Diagnostic tools

[Forrester]

This is probably a long shot given that not many people maintain their cars here, but I'll have a go ...

so, I want to upgrade from my Carsoft IPOR II tool to something that can code the vehicle (I have a 2014 991 C4S). After some research, I've narrowed it down to three options:

1) PIWIS 2.
Pros: realtively cheap. I can get the VCI (Samtec clone) for about £430 direct from China.
Cons: a) I might get stuffed with VAT, duty and handling charges if HM Customs take an interest; b) if it goes wrong, I'm on my own - and these clones are not noted for being 100% reliable; c) finally, PIWIS 2 is old, slow, the coding bits are in German and it's not that easy to use.

2) PIWIS 3.
Pros: a) much more modern; b) everything is in English; c) does everything.
Cons: a) much more expensive - available for around £1000+; b) same as PIWIS 2 - Chinese suppliers, no support, no refunds, possible customs grief, etc.

3) Launch X431 pro mini (or similar)
Pros: a) reputable maker - good support; b) seems to do most things - and possibly all - that PIWIS can do.
Cons: a) mid price - about £550; b) it's not PIWIS.

Now, I was wondering if anyone had gone any of these routes and if anyone here had any recommendations and/or suggestions? There's a vast amount of info on the American forums but almost nothing from the UK.

As to what I want to code:
1) turn offf auto/start stop
2) display the real temperature (not 90!)
3) turn off seat belt warnings
4) program a new battery when I need one (mine is now 8 years old, so getting on a bit)
4) generally fool around

It's not essential - I can live without one of these things. But I like collecting tools (aka toys).

Motto: "he who dies with most toys, wins".

 

[deMort]

Considering i use Porsche system testers on a daily basis then i think i can help here .. at least with Piwis anyways .

Both piwis 2 and 3 are stand alone laptops and as such needs to be mains supplied , factor in that they need to be plugged into the wall as well as the car .You do have an inbuilt battery for the laptop which will suffice but these seem to not last that long .

Both variants can come with a wireless dongle so technically you can plug it into the car then sit in your kitchen accessing the vehicle systems .

They can be bought from UK suppliers .. do some research there .. avoid the Chinese ones if possible .

Piwis 3 ..

The current Porsche tester ..

On first startup and connecting to the car its not quick .. you have to wait a while , if left on then its far quicker on the next cars its used on .

It can be used to reprogram dme / pdk etc .. that's the English version anyways ... you don't do this unless you have a VERY good reason to do so though .. the same with coding .. its automatic coding with the tester looking at the data record .. you have some manual coding options but these are limited and probably wont do what you want .

You effectively alter the main data record then select every control unit and automatic code .. it can go wrong shall we say .

Ok so the tester .. the guided fault finding is quick but often does not give a lot of info , if you don't have many faults though then this isn't an issue .

You cant use any Piwis connected to the internet .. bad idea as it tries to contact Germany .. Piwis 3 is based around online for the fault finding hence limited data as its offline .

The help function .. you look at actual values .. let's say engine temp sensor , you select or highlight this value , help button illuminates .. click on it and a seperate window will open usually telling you the usual reading .. ie reading should be -10 to 110 degrees .. hence if you see -48 you know you have an issue .

Data logging is excellent .. it puts the values on a graph .. a function i often use .

Wiring diagrams are all on the tester .

In short .. excellent but expensive , fault finding not brilliant and with both piwis .. it's easy to break your car .. these are NOT user friendly machines .


Piwis 2 ...

Slightly slower but plenty good enough ..

Better fault finding but it's a pain in the back side to use .. when it works it will give you instructions which are on the tester .. ie wiring diagrams and sometime instructions on how to replace a component .

It has data logging .

Help function is very limited .

Wiring diagrams are on the tester the same as Piwis 3

There are files out there foc that you can install this onto a laptop .. you would need to buy the connection hardware but it can be done .. some people here will help there if required .

In short .. piwis 2 covers vehicles upto about 2016 / 7 and is more than capable of doing what you require and its cheaper than the 3 .

Money no object then i would lean towards a 3 mainly for the help function ( bear in mind it doesn't help on Every value ) but it's far better than the 2 .

 

[deMort]

You list of wants ..

1/ not sure if you can .... maybe .

2/ you can't ... you can see the actual value on the tester but you can't reprogram the dash to display this .

3/ safety item and again i'm not sure if it can be done ... old belt catch plugged into the stalk will do ... your choice there to not use a seat belt .

4/ yes obviously and it needs to be done when replacing a battery ... if fitting a non porsche battery then use the numbers from the old one but the capacity from the new battery .

5/ hell yes .. avoid reprogramming things just for the hell of it .. it will end in tears .. look .. post .. await an answer first is safest .

Manual programing .. fill your boots and alter what you want .. not often a lot of options though but ALWAYS write down what you have altered so that you can reset it if needed .,. you alter 10 lines of code and say the headlights dont work then you will be stuck .

 

[Forrester]

Thanks, deMort. very useful information, especially re PIWIS 3.

I've now got the PIWIS 2 software and I've been playing around with that in simulation mode. It's a bit clunky (as you say) but it looks like it will do everything I want - if it can be done at all. It looks like I'll have to buy a VCI from China as there are none available in the UK. These are all clones, but I have the feeling that the trouble comes when you get a clone of a clone. It's difficult to determine up front what you are getting, though.

As to what I want to do:

temperature guage: someone on Rennlist has figured this out. You have to remap the temperature curve - a lot easier than it sounds. I found the settings and was able to put new values in.

auto-start stop: looks to be straightforward. I found the parameters required, so it should be ok.

seat belt: I get annoyed with the pinging when I'm moving it around at home slowly. I do drive with the belt on. But I've not found the settings yet. Someone has done it on a Panamera, apparantly. So I don't know.

In general, I just want to look but not tweak. I'm aware that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing - and I certainly have a little knowledge! I'll be careful!

Thanks again for the info - it should help others who want to do more than just drive the machines (fun though that is).

 

[deMort]

Piwis 2 is more than capable of doing what you want ..

My view on these clones .. they are a basic copy of the original .. as such they will do the same job even to reprogramming control units but that would be based on the date of the clone .

I researched this many years ago but it was out of my budget and also considering what i do i have to be careful with what i use .

Please keep me informed as to how you get on with what you want to alter .. i don't as such try to alter parameters but it's useful to know if i'm ever asked .


[email protected] email if needed .

EDIT .. the oil temp is accurate to the degree .. once you know the relationship between oil temp and inaccurate coolant temp you have a base line .