Carsoft, what do people think to it?

[Mr Whippy]

I'm tempted to buy a version. You can get a fully working latest release for about £290 now (legal and fully supported), which seems relatively cheap compared to what BMW like to charge, or independents who still charge an arm and a leg to plug a PC into a computer.

I'm just curious if people have found it good enough to do what they need to do. Ie, can you code the keys somehow (ie, for different seat settings upon entry, the order of how things work, say need to unlock before the boot open button will work etc)

I'd be getting 7.3.5 iirc, but many places offer 6.5 or so (dodgy ebay), but that version won't support my Z4 fully, so just wondering if the latest version is fully supporting the E85 etc too...


Any help/stories/advice much appreciated!

Thanks

Dave

[R6dug]

Hi
i asked about regarding this and was told it was the one to get. I am going to order the new version as soon as i get some money together!!!

Simon

[eliot]

You could get yourself an ediabas cable of ebay and use what the factory uses - INPA. With some effort, you can get a full GT1/DIS system working - Not the most friendly thing to use, but its what the BMW techs have to put up with on a day to day basis.

[Mr Whippy]

There is a GT1 kit here: (used them before and stuff does arrive and does work )

http://www.bynkaay.com/productdetails.jsp?PID=422&...


The only think is it seems a great deal (2x) more expensive than the Carsoft solution, but I guess it would be assured to FULLY work with all the features of my car!

However, I am still pondering the key coding things, like auto-lock on drive off, or seat position to assume on unlock, and all those things. Can they be done via any of these tools somehow, or is it a job for another device (those halo things you stick the key in at a BMW garage)

I wish Carsoft did a trial, even a cost trial, because if it can do what I want it to then the price is almost irrelevant, but if it can't then it's a big pile of wasted money!

jz325i said:

I've got the carsoft 6.5 interface (from ebay), but could not get it to work with my car (OBD-I). I just put it down to my car being too old.

You're very welcome to borrow it for as long as you like - as long as I get it back at some point. Along with a spare laptop I put to one side for it.

Cheers for the offer, but I don't think 6.5 covers any systems on my car by the main engine ones

Dave

Edited by Mr Whippy on Thursday 10th September 09:56

[R6dug]

Carsoft 6.5 does not work on the Z4 but the new one i belive does. I will be getting the new one for our X3 as well as my E36 325i as it covers both.

Simon

[Mr Whippy]

I'll probably get it ordered this weekend then... if it doesn't work I'll probably try send it back (getting it from "talk to my car" and I send a bit of business their way so I'll see )

Dave

[eliot]

Mr Whippy said:

There is a GT1 kit here: (used them before and stuff does arrive and does work )

http://www.bynkaay.com/productdetails.jsp?PID=422&...

You can create exactly the same thing with a £50 ediabas cable, INPA software with the DIS running in VMware workstation - Requires a bit (ok a lot) of patience to suss it all out, but it does work - trust me

[Mr Whippy]

eliot said:

Mr Whippy said:

There is a GT1 kit here: (used them before and stuff does arrive and does work )

http://www.bynkaay.com/productdetails.jsp?PID=422&...

You can create exactly the same thing with a £50 ediabas cable, INPA software with the DIS running in VMware workstation - Requires a bit (ok a lot) of patience to suss it all out, but it does work - trust me

I need to read up on the TIS/INPA by the sounds of it.

Why VMware? Does the DIS sit there and pretend to be a remote server for the INPA to run 'from'

I'm happy to tinker to get it all working I suppose, as long as the freely available download stuff will work with the E85 Z4... ie, those cheap download/eBay Carsoft are all old 6.5's and no good for newer BMW's...

PS, I downloaded a load of BMW CD's, TIS/KSD/ETM/EBA, are any of those any good for what I need or is the DIS something different altogether?


Cheers for the hints

Dave

[eliot]

You get yourself a £50 ediabas cable, which will usually come with a seemingly blank unlabled CD containg inpa/ediabas software suite. This is sufficient to do most things and I actually prefer using it to the full GT1/DIS system. Once you are comfortable with that, you can look at running GT1 inside VMware. GT1 expects to talk to the BMW yellow diagnostic head, but with a bit of tinkering you can make your existing ediabas cable and software look like a yellow diag head.(The yellow head is actually a windows CE computer and you can also purchase the yellow heads from china as noted above)
Note if you want to diagnose early non obd2 compliant BMW's such as pre 1998 e36 BMW's the £50 ebay cables WONT WORK - you need a cable which includes the ADS line as well. How to obtain that cable requires a bit more digging around ;-)
Search ediabas on this forum there was quite a long thread about it a while ago.

[Crombers]

Carsoft isn't worth the money in my opinion. Handy enough for pulling codes or changing your central locking settings but for diagnostics I'd go down the ediabas route.

[Mr Whippy]

Is that a 6.5 of Carsoft or the latest version 7.x Crombers??

It seems to say it'll do a read/code reset of SIM faults on my car, which I suppose is all I need... though I've also read these faults need clearing from the dash/gauge ecu module, but I assume as these are part of the SIM then they are covered too...


I'm a bit stuck really. I have a code that is probably nothing that just needs resetting (airbag) for the MOT, but I really don't want to pay £60 to have it reset... if it is something that needs tinkering work, then I'd prefer to sort it myself, so having a decent tool will help if it is something big.

Either way, I'd prefer to invest in something than just pay someone half the price to do it for me...

Downside is, MOT is start of October, so need to sort it quick. The ediabas/inpa system sounds ideal, and maybe even running it as a GT1, but it sounds like a few weeks to get it all up and running even if I start today



I wish the Carsoft makers/sellers were a bit more open as to what their tool will actually do... it's annoying, and likely almost an admission on their behalf that it isn't so great considering they won't let people know that that much about it until they have paid up and found it lacking maybe

I guess if I buy it and it's crap I can just tell everyone here to not bother with it, simples

Dave

Edited by Mr Whippy on Sunday 13th September 12:19

[eliot]

Mr Whippy said:

Is that a 6.5 of Carsoft or the latest version 7.x Crombers??

It seems to say it'll do a read/code reset of SIM faults on my car, which I suppose is all I need... though I've also read these faults need clearing from the dash/gauge ecu module, but I assume as these are part of the SIM then they are covered too...


I'm a bit stuck really. I have a code that is probably nothing that just needs resetting (airbag) for the MOT, but I really don't want to pay £60 to have it reset... if it is something that needs tinkering work, then I'd prefer to sort it myself, so having a decent tool will help if it is something big.

Either way, I'd prefer to invest in something than just pay someone half the price to do it for me...

Downside is, MOT is start of October, so need to sort it quick. The ediabas/inpa system sounds ideal, and maybe even running it as a GT1, but it sounds like a few weeks to get it all up and running even if I start today



I wish the Carsoft makers/sellers were a bit more open as to what their tool will actually do... it's annoying, and likely almost an admission on their behalf that it isn't so great considering they won't let people know that that much about it until they have paid up and found it lacking maybe

I guess if I buy it and it's crap I can just tell everyone here to not bother with it, simples

Dave

Edited by Mr Whippy on Sunday 13th September 12:19

Not sure that MOT test looks at the airbag anyway?

[Mr Whippy]

eliot said:

Mr Whippy said:

Is that a 6.5 of Carsoft or the latest version 7.x Crombers??

It seems to say it'll do a read/code reset of SIM faults on my car, which I suppose is all I need... though I've also read these faults need clearing from the dash/gauge ecu module, but I assume as these are part of the SIM then they are covered too...


I'm a bit stuck really. I have a code that is probably nothing that just needs resetting (airbag) for the MOT, but I really don't want to pay £60 to have it reset... if it is something that needs tinkering work, then I'd prefer to sort it myself, so having a decent tool will help if it is something big.

Either way, I'd prefer to invest in something than just pay someone half the price to do it for me...

Downside is, MOT is start of October, so need to sort it quick. The ediabas/inpa system sounds ideal, and maybe even running it as a GT1, but it sounds like a few weeks to get it all up and running even if I start today



I wish the Carsoft makers/sellers were a bit more open as to what their tool will actually do... it's annoying, and likely almost an admission on their behalf that it isn't so great considering they won't let people know that that much about it until they have paid up and found it lacking maybe

I guess if I buy it and it's crap I can just tell everyone here to not bother with it, simples

Dave

Edited by Mr Whippy on Sunday 13th September 12:19

Not sure that MOT test looks at the airbag anyway?

Me neither, but it is a warning light for airbags, and you know what some MOT places are like

Carsoft 7.x says it'll read/reset SIM codes for the Z4 E85, so I think it's probably worth a punt for that for now... then I can try sort that other cable/system sorted over the coming year just as a tool to have (getting married in under two weeks, + mot just after, so just a bit too busy really)

Could always sell the Carsoft later then if the other system is better


Cheers

Dave

[Remagel2507]

I use the bavarian technic and have found it to be very very good. I also have a WINSTAR BMW Tool - but it is lacking on feautures for newer cars at the moment, a big update is meant to be coming soon.

I do have a GT1 as well but am finding it a bit problematic at the moment.

[Mr Whippy]

That tool looks good value, but if I were getting one it'd have to be a professional version (Bavarian Technic)

Hmmm £675 in the UK... I'd be better with a GT1 from China I think...

I really don't want to buy Carsoft and it be crap. Think I'll have to ring a reseller and check that I can return it if it's crap!

Dave

[SittingBull]

Buy a bloody ELM327 from Hong Kong off eBay for £15.00 delivered. Just wait 3 weeks for delivery, plug it in to your laptop & be surprised. What a load of idiots there are on this forum. No wonder this country is in a state & why our much more intelligent E.European bretheren are taking over.

[AB]

SittingBull said:

Buy a bloody ELM327 from Hong Kong off eBay for £15.00 delivered. Just wait 3 weeks for delivery, plug it in to your laptop & be surprised. What a load of idiots there are on this forum. No wonder this country is in a state & why our much more intelligent E.European bretheren are taking over.

What a pleasant chap - perhaps you could share the benefit of your wisdom in a way that doesn't make you sound like a completely uneducated blithering idiot.

[CarbonM5]

I use carsoft 7.1,its okish but I really need coding and programming capability for dde5.0/6.0/e90 injectors ecus ect ect.

What you guys recommend?

[eliot]

SittingBull said:

Buy a bloody ELM327 from Hong Kong off eBay for £15.00 delivered. Just wait 3 weeks for delivery, plug it in to your laptop & be surprised. What a load of idiots there are on this forum. No wonder this country is in a state & why our much more intelligent E.European bretheren are taking over.

Explain how an ELM327 which is a [good] generic obd2 reader is going to reset your airbag light or interrogate any of the other 10 ecu's the average BMW contains?

[Mr Whippy]

eliot said:

SittingBull said:

Buy a bloody ELM327 from Hong Kong off eBay for £15.00 delivered. Just wait 3 weeks for delivery, plug it in to your laptop & be surprised. What a load of idiots there are on this forum. No wonder this country is in a state & why our much more intelligent E.European bretheren are taking over.

Explain how an ELM327 which is a [good] generic obd2 reader is going to reset your airbag light or interrogate any of the other 10 ecu's the average BMW contains?

I have ELM327 and PCMScan which is great for the engine codes (OBD generic)/sensor watching, scripting etc. But no joy for any of the BMW specific stuff as eliot mentioned

I'll be ringing "talk to my car" tomorrow and see if they can give more details on functionality. It seems like a waste if it can't code much on a Z4 vs GT1, and even more so if it won't reset my airbag stuff. Happy to try but only if I can get a full refund if it doesn't work

Dave