Alternative diagnostic gadget

[Uberderv]

Good morning all,

Over the years I've been using PP2000 and Diagbox which has worked well when I've needed it. I found that having FAPapp was far more useful as it was mobile, quick and capable of monitoring,reading/clearing codes.

I've recently bought a 2018 308SW with the BlueHdi 8 speed auto and I must say it's a fantastic car!! Anyway, FAP no longer works, Diagbox will work with limited functions but to be honest my crappy laptop combined with setup, wait times and needing to get home first has pushed me towards getting a tablet type OBD gadget.

My short list is below, but I'm open to suggestions. If anyone has any experience with these or similar please let me know what you think.

Launch X431 Pro Elite.
TopDon AD900BT or AD-Pro
Xtool D8W

[Paul-R]

No experience with the first two but I am reasonably happy with my D8W as it's quicker and more convenient to use. The biggest negative I can think of is that it doesn't give the final two extra characters for error codes. I sometimes need to break out the Diagbox for such reasons. Where it's better than Diagbox is in programming new keys as it can retrieve the key code first. It also claims to "correct" mileage readings but I've never used that!

[Uberderv]

Thanks Paul, I had stumbled on your thread from last year. Does it provide all the service functions you would need for a home mechanic? I haven't used a garage in 20+ years for repairs.

I was also interested in the special functions list, can you disable things like stop/start etc... I've watched lots of reviews now and I'm leaning towards the xtool because of the Topology feature and wireless connection.

[Paul-R]

I haven't used it for any of the service functions yet. It really is underused in my ownership! I would guess so (can't check ATM as I'm not in the UK) but couldn't swear on it.

After saying for years that you can't disable S&S I've seen a few posts saying it can although I've not pursued this as I like S&S! ISTR that a Diagbox was used though.

[Uberderv]

Thanks Paul, my theory is it's better to have it and not need it. Since I've experienced a taste of what newer cars offer I'd like to stick with them, having a good diag machine is a must. I'm still going to do the work but I'm quite aware it's getting harder for the home mechanic to carry out basic functions.
I have a small list of functions I'd like to disable/enable which would make my 308 the best car I've ever owned.

Thanks again for your input.

[Justmee]

I have just bought an AD pro.

Arrived today so still getting used to it.

reset the eolys levels and read a lot of codes and disabled the stop start so far.

[BarryP207]

Hi guys,
I am not a pro but I have recently bought the VXDIAG SE with the PSA licence included for £112 delivered from VXDIAG.com. I use the free 'native' version of Diagbox (9.18 I think) on a Windows 10 laptop,. It does everything I need. Not tried coding as I don't have access to the online system. (You need a VAT number to register now it seems?)

[Steve Walsh]

Hi guys,
I am not a pro but I have recently bought the VXDIAG SE with the PSA licence included for £112 delivered from VXDIAG.com. I use the free 'native' version of Diagbox (9.18 I think) on a Windows 10 laptop,. It does everything I need. Not tried coding as I don't have access to the online system. (You need a VAT number to register now it seems?)

I have just bought the same from Jim at Easydiagnostics but not needed to use it, I also have the early version 7.? use it a lot on various PSA stuff and never let me down. Both on Windows 10 laptops. I also ave a LAUNCH system that does various stuff.

[Uberderv]

Hi all,

Just an update from me, I ended up buying this -

Launch X-431 PRO3 V+ ELITE.

Not had it long but once registered and updated it seems to work well and has lots of functions. I will be servicing the car soon and changing the gearbox oil so hopefully I'll get to test some of the functions.

I did consider the Easydiagnostics setup but decided against it in the end.

[wurlycorner]

Hi all,

Just an update from me, I ended up buying this -

Launch X-431 PRO3 V+ ELITE.

That’s quite a decent spec scanner - beyond what a diy mechanic would typically buy.
I use a THINKCAR PRO (uses launch software and in theory has the full versions of the software with the subscription)
I’ve found in terms of functionality and diagnostics it is very good on a friends Porsche Cayenne 958 and Audi TT 8J, was ok on another friends Honda Jazz mk2, but the Citroen software is pretty limited on my mk1 c5 and similarly on the c5 x7 - compared to diagbox.
It is much quicker and less ‘clunky’ to use than diagbox though, for sure.

Interested to hear how you get on with a high spec proper launch tablet.

[Uberderv]

I made use of a four month interest free option on PayPal to purchase the scanner so the wallet wouldn't take such a battering.

Their latest VCI in a way reminds me of the Peugeot/Citroen device because it must be full of relays which click away when you're using it.

Thinkcar was on my list too but after lots of research I settled with the Launch. As for speed, yeah its much faster than my Diagbox setup.

Hopefully I can spend a decent amount of time using it and can report back.

[Leisbi]

Thanks to BarryP207, I also bought the SE PSA from vxdiag.com using the diagbox9.85 software after seeing this post, and it fully met my expectations. Programming and coding are all possible.