Foxwell? Carly? Which OBDII scanner in 2024?!

[MarshMA10]

Hi all

Looking to do the recommended e89 owner thing and buy a decent obdii scanner.

Foxwell nt510 (elite?) seems to get a good review on the internet generally? But reviews/forum posts are old.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295938844231?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=PwsHKXNrT8i&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=lGavpOahScy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY


Carly looks popular but perhaps a bit gimmicky? Not sure.

Looking for one primarily for maintenance and diagnosis, but maybe the odd bit of coding experimentation.

 

[B21]

Bimmergeeks Protool has the broadest range of coding options, programming and diagnostics this side of ISTA..Foxwell ok on diagnostics but no programming and limited coding..Carly not so good on diagnostics as others and limited programming..other choices are available..

I have Foxwell/Protool/…had Carly and other look alikes..

This is for E89s..different results for other platforms

 

[MarshMA10]

Bimmergeeks Protool has the broadest range of coding options, programming and diagnostics this side of ISTA..Foxwell ok on diagnostics but no programming and limited coding..Carly not so good on diagnostics as others and limited programming..other choices are available..

I have Foxwell/Protool/…had Carly and other look alikes..

This is for E89s..different results for other platforms

Thanks. I have an iPhone and no access to an Android device. Any suggestions?

 

[B21]

Bimmergeeks Protool has the broadest range of coding options, programming and diagnostics this side of ISTA..Foxwell ok on diagnostics but no programming and limited coding..Carly not so good on diagnostics as others and limited programming..other choices are available..

I have Foxwell/Protool/…had Carly and other look alikes..

This is for E89s..different results for other platforms

Thanks. I have an iPhone and no access to an Android device. Any suggestions?

I have about 10 apple devices and didn’t have Android..

I bought a cheap ruggedised Chinese android phone for £60..I keep it in the car fully charged , switched off with the MHD dongle I use.

That way when the car decides to empty the contents of the water pump 500 miles from home late on a Sunday I can analyse, correct and monitor the situation..

Going cheap on E89 code readers is poor economics in my view..especially E89s..

 

[flybobbie]

Survived with my Foxwell last 10 years, wouldn't be without it.

 

[matsmith749]

Thanks. I have an iPhone and no access to an Android device. Any suggestions?

They are available for £cheap from thousands of online & physical stores. 2 gen old models are on ebay from £25.

If you really have no access due to living in Antarctica (or somewhere similar) then you are out of luck

 

[MarshMA10]

If an ancient android is up to the task I’ll get one sorted!

Slightly surprised that’s better than a purpose built handheld thing - but I’ll take the forums word for it, if so!

 

[B21]

If an ancient android is up to the task I’ll get one sorted!

Slightly surprised that’s better than a purpose built handheld thing - but I’ll take the forums word for it, if so!

There's no perfect solution , which is why I have 3 current options..but..my go to is Protool..they are 100% BMW only..Foxwell support hundreds of manufacturers some OK some not so..tech support on Protool is very good..

I went with this type of phone..maybe over kill..but if you're messing around broken down on the road something knock resistant isn't a bad thing..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07V5FSBB4/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07V5FSBB4&pd_rd_w=tH3zG&content-id=amzn1.sym.ca9ef0eb-e0b3-4492-b714-b25b0d54fc1c&pf_rd_p=ca9ef0eb-e0b3-4492-b714-b25b0d54fc1c&pf_rd_r=TV4Y5101YSEEKBXV8KK5&pd_rd_wg=amUW3&pd_rd_r=ef934ac3-35af-4a8d-a7c4-62e62d6a7261&ref_=oct_dx_ld&th=1

 

[Kevin]

Ultimately, it comes down to price, convenience and whether the system does what you need.

I've been happy with the VeePeak BLE+ scanner coupled with BimmerCode/BimmerLink, which work from the iPhone via Bluetooth. I keep an old iPhone in the car, but I've not needed to use it much on my 30i once I sorted out window etc settings and coded in a battery replacement

 

[javis20]

I've been happy with BimmerGeeks ProTool. Loads really fast and does 90%+ of what ISTA does.

 

[DonDon]

ProTool looks good to me. Can anyone please confirm if it is a one-off purchase or an annual subscription?

 

[B21]

ProTool looks good to me. Can anyone please confirm if it is a one-off purchase or an annual subscription?

One off and great support!

 

[DonDon]

Grazie! Vielen Dank! Diolch yn fawr! Merci bien! Ta Mush!

 

[javis20]

ProTool very powerful and well supported.

 

[simnew]

Quick question. On the bimmergeeks website they offer a bundle of licence plus cable plus Bluetooth adapter plus an android adapter (usb b to c ?). But do you need the cable or is the Bluetooth good enough or are there specific reasons why you need all three? Thx

 

[javis20]

You only need one. I'm using a cheap Ebay K+Dcan cable (with switch) and a usb b to c adapter. Bimmergeeks cables would be better, but I was low on cash.

If you want Bluetooth, you must buy their Bluetooth adapter. ProTool doesn't work with other Bluetooth adapters. They also have a WiFi adapter, if your interested.

 

[rafcom]

Hi Gents

If I may latch on to this thread, with a related albeit slightly off topic question.

So I've been using BimmerLink for a bit now and it's ok with the dash function and the live sensor data and obviously the code readouts. Where it lacks though, and this is probably more a me problem than an App problem, is once you have your sensor reading or fault code there is no intuitive way to figure out what needs to be done or where to check next. For instance, "28ED00 Boost pressure sensor, plausibility: boost pressure not plausible to exhaust pressure before turbine in the wake" means very little to me as I have no clue where this sensor lives or what to check for and it's only complicated further by additional "related" errors.

So I suppose the question is this, in conjunction with the app, what other resources can be used to properly fault find issues? Or is it just best to get a proper ISTA setup going? Or would something like Haynes Autofix be useful? I only bought a Haynes manual once, long ago for a '98 ZX9R Kawasaki, and never bothered with them again as it really wasn't all that helpful (take it to a dealer should not be phrases you read in a "workshop manual")

Thanks,
R

 

[B21]

All the code readers /programmers AFAIK are very very limited in their suggestions..apart from ISTA which is much more prescriptive in its ability to diagnose faults..if you can climb the learning curves of both installation and use then for diagnostics its the best you can get..

Bimmergeeks Protool is the best diagnostic /programming app..but..in the example you gave you'd have to apply logic to it..of course most errors are well documented on the Internet

 

[DonDon]

This seems like a good place to put this info.

I just replaced my failing 70Ah battery with an 80Ah one. This must be registered AND coded to tell the car that it has a new battery so the intelligent charging profile will be different, and that the battery has a larger capacity.

When you connect ProTool, it tells you to turn the ignition on. Like a numpty, I started the engine. When I then did the new battery procedure (dead easy), it said that the coding succeeded, but the registration failed. After several attempts, I finally Read The Friendly Manual(!). You need to press the start button, but without pressing the brake pedal. Worked perfectly after that.

 

[B21]

This seems like a good place to put this info.

I just replaced my failing 70Ah battery with an 80Ah one. This must be registered AND coded to tell the car that it has a new battery so the intelligent charging profile will be different, and that the battery has a larger capacity.

When you connect ProTool, it tells you to turn the ignition on. Like a numpty, I started the engine. When I then did the new battery procedure (dead easy), it said that the coding succeeded, but the registration failed. After several attempts, I finally Read The Friendly Manual(!). You need to press the start button, but without pressing the brake pedal. Worked perfectly after that.

ditto on parking brake work!