my shop didn't charge me anything extra for the two trips.. but if your shop isn't competent, the extra money for the simon tool may be justified.
but honestly, all they are going to do, is plug your car in, and download the software from the OBD2 port, then send it to AA. then plug your car in again the next day (or later the same day) and re-flash the software with a laptop. If they've ever flashed software before, this should be a no-brainer for them.
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