AHC Healthave check at dealer

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Drogon

Drogon

10 Year
Joined
Jun 28, 2015
Threads
61
Messages
435
Location
Black Hills, SD
Toyota dealer quoted $80.00 for techstream health check of vehicle and AHC system. To much?
 
you can buy the software off amazon or ebay for $25 and keep it forever - certain computer software required but you likely have it. $80 is 45-60min of labor for a 2 min job .. but sure is convenient. I felt like the lexus dealer didnt even know what the numbers on AHC pressure meant. member PADDO has a wealth of info on this and is a great resource to utilize when it comes to your techstream readings.
GL
 
Drogon said:
Toyota dealer quoted $80.00 for techstream health check of vehicle and AHC system. To much?
Click to expand...
Well I guess they have to keep the lights on and such and have to charge something for their time and resources. What were you looking to get advice on? We can help you out with all the functional FSM stuff, timings, height ranges etc and there's a pretty solid body of knowledge on repair and tuning the system. If you regularly change your fluid and keep pressures optimized for best ride quality there isn't a whole lot more to do - mitigate rust if you're in such a zone with fluid film I suppose. The ability to read pressures and DTCs in your driveway (Techstream) as regularly as you want is invaluable to learning how the system generally functions and responds to changes in weight distribution.
Just crystal balling: new fluid if you don't know when it was last changed, coil spacers and new coils if they are original, adjust torsion bars for side-to-side level, check and adjust height sensors for front and rear vehicle height and finally adjust torsion bars to lower (in 99% of situations) pressure for optimum damping and ride.
 
My goal was to determine my n pressure. I can then confirm if I need to adjust the torsion bars and replace rear coils.

I cancelled my appointment with the dealer and might try techstream. I have windows 10 so I am not sure how compatible the program will be with my operating system.

I replaced my fluid about six months ago.
 
Confirmed with Toyota TIS tech support at the start of the year that Techstream is incompatible with anything past Win 8.1 with no plans to develop for Win 10 now or the foreseeable future. My guess is they will at some point, but it's not in the pipeline (meaning at least a year or more out at the earliest).

That said, do it right and get a Win XP, 7 or 8/8.1 device and a genuine Mongoose Pro 2 MFC from Drewtech and not the cheap knock-off cables that are only partially operable, if that. It'll pay for itself. Personally, I utilize the latest build of Techstream, 10.30.029, direct from TIS on a Surface Pro 3 i3 running Win 8.1 with a genuine Mongoose Pro 2 MFC (green chassis). I spent a little over $1k total for this setup just for my rig, but the things I can now do myself without relying on dealer... :flipoff2::wrench::steer::beer:
 
I went the other route. Paid $22 for the knock off cable on amazon and hacked techstream using this guide. I'm running it on a windows 8 laptop with no issues (some guys on here are using $100 windows tablets). I personally would consider this "doing it right" as I like to save money.
 
There's always exceptions to rules. You took a risk and lucked out in receiving a cable that functions for your purposes. However, it's well documented that the knock-offs don't interoperate with the full range of ECUs in our rigs and the quality control in them is nigh existent. As the old adage goes, "buyer beware". My advice to inquirers is to research the pros and cons of all possible configurations and products and weigh the value of their time, money and reliability of their rig and kit to find a solution that works for them. Seeing the money many here dump into their rigs for rather superficial mods negates the argument for skimping on a product that'll last the life of their current rig and also interoperable with ANY Lexus, Toyota, Scion and CAN-BUS/ODB-II compliant vehicle.
 
I don't believe I lucked out. Most people seem to have success with the knockoff cables, well documented across many Toyota related boards. Some people have issues, some people aren't tech savy enough to work through them, some cables are probably junk out of the box. In my humble opinion, "rolling the dice" on a $22 (returnable) cable is option 1, 2, and 3 when the alternative is $500. To each their own though.
 
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That's part of it, yes. Reason being? The knock-offs aren't able to communicate with the full spectrum of ECUs in our highly sophisticated rigs.

Success is relative. I was once where the OP was and I educated myself via many sources, even the very thread you referenced. Cheaper is not always better. Again, it may work for your specific needs, which seems to not be at the depth of someone like myself (don't let the post count fool you though this volley is elevating me to the 10-Posters, w00t!). Let's hope for yours and the sake of others that have purchased and relying on the knock-off that they'll never require a deeper level of ECU access than that of changing some C-BEST. Things like an ECU reflash is NOT possible with your "mangoose" or similar cable. I am of a wise school of thought that subscribes "it's best to buy of quality and buy once instead of buying of lower quality and buying twice"... plus some.

Additionally, The Drewtech cable is made in America and I, being a proud American, prefer to patronise my fellow citizen who's labored to make a quality product that completely and totally suffices for the functions I need (the anti-walmart effect) and keep my money supporting them and our economy. Yes, we drive a Japanese vehicle, but we collectively know why we do. I vote with my money. Lastly, though we've all been guilty at one point or another, what you and others who've acquired both the cable and the bootleg techstream have done is engage in, support and promote piracy. Hacking Techstream to bypass registration and buying a cable that's likely infringing upon hardware/software patents doesn't garner a warm 'n' fuzzy feeling inside. Piracy isn't something the creators/mods of this forum would advocate and certainly not what I'd advocate to someone looking for some solid advice.

Indeed, to each his own and I see from the upvotes of your comments that you've got your following providing your validation. However, I stand strong behind my statements and offering my experience to the hopeful benefit of a fellow 100-series enthusiast inquiring into viable and complete options available to provide real solutions to serve his very real needs not just in immediacy, but for as long as he owns his current rig... and his next... and next...
 
Though you probably caught on, the "you" in my post refers to TheWhiskeyWorks, not you, trizzo. Oh the joys of post timing and my lack of familiarity with the breadth of functions in this forums as a long-time guest, new contributor :cheers:
 
The OP started this thread asking if $80 was too much to pay the dealer to have his AHC system checked. Telling him he should do it right by buying a $500 cable isn't really that helpful in my opinion. The vast majority of us are interested in techstream for some pretty basic stuff. I believe I speak for many when I say that the knockoffs are so cheap you can't afford not to buy one, and the legit cable so expensive that I would NEVER buy one.

... And I'm plenty warn n fuzzy inside knowing I saved $480.
 
We'll have to agree to disagree where it concerns the knock-off cable and ethics of piracy. The thread isn't about us, but the OP. We've provided him with perspectives from differing angles. I wish him success in whichever option he chooses and that it serves his needs for more than just the immediacy of a one-off AHC system check to save $80.

Whiskey does serve to provide a warm n fuzzy feeling inside. Drink responsibly :cheers:
 
Thanks for everyone's input. It is greatly appreciated. Both sides make great points, and I will consider them in my decision making.
 
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