If you didn't want all the all-singing, all-dancing glitz of Techstream, you'd still know what PIDs to plug into some generic ELM327 tool if you needed some info on the side of the road. I really think the stupid PID lists ought to be as downloadable as the manuals.
There's not a lot of software sold that way any more, as they might notice if they took a look around. Likewise, I would pay something reasonable for a Techstream license but I'd prefer one that doesn't go ding at the end of some arbitrary time. Now that $15 opens them up on techinfo, trying to do any serious work without them is just penny-wise and pound-bonkers.
I paid about $200+ for my manuals (back when dead-tree versions were the thing) and have never regretted it, that's among the best auto-related dollars I've spent. That just doesn't fit the way people work, or want to work. The go-online-and-pay-for-an-activation model still strikes me as a big impairment to usability, because if I'm in the middle of a trip and some lights come on and I have the necessary hardware with me, I want to be using it to diagnose the car, not having to jump through administrative hoops first, which might even be really hard if I'm not where there's good data coverage. I'm not saying I'm fully satisfied with the arrangement. Not chump change, but probably no worse than what you'd pay for code reading at the dealer (and a lot better if you figure in your time and hassle to schedule an appointment and get the car there) and it sure ain't $2000+. Click to expand.Ok, just for the record, if you want no malware and a clear conscience, you need any J2534 dongle (Mini VCI ain't bad hardware for $25, just skip the pirateware that may come with it) and any time you need a two-day official Techstream activation it's $55 at.