OBD diagnostics Launch X431 Pros Elite

pavproch

Member
 m4Zlik
My car park consists of my Zet (e89 30i MR2009), my wife´s VW Tiguan 2.0TSI EA888 MR2012 and our "shopping bag" Fiat Panda 1,2i (NA Fire) Climbing MR2006, all already definitely NOT new, suffering randomly and occassionally various malfunctions due their age/mileage, obviously.
So, back in 2024 I decided to get my own OBD diagnostics (a dedicated unit, NOT a mobile app), after a thorough exploration of optins I choose portable OBD Launch X431 Pros Elite (a package incorporating 24months of online updates), unfortunatelly NOT available with CZ language suite then (available nowadays).
And for all those 24months I kept cursing, swearing and complaining about it and its behaviour + necessity to connect it to web regularly (each 7/28 days otherwise it refused to run the diagnostics) + impossibility to switch/set updates off + a bonus: horrible non-understandable ("pidgin Chinese") English.
But, it (so far) always (not easily, though) did/executed what I wanted/expected from it on all my wrecks ..... (the only exception - it was/is NOT capable to determine/diagnose which one - out of two there - pre-cat o2 sensor ony my Zet failed).
The 24months of pre-paid service is now (as of yesterday) gone and to my surprise that Chinese s**t still works (showing a small red cross at updates only, nothing more serious yet), thanks God (despite I am an atheist).

And here comes my question (provided there is anybody here running that Chinese s**t with updates period expired, too) - am I to expect any further troubles later on? (And consequently - will it be still refusing to work properly without being web-connected each 7/28 days?)
 
I have several, also a Launch (very cheap brand over here), mine expired last year, zero dramas, you just don’t have access to the updates, unless you now pay for them. The unit keeps running as is. Also annoying is that it can automatically find the vin/car your working on, and then says it can’t find it.. wtf.. make up your mind bloody thing.

For the e89 I’ve gone with ProTools (it’s easy, and on recommendation from guys here) for my e86 I use inpa/insta, for the z3 I use some crappy Thinkscan plus thing, which I also use for the tundra, and lc200 series I own, and my sisters E400.
 
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Thanks a lot for optimistic view, so it looks like it will be working (with no obligatory updates) without further obstacles. Good.
That s**t of mine does automatically recognise VIN both of my e89 and my wife´s VW, but is completely oblivious to our FIAT (= have to always manualy choose its specification).
 
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