Which Code Reader?

Zedebee said:
It’s menu based, so you can only scan one ECU at a time, which is fine if you know what you are looking for (e.g. airbag light on), but laborious if you want to scan the whole car.
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Ahh, that makes sense, I guess if you don't know were to start looking, it could take some time

colb said:
but at £300 quite an outlay, got that as the coding side of it is far easier to use that the Laptop software NCS Expert, Dis and WinKpf.
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A bit above my budget!!

I've never had a scanner before, so its a whole new world to me
 
Zedebee said:
chanlon1 said:
Zedebee said:
Another vote for C310+ here. It’s a shame there is no “full scan” function though (not that I’ve found).
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my ignorance showing.....what do you mean by a "full scan"?
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It’s menu based, so you can only scan one ECU at a time, which is fine if you know what you are looking for (e.g. airbag light on), but laborious if you want to scan the whole car.
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The Autophix gives the option of manually selecting the area you want, or doing a full system scan.
You can also watch live data. I found that useful for seeing if the vanos was working or not as it shows camshaft angles.
Also can show the steering angle as you move the wheel.
I only have experience of this one, so no idea if Creators do this too.
 
enuff_zed said:
The Autophix gives the option of manually selecting the area you want, or doing a full system scan.
You can also watch live data. I found that useful for seeing if the vanos was working or not as it shows camshaft angles.
Also can show the steering angle as you move the wheel.
I only have experience of this one, so no idea if Creators do this too.
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I don't know the C310 but the Creator C510 does everything you just described except the Vanos, I haven't been able to find that anywhere in the menu.
 
grannyknot said:
enuff_zed said:
The Autophix gives the option of manually selecting the area you want, or doing a full system scan.
You can also watch live data. I found that useful for seeing if the vanos was working or not as it shows camshaft angles.
Also can show the steering angle as you move the wheel.
I only have experience of this one, so no idea if Creators do this too.
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I don't know the C310 but the Creator C510 does everything you just described except the Vanos, I haven't been able to find that anywhere in the menu.
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It is actually showing camshaft angle. Doesn't mention vanos. You get the data on screen then rev it and you should see the angles change. If not, the vanos seals are gone.
 
colb said:
https://www.obd2shop.co.uk/wholesale/creator-c501-bmw-multi-system-scanner.html
Good price here for Creator C501 Scanner
Personally I have a C310 which covers what I need, it cleared an airbag code INPA and BMW Scanner 1.4 couldnt do on the Laptop.
Just invested in a Launch Tablet Diagnostic and coding Tablet, that can deal with a lot of makes not just BMW but at £300 quite an outlay, got that as the coding side of it is far easier to use that the Laptop software NCS Expert, Dis and WinKpf.
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Colb what model tablet did you buy? And what can you code on it?

Have looked at Ncsexpert etc but it seems quite complicated and abit scared of bricking my car.

Sorry to hijack the thread
 
I purchased a Launch 919E Scanner Tablet from here
https://www.obd2shop.co.uk/search/?q=919E&DirID=
Be aware its a Chinese Clone and not supported by Launch UK having said that I have not had any problems with it so far. It tells you when updates are required and once you select update it downloads all the updated software. Updates free for 2 years then you have to pay. If you don't update it will still work on its latest updates. Comes in a Hard Case and once you find your way around the menu's its a doddle.
It will scan the car and give a Health Report on all the modules it finds on the car, clears codes and show live data so you can monitor how the syatems are performing. It will code Airbag modules, delete transport mode on Z4's, carry out functional tests on central locking componants and loads of other test functions using its Bi-directional control capability.
I also have a Creator 310+ which is a good basic code reader that is suitable for those owners who want something simple to operate and portable. I also have BMW INPA, DIS and NCS Expert and BMW Scanner 1.4 on an old Windows 7 Laptop. The latter is far easier to use than the BMW INPA, NCS Expert software and has some limited coding capability for coding lighting and a few other things.
The best thing about the Launch Tool is that it covers the majority of Car makes Worldwide so not just limited to BMW.
 
Thanks colb for the informative reply, sounds like a very good piece of kit for diagnosing but I assume the coding is limited?

I'm looking to code a few modules for lights and locking etc I've seen carly can do alot of coding but it's diagnostics is very lacking and NCSexpert will code everything but it's not straightforward.
 
There are some Youtube videos that show how to use NCS Expert but as you say its a bit clunky to operate let alone get INPA and the rest to get installed on a laptop. Its usually down to getting the right driver and settings correct on the laptop. The sellers on ebay now supply the obd2 interface and the software on a usb stick as opposed to a CD when I bought it. Next time I plug my Launch in will have an explore and try and make a list of its capabilities for coding.
 
NCS Dummy makes NCS Expert very easy. Basically you download the cars program with NCS Expert and then open the file in NCS Dummy which translates it to english. Make your programming changes in NCS Dummy save the file and then download the file to the car via NCS Expert.

I use INPA, NCS Expert and ISTA on a laptop. However, I'm planning to purchase BimmerGeeks ProTool in next few weeks. Basically for convenience to run and code from my phone anywhere.
 
Hi Javis20,

My quick check of BimmerGeeks ProTool website seemed to still showed the E85/E86 platform not supported - has that changed? I've been hoping that they would expand support to our E85/E86 cars. If so, I want to upgrade. I really liked using it on my E88 (128i), and I was disappointed that I could not use it on my E86.

If you find out that E85/E86 are supported, please post and let us know.

Thanks !
 
Partial self-answer: I see the updated ProTools manual from BimmerGeeks has a FAQ item that says they do not yet have full support for Series 1 E platform cars (including E85/E86), but the latest version of the app does have diagnostics and they're working on the rest. If you find out more, please post.
 
The old questions keep popping up don't they?

I want to be able to read and clear codes.
It would be nice to be able to scan the whole car in one go.
In order of preference I would prefer Android, then laptop, then dedicated tablet. Portable is good, but I want functionality more than portability (and laptop is pretty portable anyway!)
Cheap is good!
Being able to deal with other cars (for eg my old Mitsubishi and my other half's Fiesta) would be good... but I am unlikely to want to scan a car made after 2014 any time soon!
I am not signing up for an annual subscription unless I really have to.

One last thing - do you need a code reader to tell the car (E86) you've serviced it, or how else does the service reminder work?

Creator 310+ seems to be a solid go to tablet.

Are the 410 and 510 better? If so by how much?
 
For 20 quid you can get the scanner 1.4 and load it onto a laptop.
It does full system scans, coding, resets transport mode etc.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154021453500
 
[ref]enuff_zed[/ref], do you know if the scanner 1.4 will also work with an e86? Looking for something that would have more functionalities than the old creator reader that I have and INPA and similar seem to be very complex to install and use.
 
Micke said:
[ref]enuff_zed[/ref], do you know if the scanner 1.4 will also work with an e86? Looking for something that would have more functionalities than the old creator reader that I have and INPA and similar seem to be very complex to install and use.
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Pretty sure it does. It seems to cover a lot more than just zeds.
 
enuff_zed said:
For 20 quid you can get the scanner 1.4 and load it onto a laptop.
It does full system scans, coding, resets transport mode etc.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154021453500
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Thank you. Not being funny, but why do so many people buy a £300 tablet when they can get a much cheaper thing for a laptop?

I get it if you want to have one with you at all times, but how many people really want / need that? Surely a lot of us have laptops?
 
Micke said:
[ref]enuff_zed[/ref], do you know if the scanner 1.4 will also work with an e86? Looking for something that would have more functionalities than the old creator reader that I have and INPA and similar seem to be very complex to install and use.
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I’ve an E86 and I got scanner recently. Bought a cheap laptop off eBay for £30 and the scanner tool. Worked without any issues.
 
This was the laptop off eBay if you want to know specs.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116157292560?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=GuFR7fxDSMy&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=sioyEky9TVa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
 
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