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Diagnostics gear

ELA

Well-known member
Joined
30 Aug 2011
Messages
1,423
Has anyone tried the iCarsoft POR II equipment on an early 996?
I have found a full PIWIS set-up incl laptop... for €1355, however this icarsoft gear is only around £150 so I'm feeling it might be worth a try. Trouble is I have now bought 4 of these cheaper readers (£30-70 region) and they aren't really much good.
Any thoughts on whether a system upto say £200 is worth bothering with would be much appreciated?
 
I've just spoken to another company call Foxwell who make the NT510 Pro and they seem suggest for around €200 it is the best system for the 996. So I just ordered this. I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives...
 
I bought one of those recently, seems OK but I've not needed to use it in anger yet.
 
Hi Rich,
I've also had no luck with a cheap one so I was planning to go for the 'Enthusiast' Durametric kit for £299, interested to see how you get on
Mike
 
NT510 Pro

ELA said:
I've just spoken to another company call Foxwell who make the NT510 Pro and they seem suggest for around €200 it is the best system for the 996. So I just ordered this. I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives...
ELA, Where did you bought it?
 
Hi
I have the icarsoft Porsche II

It's not bad, does more than most readers, live metrics and resets most issues

It's not a durametric though

Ok for the money

Updated mine and it covers a good range of models
 
^this

I've had only very limited experience with the iCarsoft on a 996 - but quite a bit on Land Rovers / Range Rovers. If you are looking for much more than a simple fault code reader, it's not worth the aggravation IMO (I am part of GAP Diagnostic, tho, and we make Land Rover diagnostic tools. I believe I am being objective, but take my opinion as you see fit).

My experience with the iCarsoft: the menus are anything but intuitive, numerous functions are in the menus but don't actually work, and the live values are very difficult to use for anything other than static readouts (i.e. on/off, engine temp, battery voltage, etc).

10-15 years ago the iCarsoft would have been "the poop". Today there are so many better options in the market, that saving £100-150 is silly - even for an occasional user. Durametric...

If all you are looking for is a fault code reader, the iCarsoft could suffice.
 
I bought the icarsoft for my 997.2 to reset the airbag light after I changed my wheel. It worked perfectly for that. It's limited to reading and resetting faults. Others such as Durametric and PIWIS can also be used for programming.
 
ELA said:
I've just spoken to another company call Foxwell who make the NT510 Pro and they seem suggest for around €200 it is the best system for the 996. So I just ordered this. I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives...

Hi Rich,
any luck with this yet?
 
wasz said:
Does it do any more than a full genuine durametric?

I have a £12 clone that does everything except things like open the abs pump for bleed and coding functions.

Is this one of the 'durametric/PIWIS' leads from eBay etc? Sounds interesting - does it work okay/what functions etc. Eg can you read all the advanced stuff from the DME (rev ranges etc) and does it do the coding stuff for keys/stereo etc? 8)
 
maldren said:
ELA said:
I've just spoken to another company call Foxwell who make the NT510 Pro and they seem suggest for around €200 it is the best system for the 996. So I just ordered this. I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives...

Hi Rich,
any luck with this yet?

Id be interested to hear about this too.
 
searider said:
maldren said:
ELA said:
I've just spoken to another company call Foxwell who make the NT510 Pro and they seem suggest for around €200 it is the best system for the 996. So I just ordered this. I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives...

Hi Rich,
any luck with this yet?

Id be interested to hear about this too.

Sorry guys, I forgot about this thread.
In simple terms it is an excellent bit of kit which does far more than I'll ever need.
I'll give a more detailed review when I have a spare 5 minutes.
 
Hi Rich,
Christmas is coming, any more news?
thanks
 
Looking around and reading this post then I think it just depends what you want to use the Diagnostic testers for, be it for servicing your own car and fault finding & troubleshooting.

There are quite a lot out there and TBH I cannot see the DIY'er spending a fortune on some of the more professional tools (unless you have very deep pockets..), so where does this leave us ? - Like I said so many out there but what do you choose, a dedicated tester like the Durametric or a multi-vendor one like the Foxwell NT644.

Two avenues, if you are ok with spanners, don't mind getting stuck in, intend to service, fault find & repair your car then all for getting a diagnostic tool.

This then leads to the servicing booklet, does it really matter if you have all the stamps in and will it affect the resalable value if you can prove that you have maintained your car, if you're not bothered then I don't see why you shouldn't purchase one. Then again you can still do in the in-between services, fix any issues and still get the major servicing done at your local Porsche/Indie and still have your servicing book stamped.

Anyway, have been looking at the Durametric both the Enthusiast & Professional versions, they are expensive for what they are and have read various mixed thoughts on 'Are they really worth it ?.." – I think they are TBH, but that's my own opinion.

Both the Enthusiast & Professional do the exactly the same as far as diagnosis goes but the Professional is not tied down to vehicles it can service/maintain and also has the coding function. So what is this coding function, from what I have read then it allows you to install/setup an modify certain features.

I still haven't found out what all the features are and if they are indeed a benefit, also do they have all the features of the PIWIS ?. From I have found out, coding can do for example:

1.. Disable the rear spoiler if you wish to fit a fixed rear wing
2.. Enable the windows to open /close via the Key fob
3.. Adjust the ride height
4.. Help bleed the Primary & Secondary brake system
3.. There are probably more out there but have emailed Durametric if they have a 'Layman's" guide in plain English to what extent

Found these links below:

http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/electronics/p383-durametric-tutorial-part-1-3a-the-basics.html

http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/ele...ic-tutorial-part-2-3a-advanced-functions.html
 

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