Save on Car Maintenance Costs with an XTOOL D7W

Usually, when a light comes on in your car, or you hear a weird noise, an expensive mechanic visit is your first stop. With the XTOOL D7W, save time and money on car maintenance costs by diagnosing many problems from the comfort of your driveway or garage.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by XTOOL. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author, who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

No Need to Be a Mechanic

I’m the first to admit I know little to nothing about car maintenance. I do my best to research issues online, but it’s not always easy or successful. I was afraid I’d need to be a mechanic or at least know a bit more about cars to get any real use out of the XTOOL D7W. Thankfully, I was wrong.

If you can tap a few buttons on a tablet and research the results, you can save some serious money with this tool. After all, just having a mechanic run a diagnostic scan on your car can cost upwards of $100 or more. That doesn’t include repair costs, which sometimes are as simple as adding more fluids or changing a filter.

Plug the VCI box into your car, connect to the tablet via Wi-Fi (the tablet creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot), and start getting valuable diagnostic data. You may need to download updates to the software before doing this. Connect to your home or business’s Wi-Fi to download updates.

Impressive Features

The XTOOL D7W isn’t a simple tool that just gives you a few codes to research. Instead, it’s a comprehensive diagnostic and maintenance tool. Some of the main features include:

• Connect via Wi-Fi for a stronger and faster connection than Bluetooth, which also supports diagnostic distances of up to 67 ft.
• Over 36 maintenance services, from resetting the oil light to SAS calibration
• Bi-directional control to let you have full control over your vehicle’s systems
• Advanced special functions that vary based on your vehicle’s features, such as crankshaft relearn
• Offline ECU coding that even supports Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Audi, Benz, and SKODA
• 8-in-1 live data graphing to analyze real-time data from multiple vehicle systems at once
• Uses CAN-FD and DOIP protocol, which ensures the device stays up to date on the latest communication protocols for compatibility with more vehicles
• Compatible with 10,000 vehicles, including over 85 brands and 140 models

All of this is packed into a convenient Android 10, 7-inch tablet that even has a built-in camera. With 64 GB of storage, it’s easy to save reports and images to help you monitor your vehicle and make repairs.

I also love the pull-out stand to prop up the tablet in use. But grips on the sides make it easy to hold on to too.

Simple Setup

I’ve watched auto mechanics use similar devices, but I didn’t realize how easy they are to set up. I had the XTOOL D7W completely set up and scanning the first vehicle in under 10 minutes. This includes unboxing and reading the instructions.

The tool comes with:

• The tablet itself with the XTOOL software installed
• VCI box (connects to your vehicle’s OBD port)
• USB-C 3.0 data cable
• 3 charging adapters for US, EU, and UK
• Quick start guide
• Hard shell case

The case is amazing. Most gadgets sell cases like this separately, but XTOOL includes a sectioned, hard shell case that even has protective straps for the tablet itself. This makes it so much easier to carry out to your vehicle or take with you to help a friend diagnose their car problems.

As with any other tablet, you have to set up a few things before the first use. In this case, it’s choosing a language, setting up an account, and running updates. Something else impressive is that XTOOL includes three years of updates for free, so you’ll get quite a bit of use out of this before you ever need to pay for any updates.

After the updates were done, I launched the XTOOL software and connected the VCI box to my vehicle’s OBD port. Make sure your car has an OBD port, or you can’t use this tool.

For my first set of tests, I used a 2011 Kia Sorento. While the XTOOL D7W does automatically recognize many vehicles, sometimes you’ll need to input the VIN before the software will recognize the vehicle.

For the Kia, I had to enter the VIN, then was able to run a full system scan. It took less than 10 minutes to scan all available systems. I couldn’t believe the wealth of data at my fingertips. I could see whether the airbags were ok, if the entertainment system was working, the status of all the lights (inside and out), and even something as simple as whether the seatbelts were buckled or not.

Of course, you don’t just have to run a system scan. But, I highly recommend it just to see an overview of your vehicle’s systems.

Special functions vary based on the vehicle, but for the Kia, I could do a variety of tasks, such as reset the oil light, perform various system relearning, do a TPMS reset, reset the airbags, and more.

If you do get any trouble codes, you can research them directly from the tablet. And, as a major cost-saving feature, clear trouble codes once you’ve made any repairs. You no longer have to head to the auto shop just to get a light reset after fixing the problem yourself.

I also tested the XTOOL D7W on a 2015 Jeep Renegade. This one was automatically recognized. As a newer vehicle, I had even more data to look through. At first, I could see a trouble code indicating that the ETM (entertainment module) was faulty. It turned out that it just needed to be turned on first.

It’s important to pay attention to whether XTOOL requires your vehicle to be on or off during scans. The Kia had to be off, but the Jeep needed to be running at the time.

Can You Really Save Money?

Yes. If you love working on your own vehicles, the XTOOL D7W gives you the same knowledge about your vehicle as most auto mechanics. Scan systems, find out the problem, and fix it. The cost for a single diagnostic scan, fixing a minor issue, and resetting a light could easily cost you over $500. And that’s just one time.

A single trip to the mechanic costs about the same as the XTOOL D7W. Now, remember that you can use this on as many vehicles as you like and as often as you want. So, yes, you definitely save money. Plus, if you’re able to run scans when it’s most convenient for you, you don’t have to take off work and wait for hours at an auto shop or dealer. That’s even better.

The Ultimate Vehicle Maintenance Companion

Whether you just tinker with cars or are a pro, the XTOOL D7W is a great tool to have in your auto maintenance arsenal. Even auto repair shops will love this tool.

For updates, you’ll need to make sure the tablet’s within range of your home or business’s Wi-Fi. Outside of updates, the tablet creates a Wi-Fi hotspot to communicate with the VCI box. While you can keep using the tablet indefinitely, if you need newer updates after three years, you’ll have to pay for those separately.

Overall, the XTOOL D7W is easy to use and provides comprehensive data on your vehicle’s systems. It also offers valuable features, like resetting lights, programming keys, and resetting trouble codes.

Pick up the XTOOL D7W for just $485.10 when you use the code XTOOLD7WCC to get an extra 10% off.

For more information,please visit www.xtoolonline.com.

Crystal Crowder - Staff Writer

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.