Autel AP200 OBD Scanner: A big mechanical flaw

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by indel, Dec 28, 2025 at 3:04 PM.

  1. indel

    indel Member

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    There are a few individuals on Priuschat who regularly vouch for the Autel AP200 obd2 scanner. I have a different opinion to offer. Not based on the functionality because I didn't even try it. The problem is with the way the unit sits on the obd2 port on the Prius.

    I spent nearly 30 minutes struggling to get the device off the port and was afraid I was gonna break one or both.

    The pictures should tell you what the problem is. You will need to press the tab on the port pretty hard while pulling on the device to release it. It took me a while to do it. No way I am putting this device back in there again.


     
    #1 indel, Dec 28, 2025 at 3:04 PM
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I never had that difficulty... maybe let's not assume every Prius has an identical connector?
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Dec 28, 2025 at 3:35 PM
  3. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    I had this same problem on a couple of different OBD2 dongles that I own. One of them was the Autel AP200. I needed to use a pick to lift up the tab on the dongle to release the dongle from the port the first time I used it. There are two different modifications that can be done on the Autel AP200 to fix the problem.

    1. Break that captive tab off the dongle.
    2. Use a file to make a taper on the inside of the tab on the dongle.

    I decided to try #2 first, and if that did not work, I was going to break off the tab. The taper worked for me. With the taper on the dongle tab, the dongle can be removed fairly easily from the OBD2 port. I tried to take a picture of my dongle showing the taper. The picture is not very clear because my phone would not focus at such a close distance. 20251228_154521.jpeg
    Try one of the two modifications on the dongle, then use the dongle to do a full scan of all the ECUs in the car so that you become familiar with the Autel app.
     
    #3 Brian1954, Dec 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2025 at 4:15 PM
    bisco likes this.
  4. indel

    indel Member

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    Interesting hacks. I may give it a shot though that will void the return policy. Another annoying thing I learned was that the serial number of the device is not printed on it. You have to actually connect it to the car and pair it with the app to even register the device. The creators are trying really hard to make sure no one other than the people who own their device use the app, and that those customers pay for annual subscription.

    At that point, I don't know if it makes sense to not just use Techstream.
     
    #4 indel, Dec 28, 2025 at 5:31 PM
  5. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    FYI, you get one make of car free, for example, Toyota. There is no annual subscription for the first make of car that you pick. The annual subscription applies to the second make of car that you use the scanner for, but you are better off just buying a second Autel AP200 for the other make car, for example a Ford.
     
    #5 Brian1954, Dec 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
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