LAUNCH CRP 123X Plus Elite OBD2 Scanner

Scanner has a great feel about. Does not have that cheap plastic feel. Very easy to use. Scans so many modules. Takes the place of so many scanners.
The auto vin detection makes finding vehicle information so easy. Touchscreen works perfectly with no lag. Has buttons you can use if you don’t want to use the touchscreen. There is no reason not to use the touchscreen though.
Also comes with a nice case. 100% recommend.

I like gadgets and buy lots of tools. This is just another tool I use to fix my cars. It’s not a magic device that tells you how to fix the car, but gives you valuable info on where to look. I have many other ODB2 scanners from the $19 code readers, $99 Bluetooth scanners to $800 Bi-Directional scanners. I like this one as it’s not bluetooth and just plain works when it’s hooked up. The Bluetooth ones sometimes don’t connect to the phone and then the phone screen is small and hard to read when running multiple live data feeds on the screen. This screen is large and bright which is good for us old guys that need glasses. It updated the firmware, software and data once I connected it to wi-fi and was a painless process. The screen is bright and clear. All my cars are pre-2005 so it didn’t read the Vin automatically but that was expected, non of my scanners pick up these Vins. The OBD scanner market is getting crowded with many companies and it’s good for us as it keeps the prices lower as they compete. There is a learning curve on these scanners as each company has their own menu system and way of doing things and terminology. Youtube is a valuable tool on learning how to use new products with review videos. The manual is a little small and covers the basics and I wish it had more info but most other scanners are basic as well. It would be great if there was a link to some training videos for newbies. I just turned this back on after a week and there are 5 new manufacture updates which means they are keeping this current. They have a Mall feature where you can purchase what they call full function for a brand of car. So if you only drive GM’s, this could be a nice add-on. Why buy a scanner more expensive that has all the companies included when you need only one or two. There is a Demo mode under the diagnose feature that lets you play with various brands to see what data is retrieves, very cool. Definitely give this a try to learn this units capabilities. It also has a history feature that shows the codes from previous uses and so you don’t have to type the Vin of that car again when you have an older car that it doesn’t read the vin automatically. This scanner is definitely worth a look.

I’m an older seasoned automotive technician, I’m reviewing this product based on my many years of experience in the field using high quality tools. First thing I did was check to see if the scanner needed any updates, showed that it was at the current version. Hooked it up to a vehicle we had in the shop, ran through the prompts, wasn’t as smooth as the high end scanners that we use in the shop. But was easy enough that the average DIY’ers can check codes and perform some basic diagnostics. Kit comes with instruction manual, although not as in depth as it should be. I personally think its insufficient information with very small print and with no real guidance being given on how to operate the tool, just give a good instruction manual with the tool and be done with it! They try to sell you on an upgrade, which I don’t care for. Price point is considered high for this item.

I purchased this scanner to try out, as I had a previous model a few years ago. I had donated that one to an apprentice technician.
This unit is far superior in every way. Speed, capability, and overall function.
I updated the unit upon arrival, and have since been trying to find some time to try it out and do a review. Life happens, though.
In any case, I was quite surprised at how well this unit works for the price. Most tools in this price range offer very little aside from maybe scanning for codes in the engine control module. This unit offers ALL module scanning, as well as a health report afterwards. This is what you need to do to diagnose properly. There are numerous controllers in today’s vehicles, and scanning just the PCM will not always yield the results necessary to properly diagnose the problem. The unit will also give live data which is another function you need to diagnose vehicles. (This unit will automatically read the VIN on most vehicles)
Not only that, but this unit also yields the ability to reset oil change service intervals, steering angle reset, and battery monitor and the ability to graph live data!! You also get free updates for the life of the tool!
Now, this tool of course, has its limitations, but as for a budget friendly scan tool, this does a lot more than I expected. I have been an automotive diagnostic specialist for many years, and this tool is something I would recommend for the DIY’er all the way up to the professional.
This machine will surprise you. Money well spent!

Very handy to have