Years ago, i determined that a Vetronix Tech II was necessary to keep the 8th gen Riviera
running. In 2008, a number of GM dealerships closed down; among them plenty of Chevrolet
shops which sold off their Tech II's in the $500-$1000 range. I got my Tech II from Tom Jumper
Chevrolet, one of the largest Chev dealers in Georgia. Mine came with plug-in cartridges for
engine/drivetrain, body and brakes. The interface cable that connects my Tech II to the OBD2
plug was bad. The cable is unique to the Vetronix device so it was necessary to buy one from
Vetronix in California at a cost of $100.
the Tech II is more than a code reader. it can actuate systems on our Rivieras. for instance,
the Tech II can exercise the pistons in the ABS brake pump to purge the old brake fluid when
a brake job is done. it can open and close the purge solenoid for the vapor in the fuel tank.
Vetronix was bought by Bosch in 2003 and support for the Tech II's continued until maybe 5
years ago but that is all over now.
The screen on my Tech II has developed a few dark spots. When last i looked, there is someone
on the internet who can repair Vetronix Tech II's and Vetronix Mastertech's.
Until recently, there were many cartridges and modules for sale on eBay, but that seems to
be drying up.
Further, Snap-On Tools sold the Vetronix Mastertech which is essentially the same as the devices
employed in the GM dealerships.
When i was researching the purchase of a Tech II, the reasonably priced Chinese "Tech2's"
came up and they looked good. digging in the internet revealed these scan-tools are reverse-
engineered copies of the Vetronix product. their development was in no way supported by
Vetronix and so they must be considered counterfeit. it is said they are produced by several
sources and these devices may or may not be fully functional or accurate.
My understanding is that Alibaba is an enormous web sales operation based in
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China and that its marketing subsidiary Taobao was added back onto
a list of notorious counterfeit platforms in 2016 by the Office of the United States Trade
Representatives.