Bill in A.
Autel.com is fine; caution with resellers (for renewals)
My experience with purchasing my Autel scanner, pre- and post-purchase support have all been good. The problem comes with the renewals for the software. I am a DIY home mechanic who likes to maintain my own vehicles 2005 Toyota Sienna and 2010 Camry. Purchased the scanner primarily to troubleshoot and eventually replace and calibrate the Steering Wheel Sensor in the Sienna after discovering it wasn't reading correctly after self-replacing the rack and pinion. Ran the rest of the checks and find the rest are fine. Same for Camry. So now, with all that over within the first year, I am faced with the challenge to pay the $150 software renewal fee -- for just two Toyota vehicles and unlikely need to retest in foreseeable future. I wish there was a way for them to charge a more limited fee for a limited set of vehicles. I did a search on line for the renewal alternatives. Found one called Autel-officialsite. I assumed it was some form of reseller, but decided to give it a try for its closer to $100 'make an offer' price. I did receive my activation code, but there was a lot of confusion in trading messages with that seller. First implied that I would receive a renewal that was 13 months (vs 12), but that didn't happen. Then a comment that if I wasn't in a hurry, the renewal would be good until 2029, but with no clarification that I could have just 'sat' on the code until I really needed it. Also, the renewal is supposed to include a physical card with the renewal code. I received a tracking confirmation that the card was shipped, but not to my address. I assume the recipient address might be the reseller, but he will not confirm or explain. So Autel.com is fine, but they need to better discipline their resellers.