The Snap-on Ethos Tech full-function scan tool offers a complete support package, including all software upgrades and extended warranty for three years. Designed to put affordable diagnostics into the hands of technicians who want their own tool, Ethos Tech offers codes, data, functional tests, bi-directional controls, adaptations and service resets for 1996-newer vehicles. It includes OEM-specific coverage for 76 systems on 46 domestic, Asian and European makes. The tool also features automatic vehicle identification, one-touch all systems code scan and clear and more.
The Review
Tom Multerer and Chris Davenport both recently reviewed the Snap-on Ethos Tech scan tool. Multerer, a technician at Bredemann Ford in Glenview, Ill., found he saved time when using the tool on multiple domestic vehicles.
Multerer was able to diagnose a misfire on a 2000 Ford Expedition, which, according to him, could have taken up to three hours to find and fix the problem. “With the Ethos,” he says, “it only took 10 minutes.”
He also used the tool to diagnose and monitor a drivability concern with a 2000 Ford Taurus and for an ABS concern on a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Chris Davenport, Owner of Lou’s Garage in Lake Forest, Ill., also reviewed the Ethos Tech. Davenport found the Ethos to have a quick boot-up time. Compared to the competitive scan tool he was previously using, the Ethos delivered a code scan three times faster, says Davenport.
According to both reviewers, no setup was required for the tool. Davenport says, “It was plug-and-play right out of the box.”
Both reviewers also noted that the Ethos came with a soft case, battery charger and USB cable. A manual was included, but because of the tool’s ease-of-use, neither reviewer read it.
Multerer likes that the scan tool holds vehicle information, so he has the option of going back to something he was previously working on. He also likes the graphing functions and Data Logger. Data Logger allows the technician to see what the vehicle was doing when the vehicle coded.
Multerer's favorite function of the tool is the touchscreen. “You can use the buttons or the touchscreen. If my hands are really dirty, I can use the buttons, but the touchscreen makes the tool really fast to use.”
Davenport says the navigation was the most beneficial function due to the quick refresh and no lag time when scrolling through data items. He adds, “The screens are self-explanatory and very easy to navigate. I felt within two days that I had a very good understanding of the features and capabilities.”
In his shop, Davenport encounters a mix of domestic, Asian and European vehicles. “This scanner handles all the jobs I want it to do.”
He has used the Ethos for applications such as basic code reading to coding keyless entry on a Volkswagen, coding throttle bodies on Audi and Volvo and for climate control diagnostics on a Mercedes Benz.
Neither reviewer could find anything that he didn’t like about the Ethos scan tool. “Everything I’ve used it for, I’ve liked. It does ABS, not just engine controls. You can monitor sensors as you’re moving down the road,” says Multerer.
Davenport likes the speed of use and the comprehensive coverage for an economically priced unit, he says. “They also included three years of software updates in the price.”
“For a low-cost scan tool this unit has very good capabilities and coverage. Of course it can’t do everything but for the price point it blows away (competitive) units I previously used and cross-shopped against,” says Davenport.
Multerer offers a similar review “I’ve used other manufacturer scan tools. This tool does a lot more than the other tools, and it wasn’t outrageously priced. That’s what I like about it.”
