Diagnostic Scan Tool

[BillyRay1959]

A few fault codes showing up on my dash, so thought I'd invest in a reasonably priced scan tool. I have seen a couple online. All looked good until a mate put me onto a customer review website. He had actually been looking for new tyres for his car and spotted reviews. Bit of a shock though, after making a Google search.....""...Any of you guy's ever made a purchase from this business?....

<footnote> Mod edit, no name and shame please</footnote>

[Levin]

No, and based on your doubts, you shouldn't either. Presumably you're looking into a scan tool for a BMW given the Bavarian in the name. What model? There are a multitude of different scanners out there and some are Bluetooth enabled to allow you to use your phone as a scan tool.

[Automaton]

Trustpilot reviews for review centre are interesting.
OP are you in some way associated with review center or with a competitor to ?

[NMNeil]

You don't say what car you have or the year.
Since 1996 OBD2 standardized the diagnostic port and most of the error codes, so unless the scanner is for one of the manufacturer only codes, any OBD2 scanner will work.

[BillyRay1959]

Your assumption is correct Levin. BMW 325i SE 2 door 2009 model. Its a weekend car, and its rather pampered to say the least lol. I have heard since, that none of these tools work successfully, so I think I will go down the INPA route.

Edited by BillyRay1959 on Sunday 2nd January 14:19

[BillyRay1959]

Automaton said:

Trustpilot reviews for review centre are interesting.
OP are you in some way associated with review center or with a competitor to ?

Not at all.. Retired, Just an old guy with an old car, who takes weekend breaks driving out and about with my wife, now that the kids are up and gone. Just thought the subject might be of interest to the many readers. As you can see, I'm a newbie, but hey, thanks for the suspicious welcome.lol

[Levin]

BillyRay1959 said:

Your assumption is correct Levin. BMW 325i SE 2 door 2009 model. Its a weekend car, and its rather pampered to say the least lol. I have heard since, that none of these tools work successfully, so I think I will go down the INPA route.

Edited by BillyRay1959 on Sunday 2nd January 14:19

INPA is an excellent choice but could be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There's so much it can do that it could easily become overwhelming. For a 2009 car, and a much simpler scanner, something like BimmerCode might be ideal. There's also Carly but it works from a subscription model nowadays and the two require different OBD-2 scanners. The apps are free to download at least so could be worth the download, just to see what they offer.

Edit: You might already be aware that these BMWs can self-diagnose (to a limited extent). If you scroll through the menus on the indicator stalk until you find the CHECK option, press BC to enter it, and then hold BC on any of the issues displayed it will display a CC-ID code. This is fairly lightweight stuff compared to what a scanner can do for you, but it's handy for figuring out failed bulbs or similar.

[E-bmw]

There are plenty of ICARSOFT or CREATOR scan tools on ebay that work very well with bmw.

[BillyRay1959]

E-bmw said:

There are plenty of ICARSOFT or CREATOR scan tools on ebay that work very well with bmw.

Many thanks. Only had the car a few months, so still learning.

[BillyRay1959]

Levin said:

INPA is an excellent choice but could be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There's so much it can do that it could easily become overwhelming. For a 2009 car, and a much simpler scanner, something like BimmerCode might be ideal. There's also Carly but it works from a subscription model nowadays and the two require different OBD-2 scanners. The apps are free to download at least so could be worth the download, just to see what they offer.

Edit: You might already be aware that these BMWs can self-diagnose (to a limited extent). If you scroll through the menus on the indicator stalk until you find the CHECK option, press BC to enter it, and then hold BC on any of the issues displayed it will display a CC-ID code. This is fairly lightweight stuff compared to what a scanner can do for you, but it's handy for figuring out failed bulbs or similar.

That's very helpful. Thank you.

[BillyRay1959]

BillyRay1959 said:

A few fault codes showing up on my dash, so thought I'd invest in a reasonably priced scan tool. I have seen a couple online. All looked good until a mate put me onto a customer review website. He had actually been looking for new tyres for his car and spotted reviews. Bit of a shock though, after making a Google search.....""...Any of you guy's ever made a purchase from this business?....

<footnote> Mod edit, no name and shame please</footnote>

My apologies Mod, although I wasn't aware that I'd named and shamed anyone.. I leave that to the experts such as Trustpilot and of course the Review Centre, which I did mention, but left it up to the reader, either for them to view or decline to view. ...The neg feedback on the company or "companies" in question, certainly played a part in me not making a purchase from them, but of course, they are but a guide for the prospective buyer. Thankfully, I took heed from that guide, which probably saved me from future grief. Sadly that guide cannot now be passed on to the readers, although I do understand your predicament. Once again. my apologies.