Which hand held OBD scanner?

[Steve Tinker]

I am considering buying another Porsche 996 or 997. In my search, I will be interrogating the ECU regarding hours run, engine over revs, vin number & pending fault codes, etc.
I already have a Durametric to do all this (and more) at home, but I don't want to lug a laptop round car dealerships looking like an aging geek fumbling around trying to check the health of the car(s) and questioning the spiel flowing from the salesman's mouth.
I don't need it to switch off codes or check camshaft deviations, just verify the ECU details on several different vehicles.

Is there a hand held scanner on the market that can give me this info? Just the over revs, hours run etc etc will be adequate to get a good baseline. Hopefully the scanner is available from Amazon or whomever that can send to Australia.

[BoomerRoadie]

Hi.

I'm just curious about something. I'm not going to directly answer your question, but maybe it can help.

Do you have a mechanic already picked out to support you? If you do, and I hope you do, wouldn't you then considered having a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI) done on the car? If you go this route, your mechanic will do all that stuff for you.

The reason I mention this is because this is the route I took. It solved several problems all in one. It established a relationship with a mechanic, got the codes and details you (and I) were looking for and it created a benchmark of the vehicle condition from an unbiased source.

I would have done this if buying from a dealer or private. If the dealer is not willing to let you do this with an independent, they should provide all the date and standby the data they provide.

Just a thought.

Good luck!

[Pdwight]

If you have a durametric pro with unlimited VIN's I would not hesitate to take a look and see what has the status is.......if you were trading one in I can assure the dealer would not hesitate to look

[Steve Tinker]

1) Boomer,
I've been around Boxsters for over 8 years and I do all my own maintenance, but yes I would get a PPI before purchase, BUT spending several hundred dollars after me doing the scanner checks is a lot cheaper than looking over the car and then sending it for a PPI only to find the ECU has questionable data like over revs and hours run. I'm trying to sort the wheat from the chaff before getting expert opinion.

2) Pdwight,
I have the Durametric Enthusiast so only have 3 VIN lives - not an ideal situation if I want to look at a few cars ECU's.

Buying a Porsche in Australia is nothing like buying one in the US. The Indi's are very few and far between, charge as much as the Official Porsche Centres plus we only have about 10 OPC's in a country as big as the USA.
No way could you get a PPI within 2 weeks of requesting one from an Indie so by the time you book it in, the car has probably been sold. So THATS why I want a hand held scanner to verify what I'm buying before going through the hoops of organising a PPI....

So, can anyone recommend a suitable scanner, or am I condemned to using my laptop and (hopefully) not using up my VIN lives just looking??

[10/10ths]

http://www.autelonline.com/autel-autolink-al301-obdii-can-diy-code-reader_p17.html

[Anker]

I suggest spending more and getting the Autel Maxidaig Elite MD802. It does a lot more of the manufacturer specific stuff.

[JayG]

IIRC, the Durametric Enthusiast which has only 3 VINs, can still look at basic ECU info without burying a VIN.
It will give you the hours of use, over revs, etc. You can't drill down to detail and get things like CAM deviations, etc without the danger of burning a VIN.

I have also heard that they will do a 1 time reset of VINs YMMV

I may just be lucky, but my enthusiast version shows 3 available VINs and I have done full diags on both my 986 and 996

[JFP in PA]

I don't think any handheld system is going to tell you the critical things you would want to look at doing a PPI like over revs, number of times launch control has been activated, etc.

[Gelbster]

For the number of times we discuss and praise Durametric,you'd think they would chime in once in a while?
Their service has been reported as worse than awful several times. So this would be a great opportunity for them to redeem themselves before we drift off to Autel due to neglect and abuse. Knock,knock Durametric, anyone there???anyone care even?
And they will be wondering why people buy the Durametric-chinese knock-off cables on EBay.Sad and preventable.

[JFP in PA]

I, for one, have never had any problems when contacting Durametric for help or support. You also need to recognize that they produce multiple diagnostic software systems, Durametric is just one of their products. And the last time we tested an Autel, it could not read PPI related data like over revs, engine hours, etc.

[Gelbster]

We discussed thisi n several Threads and concluded the best strategy was to buy a good used Durametric cable.Sample Thread:
Durametric Cable "cable plugged in not compatible with software" - Page 2 - Rennlist Discussion Forums

[thstone]

I have taken my laptop and Durametric to look at cars several times! I must be an aged geek!

[Gelbster]

As grateful as I am for the Durametric cable -( which works perfectly), I have just played with a Matco Maximus at a buddy's shop.It is like comparing a cuckoo clock to an atomic clock !
The point of mentioning this is that the Duramteric is soon going to be relegated to minor,curiosity tasks - like a simple Harbor Freight OBD2 Code Reader. It's functions are so limited.
The Maximus not only does more diagnostics, it gives you the on-line repair suggestions also. Way more useful than Auto Logic and anything from S.O. It even works on obscure cars like Maserati.
The Maximus will soon have an EBay clone .............

[mikefocke]

At the Maximus's $3400+ list price??

[Gelbster]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

At the Maximus's $3400+ list price??

Less than half that if you get the "Launch"X431 Pro3 V2 alternative from Amazon.
The point is that an Indie can easily justify this.We have at least 3 at the shop that are current technology -S.O. , Autologic and the Matco. For what little we charge for a diagnostic you get way more info and a probable fix in less time than it takes the customer to pour their Latte in the waiting room. One more way the justification for some diy work is being eroded. Instead of many posts here flailing you get a spot-on diagnosis and a remedy & a quote in one stop.
The beauty of the Matco is that is wireless so you take it into the Waiting Room and show the customer the screen with the diagnosis and remedy. With their car still running outside we can scroll through all the readiness monitors and fault codes and turn on/of various warning lights and test functions. It removes a lot of the mystery for the customer and us. Good luck getting that at the Porsche dealer !
But you forgot the cost of the annual updates after the first year !

[Steve Tinker]

Thanks everyone for your take on this - looks like Tom & I will be the aged geeks lugging a laptop around second hand car yards...
Can anyone confirm if using a Durametric to interrogate a vehicles ECU it uses up a VIN life ??
I guess a quick email to Durameric should hopefully answer that....