Autel MaxiAP AP200 OBD2 Scanner Bluetooth, Wireless OBD II Diagnostic Tool

SUMMARY: If you own a European car/suv and perform maintenance, service or repairs you WILL save money having one of these. Autel makes great full featured dedicated scanners if you are a vehicle owner and need to reset maintenance lights or "register" new 12v batteries that cannot be done with the car's dash / info center then this is a good way to stay away from the dealership to perform those tasks. WHAT I LIKE: This ODBII scanner/dongle's software is similar to the software on Autel scanners so if you're familiar with how Autel does things you won't have much learning curve although it does have a little different look and feel The price is very good it's about 1/3 the cost of the hand held scanners with similar features and a fraction of the price for the full featured ("hot" service) tablet type scanners that other brands and even Autel sells. I purchased to perform a battery "registration" on my wife's 2013 Mini Countryman which has the IBS/BMS (Intelligent Battery System/ Battery Management System) that should have a new battery "registered" when installed. A trip to the dealer for a new battery would cost about $300 (perhaps more nowadays as the last time I had a battery installed in a Mini the dealer quoted almost $300 and that was in 2019 - so almost certainly 20-30% or more today). With the new battery being about $180 after taxes and the price of the AP200 I'm saving money right from the start - I have another car where the battery will likely need to be replaced this year so even more savings then. Of course battery registration is just one of the things this scanner can do - electronic parking brake "service mode" when a brake job is being done, and oil change service light resets. I plan on trying the "smart key" immobilizer section here shortly - I'll post my experience after I've attempted that - I've seen videos where new keys have been added on BMW/Mini cars of similar generation to the ones I have so I'm hopeful - if that works the cost of this scanner/dongle is well worth the price paid. WHAT I DON'T LIKE: The software is a bit "unintuitive" - there are sections at the bottom of the screen for "ME" and "MAIL" after a few minutes of use you figure it out but if you're only a casual user you'll likely forget how to navigate the app and have to learn it again. Other quirky things are the app is on a touch screen device (I'm not aware of many apple or android devices that do not have a touch screen) but yet they have "keys" at the bottom of the screen labeled "F2" "F3" "ESC", etc. - I think I understand why Autel did this - to avoid selecting something by mistake but there is also a confirmation if any input will do something you may not wish to do such a clear codes or reset a value. It's not a deal breaker, just a bit clunky. While the one included make of vehicle is nice and not including all makes is likely a way to keep costs down you start to do the math if you have more than two makes of vehicles and start to look at other Autel tablet scanners that will come with all vehicle makes (although perhaps not for "life"). OBSERVATIONS: I didn't have any issues connecting with WiFi enabled as other reviews mention, although I have good WiFi in my garage and decent wireless coverage for my phone - I didn't have to switch off my WiFi. I was able to download the Android app with the QR code and it was on the Google Play store - I didn't have to enable anything to install it from another app store or location. I already had an Autel account (for another TPMS scanner) but had to reset my forgotten password to get the app setup and to download my included car manufacturer add-on. There wasn't excessive requests for permissions by the Autel or added apps so no "we need access to your address book" nonsense. I've not tried any "coding" apps like Carly or BimmerCode with this dongle - will be interesting to see if these work with this dongle and I won't have to spend additional on another one. After I've used this a bit more I'll post an update - so far it looks to be money well spent and is very useful for shade tree mechanics and DIY'ers at home looking to save money doing their own maintenance / repairs.

I have bought three of these overtime: one for Honda, one for Hyundai, and one for a Toyota for an average price of $60 each. I keep the scanner in the glove compartment. I liked the free lifetime update. Keep in mind that the full system scanning and the advanced two-way communication works only one brand (make) of car you choose. For example, if you choose Toyota, you get the full feature and unlimited updated for all model of Toytota. If you ant to use the advanced feature using the same scanner by connecting to a Honda, you have to buy a separate annual license for it. The scanner does diagnose all systems including tire monitoring system (TPMS) and Safety Restraint System (SRS). I have used it for programming a remote key for my Hyundai. Diagnosed TPMS for my Honda. If you want to take an OBD system to Africa and Middle East area, Autel scanner will work while others may not work. I have tested this. I taken the Autel and another brand scanner to Africa and tested. The Autel scanner did work for a Toyota made for Middle East/Africa region; where as, another OBD brand did not work.

UPDATE : 09/01/2020 Updated this tool after the last time it was used over a year ago. It's still just as frustrating & a real pain to use as it was over a year ago. So back in the electronics tool box it goes. Who knows maybe try it again next year. My techs don't even want this tool as I tried to give it away to them. Any how it reads codes & clears codes if that's what you want to do. But it's frustrating to set up & to get it working & as said before you need to be close to a WiFi connection to use this thing to update it as well as to register it as well as register it to your phone or tablet. It is what it is that's all just wish the registration process was a lot easier is all. Thanks & good luck, Dave Work smarter not harder. Be Safe. I got this on sale at a fair price for what it is and for what it does other then all the little issues and bugs that it has. I own several scan tools as in well over 10 and I have owned a lot of these tools through out the years from OEM Factory tools to the cheapest smallest tools. That being said this tool was a real pain in the butt to get it to sink up with my phone and to get it registered online. This tool will perform basic diagnostics on pretty much any vehicle. But if you want to do anything else with this tool like any of the service items to relearn keys, re set throttle relearn, crank relearn, transmission relearn you have to pay $15.00 bucks to fully unlock that vehicle to do so and to see more data. I paid the extra $15.00 bucks to perform a transmission relearn on a 2006 PT CRUISER 2.4L as well as to program 2 new keys and two new remotes , key fobs. Well this tool will not do any of the service Hot Function reset relearns at all. In fact it won't do any of them and I tried all different kinds of ways to do so. It will how ever retrieve fault codes and earase fault codes but that's it. I also updated the tool along with the software in the tool and on the phones app as well as I updated the firm ware. And it still will not perform any resets or relearns. So I paid another $15 bucks to unlock the Chevy section as well as I paid another $15 bucks to unlock the Ford section. I tested this tool on Chevy trucks and cars and well as Ford trucks and cars. So out of all of the vehicles that we tried to use this tool on the only one that we found that it would do any kind of service function test - reset - relearn of any kind was on a 2003 Ford Expedition and the only function it would do was relearn a remote key fob and that's the only thing that it would do other then to read and clear codes. So if all you want to do is read and clear codes this will work for you. But if you want to perform any Service items, relearns, resets, reset the oil change light, relearn any transmission, relearn ckp, relearn, throttle body, relearn immo - program new keys or key fob remotes of any kind, this tool is not for you and a waste of time and money. Another thing that I don't like about this scan tool is that while your using the tool and looking at fault codes or any data the whole screen flashes and reads system language changed resetting tool and beeps and it will do it off and on for awhile and drives you crazy as then at times it will kick you out of the fault codes or vehicle data that you were trying to read. Then you have to start all over again to log back into that vehicle. That been said it makes the tool work very slow and so very frustrating just to look up a fault code or to do anything. I feel that I deserve a refund for the unlocked 3 vehicle makes that I unlocked at 15 bucks a pop which is more then what I paid for the tool. Would I buy this tool again NO WAY. Would I recommend for someone else to buy this scan tool NO WAY. This Blue Tooth Scan Tool won't do any Service resets, relearns on anything in that area even if you pay extra money.. But it will look up fault codes and clear fault codes for engine fault codes at least not sure about abs, air bag, trans, bcm, and so on. As it would see some systems and others it would not and was very limited even at that. As well as this tool is so very Frustrating to use as well as to set it up just to use it and while doing so you better have a really good internet connection as well as a good hour - 2 hours or more to get it set up and working. It took me over 4 hours and three trys to get it set up and even at that I ended up using a extension cable from the dlc - obd connecting that is 6 feet long in order to scan the dam thing while registering it as that's the only way that I could get it registered. Over all this scan tool is not worth all the trouble even if they gave it away for free. Thanks for reading and hope that helps someone. Dave 30 Years Experience as well as 25 Years ASE CERTIFIED MASTER TECH, AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER, as well as 15 years current Automotive Shop Owner Napa Certified Shop. Thanks, Good luck to you and yours. Buy American the job you save just maybe your own.

On my first connection through my iPhone 11, it was fast and I got the readout in less than two minutes. The next day I try to reconnect this through my Infiniti to see whether or not I can get all the detail codes, It was a different story. It took over five minutes to connect and almost 20 minutes to get all the readings. I was so ready to return this and give it a one star. After trying a different device I have similar results were the first connection was fast and the subsequent connections were kind of slow. The quick way to fix this is to literally forget the device And pair them up again. It has worked smoothly for the last two times and now the connection is very fast and the readings are a lot quicker. Instead of a 20 mins wait, it is now less than four minutes. I believe the software is a little bit glitchy. However it is not bad and the thing is is that once connected properly you can do a lot with this little device. I also subscribe to the premium subscription for infinity and several of the car makers. Realize that once the one year is up the subscription will be canceled and you will not be able to use it again until you re-subscribe it. However the basic ODB readings will still work. That should be enough to get the basic diagnosis through without paying an annual fee. However with the payment of the subscription you get a lot more in terms of analysis and running other tests. Overall I highly recommend this device because it’s affordable and I could give you a lot of information you can even reset some of the check engine codes. If you’re not technology oriented, I will probably stay away for me because the connection part was a pain to get through. Especially when it stopped working and you’re sitting around waiting 30 minutes for it to connect. I took away one star for being the crappy connection I get with the software.

Superb device easy to use. I was able to get Porsche DME print outs on 2 cars I just bought and to check if I would pass a NY State emissions test using OBD II readiness checks. Thoroughly recommended and easy to use with iPhone interface. Product is robust. No real instructions but Google Gemini was able to walk me through it quickly

About me - former pro tech for just a year and a half, I do a vast majority of my own maintenance. If it doesn’t require a lift or an engine hoist I usually tackle it. So I just went through a painful experience with a Foxwell NT510 which has a great reputation for BMW...but I couldn’t get it to scan any specific modules on my 2012 535i. To Foxwell’s credit they helped me for weeks before finally agreeing to a full refund. I saw this and knew Autel had a great reputation for Euro import software and gave it a try. I wanted several of their $400 scanners but I just had issues justifying that expense. Benefit with those is you get tons of makes - downside is you pay for updates (usually at least $150/year). It was easy to set up and it’s really easy to use. It scans tons of modules and gets lots of live data in charts that you can easily manipulate the range, C or F, display type, etc. Example: to change the trans fluid on this car (I don’t believe that any automotive fluid is really “lifetime”) you have to complete the final fill at a certain operating temp range - this tool will give you real time data. Turbo spool RPM’s Engine oil temp Wheel speed sensors (these can cause all sorts of issues with these cars - if you have a bad one you can easily see because all 4 are shown at the same time on the same screen as you drive). It can even tell you what door is open - I guess this is helpful if you’re having door contact sensor issues. What it cannot do? As far as I can tell it won’t do any two way active programming (like programming a battery). So you can’t really change setting or program modules - like transfer case adaptations or setting/initializing window module settings. This sucks because the Foxwell was supposed to do some of that but I got no joy from that tool. Keep in mind I’ve spent a grand total of 10 minutes with this tool but so far it’s an incredible value for a majority of users that need live data and manufacturer specific codes. Even if you aren’t a home mechanic it’s useful to pull codes when the light goes on (or iDrive warning pop up) and do some internet research (there’s a button next to the code readout that searches Google for you) and educate yourself so the mechanic doesn’t just completely hammer you with lies. WELL DONE AUTEL - this product was a long time coming and you guys nailed the value proposition. I’d have paid twice this amount for adaptations and programming but I understand you have to protect your pro level $1000+ scanners. But if you’re listening my wallet is at the ready. I’ll update this review as I learn more about the tool. But so far I love it.

After replacing the brake actuator on my 2014 Prius V this little scanner had no problem doing the brake bleed procedure and linear valve offset relearn that everyone swore I would need a much more expensive scanner to do.

I've used this thing on a couple of different vehicles to do diagnostics and perform other services. In some ways its a step up from your generic OBD reader, in some ways its a step down. The TL;DR is that its really helpful if your diagnosing a problem outside the ECU or a problem in the ECU where you need to dive deep. The Good: The tool will let you read a whole bunch of data a standard OBD scanner won't. It'll read most manufacturer specific codes and it'll get you live data you can't see on regular scan tool. Its great for diagnosing issues outside of the ECU, things like ABS and transmission issues. And it'll also clear these codes, usually. The Meh: The most of the "maintenance" functions only work on a select few vehicles. This is understandable except for the tiny fact that the select vehicles list doesn't make much sense. I would have assumed I could use the brake bleed function on my Civic, guessed wrong on that one. Ditto for any key programming, although for some reason the functionality seems to exist for my Land Rover. The Bad: The software sucks. There's no other way to put it. I've seen high schoolers high on weed write better software. Autel, if you're listening, the single best thing you could do is to fire whatever programmer you have and hire a new one, if they can write their own name they can write a better app. The cheap generic OBD apps have 100x better design than this. The first annoyance? It doesn't save your login information so you've gotta enter your username and password all the time. Then the updates are painful. It won't update individual vehicle apps unless you use them. So you might be trying to do a diagnostic and it'll stop because it needs an update first. The only way to check for updates to actually connect to the bluetooth dongle and try to use a particular manufacturer app. And you gotta do them one by one. And they're slow, it takes 5 or 10 minutes to update one manufacturer. Why make things easy with auto updates? And then the software is slow. Like really slow. Like you might want to grab lunch slow. My $10 OBD dongle with the $5 software is quicker at auto ID. Now once your in the up the UI is horrible. There's no way to globally set your unit preferences. If you want temperature in Farenheit you gotta set each PID one at a time. No way to save a list of live PIDs. God help you if you back out because you'll have to select them all over again. Also don't switch out of the app, it'll randomly stop working requiring a force quit and restart. And on top of all this they need a UI designer. What the buttons do is unclear, the interface is a mess, and some options make no sense. That's just a short list of app problems.

Good product. I can check the system of my car for any fault and deletes it if it can be deleted. Literally you check the status of your car and its current condition. Easy to use with your mobile phone. Though you need to know some vehicle terms in order to fully understand what has been mentioned in your screen.

Did exactly what I expected it to do and more. Love this thing. I always wanted an Autel just could never afford it. Closed my eyes and bought this one and don't regret it one bit.

very good quality and product but unfortunately it's not fully compatible with my car haval h9 2022

Excelente, tiene las funciones de un scanner mucho mas caro

Handy device for DIY person. good qulaity product and app works great. This is good for reading error codes and some mainatnce resets