OK, heres the deal. I have a real need for a starscan, for multiple reasons. I know that many of you would also have a few reasons to have access to a starscan.

I can get a hold of a starscan without dealer updates and I can get a hold of one with updates thats obviously more expensive.

The one without dealer updates can do basic things on any CAN-bus vehicle like install fog lights, add CAN bus modules, do troubleshooting etc. Basically all it could NOT do is flash your PCM with any updates, it would only be accessory based things.


If i purchased one, what would be your interest level if I rented this out to forum members to help me recoup the cost and to help you out cheap? If you felt technically confident, I would mail it to you for a short time. If you did not, you would come visit me near Cincinnati.

Any interest on this at all? Before I go in on one and start researching how it works (im an electrical engineer by trade) I want to make sure there are people that I could help besides me by doing this.

 

I do some work on the side for a Jeep specialty shop who used to be a 5 Star Jeep Dealer until the re-structuring of Chrysler last year pulled their Jeep dealership and gave it to the Dodge/Chrysler dealer about 5 miles away (which sucks a$$, cause that Dodge dealership has one of the worst reputations I've ever seen).

So I have access to their StarScan tool which no longer gets updates but did up until the middle of last year. I just can't bring in anyone else's vehicle for free nor can I remove it from the lot. So, I wouldn't have need of it, but I bet a lot of people would take you up on it. I just wonder what using one on your own would do to anyone who still had warranty and tried to make a claim???

 

Well if its still under warranty I personally wouldn't condone it.

But my philosophy is "If you buy it, you can break it anyway you want to". I guess some would call me a (NOT EVIL) hacker of sorts. I think you cant really do too much damage when you are doing whole PCM flashes.

And the other thing is if you take it into a shop, how would they even know you broke it yourself? They would just know its broke.

 

Oh, I'm not condemning you at all for purchasing one nor trying to re-coup some of the cost by "renting" it out.

I'm just cautioning those who are still under warranty. I believe a full PCM update not only timestamps but records the serial number of the Tool that did it. Or so I have been told. The guy who told me has 17 years as a Dodge mechanic and I don't think he would be pulling my leg.

That said, I am JUST out of my 7/70, but I'm sure I voided most of my warranty due to mods by the time the truck was 2 years old and wouldn't have hesitated to "play" with the StarScan a bit.
I'll tell you one thing, I'm not a fan of the '06+ TIPM at all BUT you can do a TON of stuff with the StarScan that I have to get VERY creative with wires and relays to achieve on my '04, with just a quick settings change with the StarScan tool...

 

Well the interest level seems about nill. Granted, i know i'm a 'newbie' to these forums so people dont have the faith, but I still thought I'd see a little more interest.

 

I think it sounds interesting. At this point in time I don't have a need for it, but I think it would be an great thing to have available. I'm considering a manual trans swap in the future and it would be nice to be able to delete the auto trans.

I'm curious, about how much can you pick one up for?

 

Uhm... $3-5k

 

WOWWWZERS 3-5k???

 

^^^ Exactly. I was going to same the same price. So how would you go about securing your investment when loaning it out and making it sure it gets returned?

If they werent so costly we all would have one

 

yea they are not cheap. And really not that useful for the everyday user. But power users and hackers (again, the good kind) can find them QUITE useful.