Got a new Scanner today !

[fastfredracing]

Since we can never talk too much about tools here. Im stoked. Autel Maxi Sys Elite . Its supposedly, the latest and greatest thing since jumpering the OBD1 port with a paper clip.
I was really impressed with a smaller Autel that I had purchased a few years ago. For $1300, it had far more capabilities than my Snap on Scanner that I paid 13k for, and had to update to the tune of 2k a year .
I am the 2nd, or 3rd guy in our area to get one. The big euro shop got the first one, and they love it . I've been waiting for weeks , it came in they day before I left for vacation. I finally got it in my hands today. I have to do some coding on a Boxster tomorrow , and I cant wait to brick some expensive modules !
Im supposed to be able to do a ton more coding on PCARS, and should have basically full factory VAG AUDI BMW MBZ, and all Asian and Domestic .


Now I just have to pay for it .

[masraum]

Cool stuff, good luck with your bricking!

[DonDavis]

Oh, wait. Not that kind of scanner.

[fastfredracing]

Can that turn off the airbag light on a Kia Sorrento? Wow, I am glad I don't have to pay for that one

[legion]

I have a $10 Amazon OBDII scanner.

It's perfect for my purposes: It let's me know if the problem needs to be taken to a professional or if I can fix myself. Once I have the code, I get online and research the causes for my particular make/model.

So far, I've used it once. My wife's minivan had a check engine light come on. The code description that came up was something like "evaporative emission system failure". A little research showed the most likely cause was a loose gas cap. I also learned that the check engine light would continue to come on until the code was cleared. I tightened her gas cap and cleared the code. That was a year ago. It saved me the time/expense of having a professional look at it, so it has already paid for itself with one use.

[fastfredracing]

I wish it were that simple for me . Cannot even replace brake pads these days without a decent scanner. Fortunately, technology is catching up and there are decent options out there for hobbyists .
I just played with someones foxwel/schwabben , and it was pretty powerful for the money . I think they sell them here .
You can do a lot for a few hundred bucks now. Programming and coding starts to get expensive.
Once I pay this off, Im jumping with both feet into PIWIS

[masraum]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

I wish it were that simple for me . Cannot even replace brake pads these days without a decent scanner.

I get that for some things. You probably don't want your avg Joe screwing around with airbags and maybe ABS or something like that. But for some things, it's just silly. Clearly, I think the industry is just trying to get it out of the hands of the avg Joe. And there are a bunch of avg Joes that have no business working on a car. I've seen the end results of repairs by those guys. But, we also shouldn't have the ability taken away.

Fortunately, technology is catching up and there are decent options out there for hobbyists .
I just played with someones foxwel/schwabben , and it was pretty powerful for the money . I think they sell them here .
You can do a lot for a few hundred bucks now. Programming and coding starts to get expensive.
Once I pay this off, Im jumping with both feet into PIWIS

Sounds fun, maybe I'll pick one up! What are they, $50, maybe $75?

[GH85Carrera]

That is one reason I have a 911 with no service engine soon light anywhere, and no OBD ports, and a 1986 with a OBD1 that will tell me the last 20 or 30 things the computer did for the fuel injection system I put on it.

Our Macan has been flawless so nothing to read or program.

[pete3799]

I had to buy a scan tool for our 2 VW's. Got a Ross Tech VCDS.
Now if i were only smart enough to use it......
I'm afraid i'll push the wrong button and immobilize something.
Old school mechanic VS high tech. Old school is loosing this battle.

[legion]

Originally Posted by pete3799

Old school mechanic VS high tech. Old school is loosing this battle.

A lot of manufacturers (and perhaps BMW is the worst) try to make it practically impossible to repair their cars outside of a dealership. (I remember when BMW required special batteries to be pared to the car.) Many are also engineered to basically last about 5 years (MB and BMW)--a lot of this by trying to keep the cost of ownership down and recommending deferring maintenance (like long oil change intervals).

The irony is that once the cars get to about 10 years old, they are worth way less because they are so expensive to repair and keep running--and often require expensive scanners to solve any problem.

[pete3799]

The first oil change i did on our 2011 Touareg TDI i got the oil drained and the filter changed and read the owners manual for half an hour trying to find how much oil it takes.......nada.
They don't say anywhere in the 300+ pages and of course there is no dip stick.
They want you to go to the dealer apparently.

[Scott Douglas]

Are you sure it isn't listed in the 'Capacities' section of the owner's manual?
Has to be somewhere or how else are the dealership pukes going to know how much to put in it?

[RedBaron]

Can you recode ECUs with it like a PST2?

[pete3799]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

Are you sure it isn't listed in the 'Capacities' section of the owner's manual?
Has to be somewhere or how else are the dealership pukes going to know how much to put in it?

Nope.....had to find it on line.

[john70t]

Turn up the radio. Fixes everything.

[fastfredracing]

Originally Posted by RedBaron

Can you recode ECUs with it like a PST2?

Yes, whatever j box programming Porsche supports . ECU ABS, and a lot of the common modules are supposedly supported. What I am anxious to find out , is if I can do the headlights, suspension module, footwell modules , and all the other finicky stuff that is usually off limits to any thing other than PIWIS, or autologic ( 25k$)

[Baz]

Congratulations, Fred! I always enjoy your posts and your sharing stuff with us as it pertains to your business there. So thank you for that.

My mechanic has a reader.

So I don't feel the need to have one.

I try to do as much as I can on my cars but having a trusted mechanic and with that a very good working relationship really helps me to make decisions on what I want to tackle and what I want to turn over to him. It's really the ideal scenario.

I plan on bringing him and his son a couple chicken salad lunches today. Just as a gesture of friendship and respect. I also have a transfer pump I picked up at Walmart for him. It was only $10. Last time I was there we were pouring gas from a gas can into my motorcycle tank with a funnel...lol. I asked him if he had a transfer pump and he said no. So now he will. He has a whole building full of all kinds of equipment and tools but no transfer pump.

Those things are fantastic!

[Baz]

Quick followup......was able to bring my mechanic and his son take out lunches today as well as the transfer pump.

They were busy as usual. These chicken salad salads looked pretty good. The place I got them from is a long time established sub shop called "Big Joe's Subs". They're only open from 11-4 each day. Family run business and very well run.

There's another classic car restoration business a few doors down and I know the owner there pretty good so went down and chewed the fat with him a bit.

This industrial complex has quite a few places like this - one works on muscle cars and in particular '55-'57 Chevys. It's fun to visit there, even if not to have work done.








Took a pic of this down at the other shop. From a 914 that got cut up but he saved the VIN. I think it was one of mine and will check later. I traded it to a guy for some work on my sailboat and he traded it to this fellow along with all the rest of his 914 stuff for a 2002 model BMW.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Cannot even replace brake pads these days without a decent scanner.

I've never heard anyone ever say this
Can you elaborate on this?
Cars have had brake pad wear sensors for decades.
You've always needed a scanner to reset those.

[fastfredracing]

Electric parking brakes . You have to command them into the service position with a scanner before you push the pistons back in. No way around it . There is a cheat , where you can send power to 2 wires on the caliper, and then reverse polarity when you are done, but one slip , and you have just bricked an $800.00 caliper .
Audi, VW BMW, JAG, Subaru etc.