We often times do that – we buy something, and we do not even look at the instructions. For we are men, and we know how things work. Right. Well, I started looking into the Abrites Diagnostics for Toyota/ Lexus and Scion a bit more in-depth. I thought there was nothing that could surprise me and I knew it all. Oh, was I wrong…

What you know vs. What you thought you know?

It seems that I had knowledge, but it was quite broad and not as In-depth as I hoped. For instance, I knew we program keys – smart system keys and mechanical keys – OK. Which ones, how and why? There is a huge difference between cars destined for the United States as opposed to the cars destined for the European market. We will be talking mostly about the vehicles produced after 2019.

• In Toyota and Lexus (scion is long gone but we still support them) there are a few distinctions. If we have the master key, we can program keys. This is simple enough. But if a car comes to you and it has no key – then what? – Then if you are an official dealer you need to replace the modules related to the immobilizer – if it is a smart key car you need to replace the smart system with keys, the ID code box and Engine Control Unit. This is time-consuming and expensive. It is expensive for you and consequently for your customer as well. If you are in the United States, it is simpler because the cars destined for the USA allow you to reset the immobilizer modules. In European cars Toyota have not included that.

These distinctions and specifics are necessary information for anyone planning to work on Toyota or Lexus vehicles. We at Abrites have found a solution. If you want to do all keys lost, you no longer need to reset modules or replace them. Using our DST-AES or HT-AES emulators you can emulate one of the keys in the car, even if all keys are lost. In that case you obtain communication with the smart key system and enter a diagnostic session with it. For this purpose, we provide a set of cables for direct communication to the smart system.

Like I mentioned earlier, these OEM procedures are overcome by the Abrites Diagnostics for Toyota/ Lexus.

         So what do you need?

I said in one of the earlier paragraphs that we are going to spend more time talking about the cars produced after 2019. Why? Well, this is because all the software is included in the base AVDI package. All you need in addition to what you already have in the base AVDI package is the ZN039-2 and the ZN002 or ZN003 PROTAG. But this is far from everything. In the base AVDI package you also have very potent standard diagnostics. We use it all the time but if you would like to have even more diagnostic capabilities, we can surely offer you the Toyota/ Lexus Techstream via the already supplied passthru J2534 driver. Yes, you receive the passthru driver from the get-go, and it supports software up to 2022+

After completing the topic of the cars  before 2019 we will need to talk about the cars built after that. We have the licenses separated by the platforms. I am going to list them here so that you can see which one does what and for which cars.

TN014  TN015  TN016

Each of these licenses will require additional hardware -  TA68 DST-AES, HT-AES (TA64) – these are the emulators you need to extract the working key information from the smart system about the master keys without the need to replace or renew modules when all keys are lost. Also, the CB012 cable is needed for CAN connection, as well as the CB031 cable for connecting to the Smart System of the vehicle. This is a game changer in the world of Toyota, because you no longer have to play by the manufacturer’s rules. You can become the master of your own work.

OK, now what about replacing modules in Toyota and Lexus?

Whenever a smart system is defective or malfunctions, we can always replace it with a used one and we do not have to purchase an expensive new one.  This is what will bring even more customers your way.

The replacement of the ID code box and the Engine Control Module are also supported. Not just the engine controller but also the Hybrid Control Systems can be replaced with secondhand units. We have a whole blog dedicated to this replacement as well as the reset of the ID CODE Box and all the benefits you get from it. The strongest one of all, however, is the fact that you do not have to take the whole interior apart just to replace the small box. You can read the blog post yourself.

To build upon the exchange of modules I must also stress that we replace the VIN number in the modules we replace to complete the full integration of our module replacements so that the modules you replace are indistinguishable from modules installed in the car from factory. This is the whole point of module replacement and if you know me, I am fascinated with the perfect module replacement. I know everyone is interested in keys because this is where the most money is but what really interests me is the ability to diagnose a vehicle and if necessary, replace and synchronize the modules together.  Of course, when replacing a cluster in one of the Toyota and Lexus cars we have to set the values – which we can also do – cluster calibration as it is known.

All of the above is done without the need of accessing the Toyota online services, everything is done using the ABRITES DIAGNOSITCS FOR TOYOTA AND LEXUS.

Just to round it off, we need to make sure that we mention the reusability of keys. We can reset the HITAG AES BA type of keys versions going up to 88,A8, A9. The TA71 (https://abrites.com/products/ta71) is one more thing we can offer you. It is a key perfect for fleets of cars where multiple drivers use one car. Due to the cost these can be programmed in bulk and purchased by the companies who own the cars and maybe they lease them.

The last topic we have not covered up to date is the ability to re-synchronize the keyless and remote control after they lose synchronization as a result of low voltage. This is completed by synchronizing the ID-CODE BOX.

I am sure that more will pop up with time as I continue researching but until now I cannot tell you about a different tool which can help you as much as we can. We have the knowledge, we have the technology, we have the team and test cars. Let us know if you need anything Toyota or Lexus.

Until next time, try to have fun at work,

Alek