J2534 - intended for the Independent Repair Facility

As complexity of vehicles increases, Automotive dealerships have benefited from the service tools and resources available to them from the Automakers. This information and technology can also become a disadvantage for Independent Repair Facilities that service a wide range of different vehicles and cannot economically justify purchasing new factory service tools from every OEM each time new model years come out. The ability to reprogram different onboard computers inside an automobile with the latest service fix is an increasingly important part of service and repair. In many cases, a simple reprogramming update may fix the check engine light, hesitation, or drivability problems reported by customers. To level the playing field, the Government decided to step in and mandate a standard programming tool for use outside of the dealership, designated by the SAE as the J2534 standard. With a fully-compliant J2534 tool, an independent repair shop can utilize publicly available software from each OEM to reprogram the computers inside any newer vehicle.

Print Materials for J2534 (click to download)

Why J2534 devices are not all created equally

When the SAE J2534 specification was first published five years ago, Drew Technologies offered the only tool on the market to support that specification. Because of Drew Tech's participation and support for SAE J2534, Drew Tech developed and made publicly available a J2534 device before the specification was even published. Since that time, other competitors have entered the market offering lower cost, lower functionality alternatives. Because you often get what you pay for, it is important when picking a J2534 device that the consumer consider the following:

1. Manufacturer Validation

Many Automakers have decided to do their own independent testing of J2534 devices and validate the ones that work correctly with their software. Since the CarDAQ family has been out longer than any other J2534 product and Drew Tech has actively participated in that standard, Many automakers use a CarDAQ-family product to verify that their vehicles are J2534 compliant. Every Automaker has purchased at least one Drew Tech CarDAQ-Family product, and most of our competitors have also purchased our products. The CarDAQ or CarDAQ-Plus is a recommended J2534 tool by Ford, Mazda, GM, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, and many others.

2. Full J2534-1 Compliance

In order for a J2534 device to work with every Automaker's software, it must be fully J2534-1 compliant. Some tools being sold in the market work with some Automaker applications, but lack full protocol support to be fully J2534-1 compliant. Purchasing a fully compliant device is the only way you can be sure your investment will continue to work with all vehicle brands. The CarDAQ-Plus is fully J2534-1 compliant and the ScanDAQ is the first handheld tool available that is J2534 compliant.

3. Speed and Performance

Newer vehicles contain more than one onboard computer and sometimes there are even several dozen separate computers controlling the operation of a newer automobile. To maximize productivity and reduce the risk of dropping data frames during a reprogramming event, you should look for a high performance J2534 tool. Both the CarDAQ-Plus and ScanDAQ have a 200MHZ processor which is several times more powerful than some of the other J2534 tools on the market.

4. Durability and Reliability

Reflashing an onboard computer is an important task that should not be interrupted or fail. When the Automakers approve tools for the dealer service bay, they go thru extensive testing to make sure they are built rugged for the environment they are going to be used in. You should consider durability when purchasing a J2534 tool and remember saving money won't do any good if you need to replace a cheaper tool after 6 months. Drew Tech tools were built for the real world and have held up for years in OEM engineering conditions where tools have to work and have to last.

5. Support, Updates, and Reputation

When your customer brings their car in for service, they depend on the repair facility to quickly solve the problem and get them back on the road. Drew Technologies looks at service the same way. When one of our customers has a problem, we know that our customer needs responsive support and a quick solution.

Aftermarket Diagnostics

Drew Tech has worked with 3rd party application developers, such as Palmer Performance and WGSoft to release data logging, diagnostics, and CAN analyzer software that works with Drew Tech J2534 tools. These applications now make it possible to use the same hardware for reflashing as diagnostics, even across multiple different automobile brands.