986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

BirdDog · 12-30-2013, 07:16 AM

My 2 cents - (sorry for the long post)...

A generic scan tool will allow you to talk to the engine computer, and that's about it.

The Durametric diagnostic tool will let you talk to ALL the computers on your Boxster S...

Besides the engine computer there are computers (or at least control modules that can store codes) for the transmission, ABS, Airbag/Seatbelt, A/C, and even one for your headlights if you have the Litronix headlights. The Durametic tool will let you talk to all of them. It will also let you clear the codes.

There are two version of the tool - pro and enthusiast. The pro version will let you do most of the things a dealer can do - real-time monitoring of just about everything that has a computer or sensor, read/clear codes, and enable/disable some subsystems. The enthusiast version will let you real-time monitor and read/clear codes but according to Durametric, it won't let you enable or disable any subsystems. The Pro version can be used with an unlimited number of VINs, the enthusiast version limits you to 3 VINs. The Pro version costs about twice that of the enthusiast version.

I bought my 2001 Boxster S back in October. Due to a dead battery, the airbag light was lit, and I used my Durametric cable to clear that code (it was actually the driver seat belt ground), and I discovered that it also had an A/C code set. I cleared that one as well. Both were false codes set as a result of the dead battery.

They're not cheap, but if you want to really dig into what's going on in your Boxster I'd definitely recommend getting an enthusiast cable.

A few words of caution...

1. According to Durametric, the cables are reported to not work with some USB-3 computers. I can verify that when I attempted to install mine on my laptops USB-3 port it crashed my computer. I restored my hard drive (I always shoot a full backup before installing any new hardware or software) and it installed just fine using one of the other USB-2 ports. If your computer ONLY has USB-3 ports, it probably wont work.

2. If buying a used cable off ebay, make sure it's the newer cable (check Durametrics website to determine how to tell), and if it's an enthusiast cable, get an assurance from the seller that it hasn't been used on 3 cars. The VINs are stored in the cable... so a fresh software install on your laptop isn't going to clear them. Older style cables can be upgraded to newer style ones, but there's a cost associated with that and you'll have to send the old one back to Durametric.

Hope this helps...

Bill

12-30-2013, 07:16 AM	#11
BirdDog Registered User Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 419	My 2 cents - (sorry for the long post)... A generic scan tool will allow you to talk to the engine computer, and that's about it. The Durametric diagnostic tool will let you talk to ALL the computers on your Boxster S... Besides the engine computer there are computers (or at least control modules that can store codes) for the transmission, ABS, Airbag/Seatbelt, A/C, and even one for your headlights if you have the Litronix headlights. The Durametic tool will let you talk to all of them. It will also let you clear the codes. There are two version of the tool - pro and enthusiast. The pro version will let you do most of the things a dealer can do - real-time monitoring of just about everything that has a computer or sensor, read/clear codes, and enable/disable some subsystems. The enthusiast version will let you real-time monitor and read/clear codes but according to Durametric, it won't let you enable or disable any subsystems. The Pro version can be used with an unlimited number of VINs, the enthusiast version limits you to 3 VINs. The Pro version costs about twice that of the enthusiast version. I bought my 2001 Boxster S back in October. Due to a dead battery, the airbag light was lit, and I used my Durametric cable to clear that code (it was actually the driver seat belt ground), and I discovered that it also had an A/C code set. I cleared that one as well. Both were false codes set as a result of the dead battery. They're not cheap, but if you want to really dig into what's going on in your Boxster I'd definitely recommend getting an enthusiast cable. A few words of caution... 1. According to Durametric, the cables are reported to not work with some USB-3 computers. I can verify that when I attempted to install mine on my laptops USB-3 port it crashed my computer. I restored my hard drive (I always shoot a full backup before installing any new hardware or software) and it installed just fine using one of the other USB-2 ports. If your computer ONLY has USB-3 ports, it probably wont work. 2. If buying a used cable off ebay, make sure it's the newer cable (check Durametrics website to determine how to tell), and if it's an enthusiast cable, get an assurance from the seller that it hasn't been used on 3 cars. The VINs are stored in the cable... so a fresh software install on your laptop isn't going to clear them. Older style cables can be upgraded to newer style ones, but there's a cost associated with that and you'll have to send the old one back to Durametric. Hope this helps... Bill __________________ 2001 Boxster S - Speed Yellow, Black Leather, Tiptronic, Jake Raby rebuilt 3.2 with IMS Solution Last edited by BirdDog; 12-30-2013 at 08:17 AM.