Durametrics- module failed to initialize airbag

[Supermini]

Hey all,
i bought this counterfeit durametric 3-5 cable off ebay,
and i had to clear an airbag light on my 98 986 Australian Delivered.

I was getting a module failed to initialize message when selecting "airbag" under 986.

after messing about trying different models - 996, 968 etc,
for some reason it worked under the 993 section, and it identified the module number as starting with 996, and i was able to read and clear the fault codes.

i thought i would share in case this helps anyone else.

[JFP in PA]

The operative term here is "counterfeit"..............

[bar10dah]

+1 on what JFP said.

There's risk in any product you buy. However, buying a product of questionable quality, then hooking it up to your $1,000+ DME, just begs for a short to fry the whole thing.

[drbodzin]

Originally Posted by Supermini

Hey all,
i bought this counterfeit durametric 3-5 cable off ebay,
and i had to clear an airbag light on my 98 986 Australian Delivered.

I was getting a module failed to initialize message when selecting "airbag" under 986.

after messing about trying different models - 996, 968 etc,
for some reason it worked under the 993 section, and it identified the module number as starting with 996, and i was able to read and clear the fault codes.

i thought i would share in case this helps anyone else.

THANKS for this tip! It was exactly what I needed to get my Airbag light off.

[YueIBM]

Supermini's workaround worked great on my 986! Selecting my car as 993 allowed me to bypass the "module failed to respond" error that I got when going into the Airbag menu as a 986. My 986's airbag module also had a S/N starting with 996. Perhaps these were mixed up at the factory? My car shouldn't have had an airbag deployed.

Thanks again Supermini!

[jb92563]

Originally Posted by bar10dah

+1 on what JFP said.

There's risk in any product you buy. However, buying a product of questionable quality, then hooking it up to your $1,000+ DME, just begs for a short to fry the whole thing.

True there is some risk but what would the dealer charge to correct the airbag issue.

Dealers may be a risk to your wallet that may be equivalent to a new DME, so I can understand why some take the gamble.

There's probably an abundant supply of DME at auto dismantelers since its not a commonly replaced part.

I wonder what they would charge for one.

Supermini, thanks for contributing a good tip and sharing that knowledge with us. +1

[bar10dah]

This is the last I'll mention of this topic (well, in this thread) because I know I won't convince everybody. But, Durametric makes a pretty good product. They don't charge a lot for it. For $287, you can have the real deal.

I'll give it to you that manufacturing has become easier and more reliable over the years, even for counterfeit products. But still, why take a chance on a counterfeit? Especially since Durametric is offering their product at a very fair price. It's a personal, and moralistic, decision to support them by buying a genuine cable. But like I said, I won't convince everyone.

You can buy it direct from Durametric.

Or you can buy it from Pelican Parts, who offers this outstanding 986forum to the general public, free of charge. (the forum is free, not the cable)

No, I don't have any ties with Durametric. I just believe in supporting their product. It's a personal decision. I'm not attacking anyone's ethics here, I'm just stating my own. If you want to reply to this to defend your purchase of a counterfeit cable, please don't. I really don't care. Afterall, you have nothing to prove to me.

[bonesy]

hi i too bought a lead off ebay to clear my airbag fault on my 986. having already bought one from china. both came up with "Module failed to initialize" when using the boxster 986
tried the 911(964/993) and boom fault cleared!
big thank you

[Trey T]

^bingo! ........

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by bar10dah

This is the last I'll mention of this topic (well, in this thread) because I know I won't convince everybody. But, Durametric makes a pretty good product. They don't charge a lot for it. For $287, you can have the real deal.

I'll give it to you that manufacturing has become easier and more reliable over the years, even for counterfeit products. But still, why take a chance on a counterfeit? Especially since Durametric is offering their product at a very fair price. It's a personal, and moralistic, decision to support them by buying a genuine cable. But like I said, I won't convince everyone.

You can buy it direct from Durametric.

Or you can buy it from Pelican Parts, who offers this outstanding 986forum to the general public, free of charge. (the forum is free, not the cable)

No, I don't have any ties with Durametric. I just believe in supporting their product. It's a personal decision. I'm not attacking anyone's ethics here, I'm just stating my own. If you want to reply to this to defend your purchase of a counterfeit cable, please don't. I really don't care. Afterall, you have nothing to prove to me.

Interesting moral /ethical points raised, I wonder how Porsche feels about Durametric reading their codes as Durametric is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Seems like that's stealing from Porsche. In a like manner the counterfeit products have no affiliation with Durametric. A real moral dilemma. Perhaps to be perfectly moral / ethical we should all bring our cars back to the Porsche dealership for all maintenance and repair? Or maybe not? I'm stumped.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Jamesp

Interesting moral /ethical points raised, I wonder how Porsche feels about Durametric reading their codes as Durametric is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Seems like that's stealing from Porsche. In a like manner the counterfeit products have no affiliation with Durametric. A real moral dilemma. Perhaps to be perfectly moral / ethical we should all bring our cars back to the Porsche dealership for all maintenance and repair? Or maybe not? I'm stumped.

Durametric walks a fine line that is set by Porsche and the copyright and/or patent laws. Under the law, Durametric can reverse engineer diagnostic tools that function within Porsche's unique diagnostic system as long as they do not do so by copying any code or procedures that Porsche has so legally protected. So if Durametric independently develops their own code to get the job done, it is legally "no foul, no penalty" as they have not taken anything from Porsche or diminished them in any way. This is one of the reasons why the Durametric Pro system can "code" (turn on or off) functions already built into these cars, but will never be able to re-flash DME's basic software.

[Trey T]

^bingo!.......