Review on Autel MaxiDas DS708 for OBD I old cars

The local Autel shop is peddling the Autel MaxiDas DS708. It seems to be a fairly inclusive scan tool at a price that is attractive enough that I am strongly considering purchasing one for personal use…

From what I can tell, they are relatively new to the US market and nobody around here has heard of them, so before I buy one (yes I’ll demo it too) I’d like some input from those who have seen one in the wild…

 

The problem is that I want OBD 1 coverage AND ABS/airbag, something that the average sub 400.00 scan tool wont do… Some one says DS708 is disappointing in the coverage of older vehicles – it works on none of old Japanese plugs – Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, the only OBDI it works on is Honda, it’s useless on the rest. But does Mercedes and BMW.

 

Some days later, I had the MaxiDas unit on demo from the diyobd2. I can say that I’ll likely opt not to buy it. One of the big reasons for me buying a tool of this caliber is to be able to use it on the wife’s OBD I car and access her ABS and airbag info. This unit will not communicate with OBD I in site of the fact that it comes with the GM 12 pin connector. Also noticed some (simple) spelling errors (like engein instead of engine). Not sure why that bugs me but it does. I plugged it into an 03 Olds Alero and was pleasantly surprised at it’s level of accessibility. I could reprogram key fobs, reset trans adaptives, do CKP variation relearns and command several relays and widgets for testing purposes. Also had access to all live data in the BCM, SRS and ABS.

The Snap-On rep stopped by this week and made a smoking deal on a China site. It’s supposed to be faster than previous offerings and still be quite capable.

 

I got the Autel DS708 unit this Monday. I have to say how lucky i am can get it with the best price (€ 699). It’s said that DS708 has been stopped production and now at sales in China. I am sure it is original one as before for i have taken it to the local shop to verify. So now, if anyone has specific questions concerning it, feel free to ask.