A couple of years ago Alldata did a phase shift where the DIY version was upgraded to include color interactive wiring diagrams, etc, but it came at a steep price increase (~3X). That works if you only own the car for a year or two. But for those expecting to own it for many years, the ebay hard copy of the dealers manual is far more cost effective. Of course you lose TSB's and updates when you do that. Nice review, Chad!
Thanks for watching Dave. I didn’t know the price had tripled over the years. I would have expected it because our price for the pro version had gone up a few times as well. We see 15-20 cars a day through the shop so it doesn’t really matter the cost since it’s a needed tool. I remember when my dad first opened we had 10 DVDs for Mitchell1 we would have to swap out in the computer depending on the vehicle. I learned how to make a virtual drive in a computer class and went straight to the shop after school and made 10 virtual drives in the computer and made a image of all the dvds. This solved the issue of discs getting grease prints on them and no longer reading.
THANK YOU! This is incredibly helpful. I'm just getting into working on my car and it's almost 3 decades newer than ones I used to work on. I'll be honest, I'm quite intimidated by all the new tech and was looking for more info. This is really encouraging as I'm having trouble finding a good paper manual. I may take on more challenging work that used to intimidate me. Thanks again.
That’s crazy. I think we pay that monthly. Kind of like the cable company raising the rates of the customer that requires no maintenance. It should be the same price for the life of the account. Thanks for watching Jay
They upgraded the DIY Prodemand to be just like the pro version now. Also, the manual does say to pull the heads off. It was on the next page step number 1. That is the factory OEM manual and it always has the criteria for the job.
Great video. You are correct about alldata's new site is much more useful and similar to the professional site. The DIY site didn't have the rewritten diagrams and the links weren't interactive.
Thanks for watching. I am glad to see the transition to a equal version. It really doesn’t make since for them to make two versions of their website. Hopefully Mitchell1 will do the same for the diy access to prodemand.
thanks! I use the alldatadiy a lot for a fleet shop where we don't see a lot of different vehicles. I didn't know identifix had a diy version. I also find the Mitchell diy version hard to navigate.
I think the Identifix DIY access is a newer feature. That sounds like a bargain to use the DIY subscription if you see mostly one generation of a vehicle. Thanks for watching Bart
At my library we used to have all data, but only inside the library. They got rid of that this year but it still has Chilton online, and it works decently. You don't have to be at the library either, just logged into your account to use.
Data is data, it's all about presentation. I am software developer and web developer. How you present and manage the information presented can make a friendly, useful, and enjoyable experience or crap. What I like to see from these is an semi pro DIY where I can buy a subscription with choice for up to 5 cars for example or 10 cars at a discounted price. For example $10 a car for 5 cars. I don't have a shop but do a lot of repairs, mostly for free just have the customer buy parts and mostly the same cars. I don't want to pay $450 a month but
For my entire life I have had access to the pro version so I never really looked into the DIY version. I didn’t think there would be a difference and it seems like most companies are removing the differences to streamline the maintenance on there end. It’s a win win for the them and the diy customer.
Same here. I always thought they had the same access and procrastinated on buying the diy subscriptions to find out. I’m glad I did because now it makes it much easier to recommend and service information provider.
Have found OE diagrams on Mitchell , by clicking on component on blue lettering . Scroll through on right , choose diagrams in this box . You will find some OE drawings , in that selection . As I said not all , some just bring back to the redrawn . Suspicion would be , not all available but many are .
Now if you would only be able to compare aftermarket scan tools. Like the Launch or Autel or even OTC's versions. Thats would make my day. No that this didn't. This video was very well done and I'm going to follow your recommendations. Thanks
They all have strengths and weaknesses but I will see what I can do. I currently have launch, Autel, Snapon and several OEM scan tools. My OTC tool wouldn't be a good comparison because it is over 10 yrs old.
@ThePracticalMechanic I have an OTC and it's also really old. Personally I wish someone like identifix or all data sold a scantool that would work alongside the subscription service. Except not thousands of dollars like the tool truck systems.
All Data seems to be having major issues. Tried to get a single vehicle subscription and their website captcha kept malfunctioning, so I waited a few days and got a subscription to go through only to be denied access to anything but my account page which only linked to their access denied page. Good stuff.
Thank you very much for sharing this information, I have been using this platform for a year and it has been very useful, I did not know some functions, greetings champion
I tried alldataDIY. There wasn’t a procedure or process for simple brake bleeding of a particular vehicle I was working. It was only available in PRO. To me I think DYI for the money per year being paid is somewhat misleading and should include that. Anyone should be able to do that. Now I know ABS systems it isn’t all that simple you do need a bi-directional tool to bleed the ABS system but if you just replace a caliper or wheel cylinder. That should be in there for someone to do. Luckily I was able to refund my subscription and got my money back. Pro is around $1,800+ per year. Not a fan of all data and was excited to try it but in the end disappointed. If you can find an actual manual for whatever vehicle it’s worth it paying $100 or so for it. At least you own it and no subscriptions.
I have a Mini Cooper. AllDATA DIY doesn't have BMW/MINI whereas Mitchell 1 DIY does. In addition, Mitchell 1 DIY now also has interactive circuit diagrams.
I purchase OEM subscriptions from time to time but only if I cannot get access in the aftermarket and don’t want to wait for a hotline request. It’s worth it to me to pay $20 for a days access than to tie up a bay for a day while I wait for the request to be filled. I only have to do this a few times a year so it’s not very frequent that the information is missing from all three providers I use. Thanks for watching and commenting.
The version of Identifix at ~ 24 minutes is pro. I have identifix DIY and it only has one vehicle. And all of them suck with Volkswagen. ProDemand might be the best one, but I have yet to find out how to get it. Does it come with Alldata?
Prodemand professional version requires an automotive business license to register. The DIY version is lacking for sure. Alldata is its own platform and not affiliated with prodemand. I used the Pro version and the DIY version of identifix in this video.
@@ThePracticalMechanic Thx for confirming! I'm in the process of opening my own business to repair ECU's, Laptops etc. But mainly ECUs. Does that license count?
How many cars are you allowed in the DIY version? That’s because I only work in hybrid and electric vehicles and I don’t want to pay for regular vehicles because I don’t work on them. I feel they should start an EV and Hybrid version because these type of vehicles is becoming more abundant and many shops are starting to learn to fix them.
DIY version is a single vehicle subscription. You buy the year make and model you are working on. The diy version doesn’t make sense for a shop. A couple hours of your Diag should pay for the full version.
@@StrongerThanBigfoot it depends what kind of work you do. If you’re a flat rate tech Alldata is better because you can write estimates with it and it gives you nation wide averages on repair times.
I didn’t cover it in this video but Motologic does well with European imports. You may also want to check to see if the OEM website offers short term service information subscriptions.
Start to finish tutorial brilliant My Mentor The Practical Mechanic 👍 KNOWLEDGEABLE The Practical Mechanic From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 ⏰️ 20:54pm
As always Nick, thanks for watching. What companies do you have for service information in the UK? I wasn’t sure if prodemand was still an option. Motologic? I have never used motologic but I’ve heard it works great for European vehicles and British vehicles.
