Best diagnostics equipment for amateur use at a sensible price
 

I currently have Peake R5-FCX-3 diagonistics tool, and also Carsoft software.

The Peake tool works fine with my 2000 E53 and our 2002 E46s, but is limited to DME diagnosis and isn't exactly user-friendly.

The Carsoft software will read pretty much all modules on the 2000 E53 via the BMW-proprietary "DLC" socket under the bonnet, except for the DME & EGS which need to be read from the ODB2 socket inside. On the 2002 E46s which just have ODB2 it will just read DME, and I have to use my Peake tool on these to reset the Oil and Inspection (IC module) on the E46s!

So I have no way of reading anything apart from DME/EGS on anything without the BMW DLC socket, which is basically anything after year 2000. I'd like to be able to read all modules (with normal resets, etc. possible) for any year up to around 2005. I don't mind if it's a dedicated hardware unit or software. I already have the DLC & ODB2 connectors and serial cables for the Carsoft software, not sure if these would be compatible with other (better) software?

Can anyone come up with any ideas/suggestions, bearing in mind that I'm not made of money!?

Thanks.

Here you go! Fast, easy and free. If you have any problems, pm the op and he'll walk you through any issues you might have, the guy is first class all the way! And it's in English!

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...xperimentation

Thanks for the information. I've started wading through, but it seems to be for the Z3 and/or E36, not the E53/E46 and also they seem to indicate the same issues as I have already with Carsoft, i.e. I can't read anything other than DME & EGS through the ODB2 port...
I'll look through it further in case I've missed something, but at first sight it doesn't appear to deliver what I was hoping for.

That software pac includes everything you need to do ANYTHING on all BMW's from 95-2012 (probably more). I've used it on 2000-2009 models including a few e53's.

OK, many thanks. I'm downloading it now and I'll install and have a look. Do you happen to know by chance if it'll work with my Carsoft-compatible DLC-Serial & ODB2-Serial link cables? I've had a quick look through but can't find any obvious reference. Are all the Car-PC cables essentially the same?

You know Im not sure....

Well I have it all installed, but it's not working. Either it doesn't like my old cables, or there's something else wrong. I think the next step is to order the correct cables and try again, that'll be a few weeks off I expect. Thanks for your help, I'll update the thread when I have more info.

If anyone has any other suggestions that are a bit less technical and are guaranteed to work, please do let me know, though!

I'd really ideally like something portable so if I'm away/out it the car and something goes wrong, I can run diagnosis. For this reason I currenly carry the Peake dignostics in the X5 (which is the care we use for long distances)...

Try Carly BMW (formerly BMWhat). It's an android app that I use with my tablet/phone for on the go diagnosis. It doesn't do everything, but it is very portable and not overly expensive. With cable I think it was <$75.

Do some reading on it and see if it is something closer to what you were looking for. I've read many modules/ECU's with it but don't recall the exact ones. I need to do a video with me using it on the e53 as it's come up a few times...

Thanks crystalworks. I've ordered the cables for the full version, but this also sounds very interesting. Given what you can save with self-diagnosis I don't mind investing a bit in the kit, especially as the cars are long-term propositions.

I take it I need one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Carly-BMW-Bluetooth-Adapter/dp/B0187HPAOS

Plus the software:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...tFull&hl=en_GB

Is that it?

Thanks.

That's it, but I ordered their cable from their website. I also don't use the bluetooth one, I use the hardwired one so I can not speak to how well the bluetooth works. I assume it would be fine... but you know how that goes.

Before you purchase let me actually plug it in and get you a list of the modules it will read on the E53. On the later cars (07+) it does darn near everything, but on the older ones it has some coding limitations and the like.