least costly way to read INFO subcodes ?

You won't find one because there is not a single configuration. It is not really rocket science as I hope my further responses below will indicate.

Any laptop in working condition that runs Win XP, Win 7, or Win 10. The secret to using Win 10 is to use an installation (and this is mainly the cable drivers) that is 64-bit. The main goal of using a separate laptop is to isolate from your private systems, programs, and data. Even so, you can achieve the same goal of isolating by installing Techstream inside a virtual machine (VM) where you can choose the operating system (OS) and the VM's connectivity.

This statement indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the components. 1) You need Techstream. This is the software that contains all the specialist knowledge about your Toyota. 2) You need a J2534 compatible interface cable and its associated driver for the system (Windows) to recognize the interface cable. When the system knows about the cable then Techstream can connect to the car via the cable.
J2534 cables come in many forms. Those labeled Mini VCI are knock-offs (oh, the irony) of a J2534 cable put out by a now-defunct company called X-Horse. These are popular because they are cheap (for a reason). However, it might take buying two or three before you get one that works completely and/or reliably. There's the VxDiag VCX Nano made in China, and the Tactrix Openport 2.0 made in California, among various other J2534 dongles. The ultimate J2534 cable would be the Mongoose Pro from Drew Technologies – the Toyota tested and endorsed cable to pair with Techstream. (Caution: don't be fooled by the abundance of Mangoose knock-offs all over e-commerce sites)

It doesn't really matter. Any version from about V3.xx.xxx will know about your Prius. I'd suggest not going higher than V10.xx.xxx just because from what I read installation is easier. But I have seen plenty of screenshots of V11.xx.xxx onwards, so it is not impossible to get more modern versions up and running. Higher versions might deal with 64-bit better, but I have no personal experience.

Suffice it to say in this forum you can assume Gen 2 for sure. 2004-2009 should all be fine with V10.xx.xxx or less so the question is moot, really.

Of course, if you have other more modern Toyota/Scion/Lexus cars in your fleet, that will come into the equation.

You just need to jump in the pool and swim. You can be guaranteed of at least one thing, it will be an adventure. How much of an adventure will really come down to your technical prowess

Techstream is a less costly way to read INFO subcodes, so this is very much on-topic.

 

A recent Toyota dealer mechanic's "Car Care Nut" youtube channel suggested the XTool D7 or D8.

Remember the Techstream versions sold cheap are illegal copies where the instructions tell you to stay offline.

For example, part of their instructions after you do a windows registry hack:


(1) DO NOT change the "User Type" when you will run your TIS Techstream for 1st time! LEAVE IT with the Default option! "Official" Dealer/Repairer with other words...
(2) The software we provide is a offline standalone version, If someday you get a Update Notification from Toyota web to ask you upgrade your current TIS Techstream software , DO NOT do it , just click cancel and move on if you don't have a official Toyota TIS account . Disable internet , Uninstall program , then reinstall and use program without internet . Thank you for your cooperation!

 

Copy all. That makes wonderful sense. Thank you very much.

 

Remember also that if using a hacked Techstream version would go against your grain, you may always download the authentic version from Toyota and install that on your laptop. Whenever you want to use it, it will be ready to go, but you will need to enter an activation key from the TIS website (techinfo.toyota.com). A $65 "professional diagnostic" subscription includes a key that will work for two days. That's generally less than you would pay at a dealer for them to plug their own Techstream rig into your car and tell you what it said, and you don't have the fuss of getting the car to the dealer.

Plus if you decide you have follow-up questions and you want to plug in again and get follow-up answers, you can do as much of that as you want in the two days for no further charge. Try matching that at the dealer.

Toyota - New Subscription

 

Thanks for all the great info I have an old notebook running win 10 64bit. I’ll pick up the software and cable and since I have 2 Prii and work on a third for a friend I might just buy the $498 cable.

 

Dr Prius reads sub codes?!

 

Only the subcodes that you most need to diagnose battery side of the hybrid system... But there's plenty of options for other code readers via phone apps. I think Car Scanner app is currently the new favorite because according to @ChapmanF they let you know which computer detected the trouble codes and most apps don't do that.

 

I use car scanner too but no subcodes I do love all the sensor info tho

 

Hmm... Well a $30 mini-VCI Dongle and Toyota Techstream on a old windows computer is an option. I wonder which app gives subcodes?

 

Autel AP200 and ThinkDiag do.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

there are cheaper ways to get detailed codes (or subcodes as described in this thread) and other good stuff (ABS/TPMS/Injector resets)
- Autel MaxiAP 200 - 55$ in amazon
- Xtool A30D - $159 in amazon

these can be installed in iPhone and Android, I have a laptop with techstream before and I no longer used it since I can just pop in or carry this dongle in my pocket just anywhere. Most of the time you don't really need techstream.

 

I feel there is a lot of confusion around what sub-codes actually are. I have tried to declutter things:

Toyota calls them INF codes (Information codes) — a 3-digit qualifier appended to a standard DTC, e.g. P0AA6-526. They're not part of the DTC itself. Standard OBD-II mode 03/07 returns only the 2-byte DTC (P0AA6). The INF lives in a separate manufacturer-specific data table on the HV ECU (KWP2000 service 21, identifiers C6–CA at address 7E2). A generic scanner never asks for it, so it never shows up.

What the tools mentioned in this thread actually can and cannot do to my best knowledge

• Torque Pro — No. Standard OBD-II only (mode 01/03/07). The Prius-specific PIDs it offers are live data (voltages, temps), not INF codes.
  
• Dr. Prius — Partial. Reads only the 6xx isolation-fault table (21CA). Misses the 5xx half (e.g. 526) and doesn't read INF from any other ECU. Shows subcodes only when a stored fault exists — hence the "sometimes they show up, sometimes they don't" experience reported above.
  
• Generic iOS/Android OBD2 apps — No. Same as Torque: standard OBD-II only.
  
• Blink codes / paperclip method — No. Only the 4-character DTC. There is no blinky way to get INF codes.
  
• Techstream (Mini-VCI cable) — Yes, all. Reads all five INF tables (C6–CA) on the HV ECU and INF tables from every other ECU in the car. This is the real deal.

Bottom line: if you want subcodes from any ECU for any fault, Techstream is currently the only option. Dr. Prius can give you the 6xx half of a P0AA6, but that's where it stops.


[EDIT] I believe that the reason these tools cannot read INF subcodes is that it requires Toyota-specific communication on top of standard OBD-II: I am researching this, and having hooked up a laptop with Kimi3 AI Agent directly to a super cheap AliExpress ELM 327 dongle has revealed after a whole night of burning tokens something very interesting and it looks like it is just KWP2000 service 21 (readDataByLocalIdentifier) sent to the HV ECU at address 7E2 with single-byte local identifiers C6 through CA. So in fact, I believe these tools could actually be tweaked to read the subcodes after all...!

Generic OBD2 apps only speak the SAE-specified modes (01, 03, 07, etc.) but they never issue a manufacturer-specific 21 request to a non-standard ECU address, so they never see the INF table.
Looking at the codes used by Dr. Prius it seems that it does issue 21CA, but only that one table and only on the HV ECU.

 

Techstream is not the only option.

There are many higher end scanners that can read the INF/subcode like XTool D7 and D8. There are a few lower end scanners that can read the INF/subcode like mentioned in post #30 above and post #37 in this linked thread,https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3290690

 

Interesting! Let me look into what these tools exactly do