Lexia / PP2000 / Diagbox Warning

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Lexia / PP2000 / Diagbox Warning

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Because there have been a few recent cases where people have bricked an ECU and left their car potentially inoperable using Diagnostic tools, here's a little common sense guide that may be useful.

Note: L3 = Lexia 3, PP2K = Peugeot Planet 2000, DB = Diagbox

Here are some basic points to take note of to try and avoid the potential doom and misery (and expense) of a bricked ECU, or worse your vehicle, when using a Lexia3 Clone Interface:
  • Always familiarise yourself with the correct keys to navigate the system (especially L3 / PP2K).
  • Be warned that PSA use multiple BSIs across a range of vehicles and therefore the parameters and options are specific to certain Marques, models and factory fitted options. Some parameters must be coded to default values or you risk the car becoming inoperable (regardless of how small or insignificant you may think the change may be). If in doubt ask first before you change anything as you cannot undo the changes without remembering the changes you made and coding them back.
  • Cloned VCIs (the hardware interface) are copies of the original equipment and the components cannot be expected to be of the same quality as the OEM units - so be prepared for glitches or failures to occur.
  • Always plan what you are trying to do, write down the steps you take if unsure. There can be many nested menus in the software and you can easily become disorientated.
  • Never undertake any telecoding (programming) or configuration changes using a Laptop or Notebook that is not connected to Mains power supply. If the notebook or laptop is on battery power only - it can go into power saving mode (regardless of charge), shut down USB ports to save power, enter suspend mode, or turn off other hardware like the hard disk in order to save power. Doing this in the middle of a configuration change can brick the ECU, and subsequently may even stop the car from functioning.
  • It is not recommended to attempt to download any software from the PSA servers using a clone interface. It is recommended that the internet connection is switched off when in use. There is a risk of download failure, leaving the ECU in an incomplete state and unable to communicate with the VCI. There is also the risk of deactivation of the software and blocking of your VCI unit.
  • Always take notes or better still screenshots of your existing parameters before making any changes. Paste the screenshots into a word processing document and save that for reference.
  • Remember there is NO undo button, and NO way of resetting an ECU using L3, PP2K or DB - once you make configuration changes. You can only restore parameters again by reprogramming new values.
  • It is recommended that you always exit out of the diagnostic session in the correct way and do not pull the interface out - data changes may not be written to the ECU where you have made any changes.
  • Always ensure your laptop has been updated prior to using on the car and temporarily disable any windows updates whilst undertaking a diagnostic - windows update is resource intensive and can slow down the L3 / PP2K / DB software operation significantly on older systems. This also avoids the Windows Update restarting nag screen or worse, the automatic restart if this has been configured!
  • Disable the internet connection (but not the network adapter) when undertaking a diagnostic session.
  • It is also recommended to temporarily disable any Virus checking software when undertaking a diagnostic session if you have this installed on your diagnostic laptop. You can re-enable this later on.
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