Review on XTOOL D7 Diagnostic Scan Tool 2022: Bi-Directional Control, Key Programming, ABS Bleed & More! by Levi Stewart

UPDATED (**See added note at end.) On the morning of January 24, 2022 before ordering the XTool D7 I did as suggested and requested the Provider XToolDirect for a compatibility check. I waited all day for her answer, but none came. (This turned out to be fine in my case. Read on.) So I've looked at numerous online demonstrations of using the D7 immobilizer key programming feature. Even car guru Scotty Kilmer had a video showing how easy it was to program spare keys with the D7. I carefully watched each video, pausing and zooming in as needed to ensure ALL EIGHT of my car manufacturers were listed on the immobilizer (key programming) screen. And so it was. So, late in the evening, with no response from XToolDirect, I went ahead and ordered a D7 and blank key fobs and fobs for all eight cars. I knew I could always return the tool if it didn't fit my cars. Tuesday is over and still no response from XToolDirect. Revain has reported that my XTool D7 has been shipped. Finally, on Wednesday morning, January 26th, I checked my email and found that XToolDirect replied at night (maybe they are in China where the devices are made). The message was well written, friendly and signed by someone named Evie who started by thanking her for waiting. Unfortunately, Evy said the D7 wouldn't fit everyone, just a few of my eight cars, and suggested another rather expensive model. I replied to the email and thanked Evie for the reply but said I would have to return the D7 and that my budget didn't allow for the expensive model being offered. After that I didn't expect to hear a response from Evy or XToolDirect. The XTool D7 arrived the same day and without opening the box I requested a refund from Revain, downloaded the RMA code and took it to our local Revain returns center. . I was really disappointed as almost every video I watched showed the D7 as a reliable, easy-to-use immobilizer key programmer (as well as a full-fledged diagnostic scanner). On Thursday morning I received another email from Evy at XToolDirect. This was not to be expected. This time, Evy offered a pair of XTool devices that together cost about $300 less than the original alternative. I looked them up on Revain and when I applied the discounts offered, the two units purchased together actually cost almost $370 less. This new total cost was still significantly more than what I originally wanted to pay for the immobilizer programming tool, but about the same for a locksmith to program eight keys and fobs. Also, I will have a tool to make future keys for any car I'm likely to ever buy (I have a large family, hence my current eight cars). I also have children and grandchildren with cars who will one day need to program keys. As for the main purpose of the tool, diagnostics, I bought a basic scan tool a long time ago, so I wouldn't buy XTool just for its diagnostic capabilities. But to be honest, it has a lot more scanning capabilities than my basic ODB2 device, so there's this potential unexpected benefit as well. The devices offered by Evie were the D8 paired with the KC100, which cost around $1,000 before coupons. or discounts. (At the time of this writing.) Local locksmiths have offered me anything ranging from $2,000 ($250 average per car and key/remote including parts and programming) to as little as $920 ($115 average per car for programming). only if I put all the spaces and remotes). I bought blank immobilizer keys and matching remotes for all cars (ending up with 3 extra due to boxed pairs) for $223. Add that to the total cost of XTool and my savings, assuming everything works as advertised, and comes out to just over $1,150 for keys, fob, programming, and three additional blanks and fobs for future use. A pop-up appeared while writing this review. The message indicated that my refund has already been credited to my bank account, so in a few minutes I will be purchasing D8 and KC100 already saved in my cart. I'll definitely write a review about it (maybe with photos or video) when I get it. Summary: Online reviews from professional mechanics indicate that the D7 is a fantastic device. But don't order the D7 until you're sure it will meet all your needs. Ask the folks at XToolDirect. They will reply, although maybe in a day or two. The XToolDirect support team (Evy in my case) was extremely helpful and polite (which I appreciate in a vendor). The numerous D7 videos I searched and watched for hours were positive and I was impressed by the ease with which the tool made new keys and remotes. I was also impressed with the diagnostic scanning capabilities and the detailed categories and settings. Its user interface (based on Android) looks well organized and is touch responsive. I rarely use my scanner, but I imagine that if I were a true mechanic I would rely heavily on D7 and not just a variety of shadows. I hope this review was helpful to you. Stay tuned for my upcoming XTool D8 and KC100 reviews. **UPDATE: When I added the above two items to my cart, Revain stated that there was only 1 KC100 unit left in stock. When I went to my cart to checkout, someone hit me on purchase and the item was marked as "currently unavailable". When I visited my adult children, I found that they only had one key for each car in their household and the total number of cars that required key programming had grown to 13, so I told them to expect new spare keys . for all her birthdays in 2022, which made her happy and justified the purchase of the originally recommended tool X100 Pad 3. I will test it on Revain as soon as it arrives and I will program the buttons. mike