OBD Scanner Advice

[Validwarlord]

Hi All

Look at getting a scanner and these 2 have caught my eye anybody got any thoughts on which if either is good to own?

1. Creator C110+ OBD2 Scanner (BMW)

2. Ancel BM700 OBD2 (BMW)

Thanks

 

[bigwinn]

Evening

Not sure what you want it for- I have a creator 110 and its fairly basic?

Not sure about the other one

I use Carly and INPA/similar BMW software

 

[Kevin]

Hi @Validwarlord

I've picked up Bimmercode/Bimmerlink and one of their recommended scanners - Veepeak OBDCheck - £32 from Amazon. Works well for me via Bluetooth.

I'd look into the software first: no point getting a scanner that doesn't work for you. Carly seems to be an annual subscription rather than an
outright purchase. I've been able to check various settings, code in a new battery, make a few configuration settings.

 

[matsmith749]

I would definitely recommend the phone based options as a better starting point - I tried quite a few of the cheaper ODB scanners & was never quite happy with any of them.

They look good on the advert, but there is always something missing - whatever it is you are trying to do (other than a basic code clear - which they are perfect for).

I ended up with an autel mk808bt (more expensive, but still entry level as far as car scanners go) which I am quite happy with, but it needs £100 a year in subscriptions to keep it up to date. The latest updates added bi-directional controls - so you can actually 'test' things rather than just read the statuses, a big step up. The other huge advantage is that instead of just giving you a code, it tells you what it means.... as a DIY dude that is very helpful.

Much cheaper is the phone options TBH. The only downside to them is that they are pretty much manufacturer tied - for BMW Bimmerlink is well regarded (and cheap).

I stayed away from Carly as it has had a few bits of bad press for bricking cars (no idea if that is deserved or not), and don't appreciate paying a monthly / annual fee when similar phone based products are a one off charge.

Feels like the general rule of thumb is under a £100 - limited & basic. Phone probably best value.
Over a hundred - check for specific things you want to do & better. Dedicated scanners might have the edge, can be used on wide range of cars.

 

[Validwarlord]

Hi All

Looks like the more affordable option is phone based which I was considering anyway after a bit of late night reading.

Thank you all for your time to comment, I have to say this is a great forum to be a part of so a from me.

 

[matsmith749]

If it's just for BMW, it's hard not to recommend something like bimmerlink. £35 one off payment, £25 ish for the bluetooth ODBII adapter & you are all set.

If it turns out you want to code some minor changes, you already have the adapter, so another £30 (ish) and you could get bimmercode.

 

[Validwarlord]

Hi Mat

I think I will be getting the bimmercode option and I am looking to marry this up with a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE or Bluetooth 4.0 Vgate iCar Pro.

 

[matsmith749]

Bimmerlink = scanner - used to check for errors etc
Bimmercode = coding tool - used to change how things are configured

2 seperate tools for different jobs

 

[Validwarlord]

Hi Mat

Bimmercode + Coding Tool is what I going to buy a friend has given me his bmw scanning tool as he has no need for it so win win for me tbh

 

[matsmith749]

Bimmercode is almost a no-brainer. £30 pays for itself several times over if you need to make a single config change.

I only did a few & will likely never use it again - but well worth it.

I did auto fold mirrors on the key, 5 flash indicators, and turned off the BMW voice assist so I could use the mr12volt siri integration with the BMw steering wheel button.

 

[Validwarlord]

Hi Mat

Yes it looks like Bimmercode is the best choice, don't want to do to much indepth stuff so seems a great choice

 

[Kevin]

For reference, I went for BimmerLink as well as BimmerCode, because I needed to code a new battery (you need both Bimmercode and Bimmerlink for this if you want to change the battery type and register a new one - mine was miscoded as an AGM battery).

Bimmerlink gives you a dashboard with live data about the engine etc. which is nice to see (there is some very detailed information!), but I'm generally going fast enough that I don't want to look at it when I'm on the move, so this would be mostly for workshop use for me

 

[Validwarlord]

Thanks Kevin

 

[Kevin]

I found it wasn't always possible to work out exactly what you were getting from the software before buying (there is a demo mode, but it's for some other model than the Z4).

Here are some screenshots from BimmerLink of the Dashboard etc (ignition off, so the battery voltage is 0). It's very configurable, but some of those measurements are very obscure!

 

[Kevin]

The exhaust flap is a temporary setting, so not useful for people who want it always open for example.

 

[Kevin]

Bimmercode does tell you what settings are available for the Z4 (rather oddly, it says some are not available for the convertible, but I can't see why you would want roof down on a coupe, for example ). There are a few settings that I found useful for the remote, but the E89 is not as configurable as our newer daily drivers (a Peugeot and a Skoda). I do seem to have configured windows down from the remote, but I may change that so I don't accidentally walk away with the car windows open! I couldn't find a way to enable mirror folding on lock, unfortunately (which I would like). There might be an "expert" setting to do this, but I'm reluctant to try those!!

One nice thing is that the app takes a local backup of the settings before making any changes (which you can save to the cloud, I think). That gives some reassurance that you can recover if things were to go wrong.

 

[matsmith749]

Door mirrors folding with the keyfob is not as easy as you would think, but definitely doable with bimmercode (I have done it myself!).

The instructions are on this site, just do a search. there are a couple of things you do need to change via expert mode - but it's a 5 minute job with step by step instructions.

 

[Kevin]

Thanks @matsmith749 - will take a look. Yes, it did look as if it wasn't straightforward so detailed instructions will be very helpful.

As I said, I haven't been brave enough to try expert mode yet, but I'll definitely give it a go!!

 

[Ldale]

I would definitely recommend the phone based options as a better starting point - I tried quite a few of the cheaper ODB scanners & was never quite happy with any of them.

They look good on the advert, but there is always something missing - whatever it is you are trying to do (other than a basic code clear - which they are perfect for).

I ended up with an autel mk808bt (more expensive, but still entry level as far as car scanners go) which I am quite happy with, but it needs £100 a year in subscriptions to keep it up to date. The latest updates added bi-directional controls - so you can actually 'test' things rather than just read the statuses, a big step up. The other huge advantage is that instead of just giving you a code, it tells you what it means.... as a DIY dude that is very helpful.

Much cheaper is the phone options TBH. The only downside to them is that they are pretty much manufacturer tied - for BMW Bimmerlink is well regarded (and cheap).

I stayed away from Carly as it has had a few bits of bad press for bricking cars (no idea if that is deserved or not), and don't appreciate paying a monthly / annual fee when similar phone based products are a one off charge.

Feels like the general rule of thumb is under a £100 - limited & basic. Phone probably best value.
Over a hundred - check for specific things you want to do & better. Dedicated scanners might have the edge, can be used on wide range of cars.

Hi, do you mind if I ask where you purchased the MK808 from? I am looking to buy one but after many hours on Google there seems to be many different opinions on UK based dealer vs a grey import at nearly half the price.

 

[matsmith749]

Amazon. Don’t remember the exact price but feel like it was about £350