replaced with the MP909. I've purchased Autel from both Amazon and OBDPRICE no issues with registration etc.

 

[KnurledNut]

I purchased a MaxiDiag Pro off Amazon. Fully supported and no issues with reg. and updates.

 

[Chipm]

I suggest buying from AES Wave - they are awesome. That being said, I have a DS808 from Amazon that I registered and have kept current on subscriptions. It has been in for warranty service twice with no concerns over where ai purchased it.

 

[Theronswanson]

Amazon is not a verified seller per Autel's website.

 

[mikedodge]

It probably more comes down to if the sellers on anazon are authorized or not. There's so much Autel stuff on there you'd think if it's rebranded fakes they'd be after Amazon to pull it.

 

[Drunkonunleaded]

I wouldn’t chance it. Bought a MX808 off of eBay from what I thought was a reputable seller. Brand new unit. When I went to register, it said the serial was already tied to an account. Promptly returned the unit.

NAPA has the MX900 this quarter for $500 in Real Deals. I’d do that before rolling the dice with Amazon. JBTools may be worth checking out as well, not sure but I assume they’re an authorized retailer as well. I’d also check out AutoZone’s quarterly tool catalog.

 

[impactims]

Best just to stick with the Snap on Zeus scanner.

 

[Pinne]

Best just to stick with the Snap on Zeus scanner.

I definitely trust all of my Snap On tools, but that scanner is literally 25x the price of what OP is looking for.

 

[milkovich]

I think Autel is sold overseas and some of those are grey market imports, not supported by Autel USA. Part of the deal with Autel is the great support. Other brands can do the same things but may not have the factory menu layout or after sale support that Autel USA does a good job with IMO.

 

[shakenfake]

Autel has no USB-C charging. This is my biggest turn off with them but that may not matter to you.

I bought my Autel off of eBay and haven’t had an issue with it though. No idea if it is a supported vendor or not, I’ve never upgraded or needed support in the couple years I’ve owned it.

 

[CMB41]

I purchased the MX808 "new" from Amazon. It was already registered. I went back and forth with Autel for about a month. A more detailed account is up on Amazon as a review. Never resolved the issue. Returned to Amazon. YMMV

I bought the HF ICON T8 since the store is local to me and I know the guys there. No issues after a year. Comes with a 2 year subscription.

 

[Drunkonunleaded]

I purchased the MX808 "new" from Amazon. It was already registered. I went back and forth with Autel for about a month. A more detailed account is up on Amazon as a review. Never resolved the issue. Returned to Amazon. YMMV

I bought the HF ICON T8 since the store is local to me and I know the guys there. No issues after a year. Comes with a 2 year subscription.

Sounds like you had the same issue I had. Amazon is becoming increasingly like Temu/Aliexpress with every passing day. I no longer buy anything important from there unless I can be reasonably sure it's not counterfeit and/or i t doesn't matter if it is counterfeit. Bulk stainless washers? Sure. A Bahco ratcheting screwdriver? Ok. LED garage lights? Sign me up. A $400 scan tool? No way. Recently, I've even received what I suspect are counterfeit Ernst Wrench Pro organizers. Will only order directly from Ernst or JBTools going forward.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Always check the actual seller. If Amazon itself is selling an item, then it should be OK, but third party sellers on Amazon can be sketchy. Sometimes they sell knockoffs, counterfeits, or you may get an entirely different item, such as a woman's purse instead of a screwdriver set. That happened to me, but the seller let me return it and apologized. Some sellers are fine, but you just have to be careful.

When in doubt, send the company an email or give them a call.

 

[Sumboodie]

I got one off the Amazon.

The menus on it are very confusing, have to go like 4-5 levels for stuff that is in seemly random spots.

It seizes up often, and it lies... otherwise it's ok.

Haha.

 

[Skellyii]

I bought my last Autel from a vendor that was listed on the Autel website as an authorized dealer. It was for sale on Black Friday for only $20 more than the sketchy sellers on Amazon. No issues, of course.

If you can find a sale at NAPA, that would be fantastic, as they are an authorized dealer.

 

[tiredoldironworker]

I bought one Autel MX808z or something like that from Amazon a year ago Thanksgiving. It checked out as genuine then I bought 2 more Bluetooth versions. All are solid and work well. I did buy directly from Amazon and had absolutely no problems registering them with Autel.

 

[Drunkonunleaded]

Always check the actual seller. If Amazon itself is selling an item, then it should be OK, but third party sellers on Amazon can be sketchy. Sometimes they sell knockoffs, counterfeits, or you may get an entirely different item, such as a woman's purse instead of a screwdriver set. That happened to me, but the seller let me return it and apologized. Some sellers are fine, but you just have to be careful.

When in doubt, send the company an email or give them a call.

Not always true. Amazon may be an authorized retailer (for Autel I am unsure). The problem is that they pool their items with other vendors who use "Fulfillment by Amazon".

For example, let's say Ernst wants to sell Wrench Pros on Amazon. They set up the listing and send 1000 of them to Amazon for warehousing and fulfillment. Another vendor, "Rising Sun Happy Home Work Products LLC" wants to sell counterfeit Wrench Pros on Amazon. They too send 1000 counterfeit items to Amazon for warehousing and fulfillment. Now, you have 2000 items in one large pool and half are counterfeit. You can technically buy from Ernst via Amazon but end up with a counterfeit product. This happens very frequently and Amazon really has no reason or motivation to fix the issue.

Ethical and IP theft issues aside, maybe this isn't a big issue for magnetic wrench organizers. Ernst is the one getting screwed, the end user in this example will likely not know the difference. Apply the same scenario to CAT tourniquets or 3M respirator filters (which is where I first learned of this issue) and the whole thing becomes a bit more concerning.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Not always true. Amazon may be an authorized retailer (for Autel I am unsure). The problem is that they pool their items with other vendors who use "Fulfillment by Amazon".

For example, let's say Ernst wants to sell Wrench Pros on Amazon. They set up the listing and send 1000 of them to Amazon for warehousing and fulfillment. Another vendor, "Rising Sun Happy Home Work Products LLC" wants to sell counterfeit Wrench Pros on Amazon. They too send 1000 counterfeit items to Amazon for warehousing and fulfillment. Now, you have 2000 items in one large pool and half are counterfeit. You can technically buy from Ernst via Amazon but end up with a counterfeit product. This happens very frequently and Amazon really has no reason or motivation to fix the issue.

Ethical and IP theft issues aside, maybe this isn't a big issue for magnetic wrench organizers. Ernst is the one getting screwed, the end user in this example will likely not know the difference. Apply the same scenario to CAT tourniquets or 3M respirator filters (which is where I first learned of this issue) and the whole thing becomes a bit more concerning.

Geez. Amazon needs to get on that. Thanks for that.

 

[Drunkonunleaded]

Geez. Amazon needs to get on that. Thanks for that.

There was a big article in the NYT about it..... 4 years ago.

Amazon has no real incentive to fix this. They make money off of sales volume.

 

[blackwire]

Some affordable alternatives.

Gearwrench

GWSMART07 7" Wireless Bi-Directional Diagnostic Tablet - Gearwrench

Count on GEARWRENCH to get the job done. Get the GWSMART07 7" Wireless Bi-Directional Diagnostic Tablet here.

www.gearwrench.com

GWSMARTBT Professional Bi-Directional Diagnostic Scan Tool - Gearwrench

Count on GEARWRENCH to get the job done. Get the GWSMARTBT Professional Bi-Directional Diagnostic Scan Tool here.

www.gearwrench.com

Bluedriver

BlueDriver | Bluetooth Automotive Diagnostic Tool

BlueDriver is the industry-leading wireless Bluetooth OBD-II scan tool that transforms your smartphone into a professional automotive diagnostic center.

us.bluedriver.com

 

[rust in the eye]

I have less and less confidence in items from Amazon. Aside the counterfeiting going on there I'd not order something that may require the manufacturer's support from them.

 

[recountryman]

Autel "USA" has no authorized sellers on Amazon. Issue will be if you need support/warrenty...they wont help you. You will have to go thru Autel in China or whoever you bought it from. Doesn't even matter if its a Autel seller from China selling on Amazon...like motorzone, UBking or even Autel Direct. They are all coming from same place China just google their names and see the address. To me shouldn't matter but it's all about money.

 

[Buckaroo5]

Always check the actual seller. If Amazon itself is selling an item, then it should be OK, but third party sellers on Amazon can be sketchy. Sometimes they sell knockoffs, counterfeits, or you may get an entirely different item, such as a woman's purse instead of a screwdriver set. That happened to me, but the seller let me return it and apologized. Some sellers are fine, but you just have to be careful.

When in doubt, send the company an email or give them a call.

I also believe this is the key. I pay very close attention to the seller. If I am buying from a third party seller (which I don't often do), I am vetting them 100% before the purchase. As others have said, I also like AESwave for diagnostic equipment.

 

[Coloshaver]

Update

After a lot of research I chose the Autel DS808S-TS. I ended up buying from an on line site called diagmart.com. I had a couple questions before I ordered and they responded in just a couple minutes to my chat requests. It shipped quickly via UPS.

I received it today. It registered with Autel and I downloaded updates up to the 2024 model year on the vehicles I work on. I am still topping up the rechargeable battery, but I will try it on a couple cars as soon as it gets to 100%.