Bosch scanners? What happened to them?

[1Bad55Chevy]

20 something years ago I was working in my uncle's shop part time. He put a OTC Genisys scanner in my hand and told me these were probably the best on the market. Fast forward to about 2018 I paid a ton of money for a rebranded OTC Encore scanner off the Corwell truck and loved it. Now in 2025 my Encore scanner took a **** and I replaced it with an Autel MS906MAX and it is exponentially better then the OTC scanner!

Now my question here is what happened to Bosch? I see they still list diagnostic tools on their website but I haven't seen any tech using a Bosch (besides myself) in years. Is anyone here using one or know of any company that still uses their software? It seems crazy that these Chinese companies knocked them out of the Market.

 

[jsaw]

At work we had an OTC encode. OTC was bought by Bosch. They told us that they were no longer going to support the Encore, but since We had kept the Encore updated that They would send us a Bosch to replace it.

While the Bosch had some features that We really liked it had issues getting through gateway modules on the Ford E series that we work on. We were constantly on the phone for technical support to get it to work, and it requires an internet connection to get past the gateway modules that lots of vehicles use, and perform functions like cylinder contribution tests.
While the tool had some features that we really liked , it did not work for us. We gave up on the Bosch tool. It has been sitting in a drawer for months.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

That's sad.

Looking online just now it looks like the MAC scanners are Bosch powered. I don't think i have ever seen a tech holding a MAC scanner. I don't think i know any techs using MAC tools either so that might be why..

 

[dnschmidt]

Autel, Launch and Topdon killed the overpriced Bosch scanners. They never delivered much in the way of bang for the buck and the Chinese, as they usually do, ate their lunch.

 

[richfinn]

You can still get Bosch KTS scanners in Europe, they are compulsory for Bosch Service centres, the main difference between them and the Chinese brands is the inclusion of ESI (a kind of information system for Bosch systems).

It's probably irrelevant in the USA nowadays

BOSCH KTS 590 and Master Pack - Technical Topics

The innovative features of the Bosch KTS 590 diagnosis module will speed up your workshop operations, improve accuracy and enhance potential.

techtopics.co.uk

 

[tiredoldironworker]

Bosch wanted 1200 to update every year or would brick the device. Went with brand new Autel for 500. Frack Bosch.

 

[Fedwrench]

I'll start off by saying that any aftermarket scan tool is a compromise regardless of which brand it is. In the past, OTC scan tools from the old Monitor series 4000 and up have been ok but not great. The first generation Genisys was really slow to boot up. The second generations were pretty good. The encore was a decent tool. Times change and Launch, Autel, Topdon, Thinkcar, and all of the other alphabet series of brands have flooded the market with lower priced options. These versions are popular for their lower price, free updates on certain models. However, they are limited in what they do depending on what you're working on. many issues on a modern vehicle are often fixed with a reflash. You're not going to reflash anything with an inexpensive scan tool. But I digress. I think Bosch/OTC chose not to pursue the lower priced scan tool market.