There's a used one for sale online. Guy says it needs to be updated. Have sn idea what updated discs cost?
The final update is number 33.004 for North America and it will come on the old PCMCIA card. They run for $60 and on up on eBay. If you have an old PCMCIA card and a slot in a laptop, you can download the software for $40 from a guy on eBay. I was going to make a spare card but threw my old PCMCIA cards away right before I bought the Tech-2 and finding NOS is ridiculous last time I looked.
There was an article on eBay that basically threw the clones under the bus for being unreliable. And I've found a few forums posts detailing issues when it came to the higher level calibration functions such as BCM work. If you have or have found one that doesn't give you issues, I'm quite interested.
I'd be after full functionality - gauge cluster stuff, ABS bleed procedures, BCM calibration for stuff like power seat work, etc etc.
I remember seeing some articles like that and later discounted them due to the OPs inexperience. None of the guys on TYF who bought them have mentioned any such limitations or problems. One guy here bought one just to program his transmission and it worked like a charm. As said in the original post, I do not believe that these are clones. Just think of the infrastructure that would have to be put in place to manufacture them.
I've had three issues worth mentioning. First, the PCMCIA card slot is shaped in such a way to make removal of the card very difficult. Modifying the doors solves this. One other fella on here experienced the same thing. I had limited functionality in the beginning until I determined that the OBDII adapter was faulty. The factory and I originally thought it was the CANdi module and they were all set to send another when the real culprit was found. They promptly sent another which is kept as a spare. Suspecting this, I bought one off Amazon Prime to confirm my suspicions. Finally, I had the screen flash white last month whenever I ran the AC Compressor off the cigar lighter in the cab when filling the tires. This hadn't happened before or since and was during a move so it is possible the Tech-2 was jostled around or the cable connecting directly underneath it is going bad as it's always bent and in my way. Think I'll pick up a spare. I use it a lot and would not be surprised if it had 200 hours of use already.
