Hi Mike, actually I remember you asking me before and I can't remember saying.
Mine is an Autel Maxisys Elite, researched what I could and sought one that coded stuff but also can apply software updates
It's interesting you ask about the Vanos specifics as actually on the N14 it doesn't show me what I thought it could or should, yet on the few 12's I've had here, those do give more info on Vanos positions target/actual etc.
No doubt you'd get better use out of this than me as you're more of a diagnostic dude chasing erroneous stuff, me, I'm mechanical, and reluctant to get involved in random warning lights that show every third Wednesday turning right uphill in the rain
Might sell this one soon and will possibly take on the Ultra but it's a shed load of money at close to 6k, this one wasn't cheap either tbf, just renewed the licence in September I think, probably still worth a couple, still has the screen film on it, licences are around 1.3k normally I think, I tend to take a breather between renewal but as always, something comes in that means I need to have it active so get forced into renewing
other than the above, I have only one very minor gripe with it and that is that it won't save a revised idle speed on the gen one petrol car, it will on the gen two, this only bugs me when fitting a cam where I need to bump the idle, so I have to take it to someone with an Autologic terminal to save it
actually, there're two gripes now I mention that one, again with gen one cars, it won't show available DME updates which I know are available, so again I have to go to Autologic to get the latest software applied before having the cars mapped where I do, other than that mate the thing is great really, it does all the others
Today I got this car running, so had the kit on that running through all sorts, wanted to have an idea of looming issues before I pull the motor and don't action stuff that'd only be evident after the engine was refitted, muggins here would be doing the job twice probably had I not got to find out anything prior.
All the injector values, rail pressure, all good, EGR function good, lets me freeze or record live data, lets me see engine data at fixed rpm positions, 1, 2, or 3k, or custom value, can see expected DPF remaining life of nearly 180,000km's, back pressure, I guess most will do similar, but this seems to work quite well and as said, will do software updates, most retrofit programming too, as well as code some functions on or off etc.
BMW and Mercedes software is pretty much direct with this, others you can apply but are more likely to have to utilise the dealer platform potentially to complete the task, maybe for files transfer etc, where the BMW files can be downloaded anywhere there is a mobile phone signal or WiFi, the tablet will hook up to a mobile phone hotspot and transfer the data that way, it checks the files and can be updated as a block or individual elements which is what I tend to do mostly but not always, it gives the time each update will take so we can see the effect of a cumulative update vs available time or decide on the risk to battery etc. It then rewrites the vehicle order, CBS date, time/date, and sometimes will perform post programming resets like windows or steering angle sensor etc, or they can be done via another window. It will reprogramme service intervals, done this on a couple
The touch screen works wearing Nitrile gloves so no faffing there taking gloves off, it does the brake bleed and all the normal stuff, loads of active tests as well as live data, and on every model, if you buy the kit, it will also reset the ADAS lane departure systems or calibrate them, but I haven't gone there
It's a good thing and I'd buy it again, I've had it on Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Jag, no hassle, only one car that was a pain was a Peugeot RCZ where the OBD is very slightly different, the car side has a moulded lump in the socket which pushes the kit plug over and as a result will bend two of the pins if not very careful, so on that car I trimmed off the lump from the OBD socket, otherwise no problem with it, only 4yrs old iirc.
I want the newer one in the hope it does those things mentioned but despite mailing them they haven't answered so probably don't know themselves, will probably get it anyway, maybe when this Coupe sells....
