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Post by valhalla on Jul 28, 2020 1:14:08 GMT 1
I'm absolutely rushed off my feet these last few days. So it is inconvenient that the whole rig turned-up this afternoon, whilst I was on a Freelander2.
The laptop supplied is a latest-gen i5 processor, and is blisteringly quick to fire-up on the button. Surprisingly for Win10Home, this beats the Autel boot-up process by several tens of seconds, so I'm already seeing a potential time-saving here. I reckon boot-up on this new Autocom rig is around 7seconds total, but I need to time it to be sure. Using a security dongle to log-in must surely help here, but also having a fresh-install of Win10, plus dedication to the Autocom CARS install, plus a 400GB SSD in-lieu of spun drive, all makes this a time saver.
Not so good is that I have had to order a USB-to-Ethernet adapter tonight; my workshop does not have a working WiFi at the moment, so I need a Cat 5e lead plugged-in to be online at the same time as plugged into a car.
I did a quick check this evening of the Freelander2 functions (having just come off that car with the Autel today) and I'm not sure the coverage is going to be anywhere near as good for this particular model; there only seems to be the two engine ECU's listed under 2014MY for Freelander, no other modules, which may have been an embarassment if I had relied-upon the Autocom to get the EPB motors retracted for servicing the rear calipers on this car. Maybe I'm missing something (I'm using this in the house on my lap) or maybe an online update is needed to get going with this new machine?
Anyway, it's early days yet, and I have some "fun" tests to try with this 2020 version of CARS in the next few days. 2004 Mitsubishi L200 engine. 2001 Defender TD5 all-scan. 2004 Citroen Berlingo ABS and engine. 1998 Volvo V70 TDI service. 2004 Audi A3 absolutely everything (it's shagged). 2002 Astra 1.4petrol emissions.
Happy days!
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Post by rhyds on Jul 28, 2020 10:02:00 GMT 1
I'm absolutely rushed off my feet these last few days. So it is inconvenient that the whole rig turned-up this afternoon, whilst I was on a Freelander2. The laptop supplied is a latest-gen i5 processor, and is blisteringly quick to fire-up on the button. Surprisingly for Win10Home, this beats the Autel boot-up process by several tens of seconds, so I'm already seeing a potential time-saving here. I reckon boot-up on this new Autocom rig is around 7seconds total, but I need to time it to be sure. Using a security dongle to log-in must surely help here, but also having a fresh-install of Win10, plus dedication to the Autocom CARS install, plus a 400GB SSD in-lieu of spun drive, all makes this a time saver. Not so good is that I have had to order a USB-to-Ethernet adapter tonight; my workshop does not have a working WiFi at the moment, so I need a Cat 5e lead plugged-in to be online at the same time as plugged into a car. I did a quick check this evening of the Freelander2 functions (having just come off that car with the Autel today) and I'm not sure the coverage is going to be anywhere near as good for this particular model; there only seems to be the two engine ECU's listed under 2014MY for Freelander, no other modules, which may have been an embarassment if I had relied-upon the Autocom to get the EPB motors retracted for servicing the rear calipers on this car. Maybe I'm missing something (I'm using this in the house on my lap) or maybe an online update is needed to get going with this new machine? Anyway, it's early days yet, and I have some "fun" tests to try with this 2020 version of CARS in the next few days. 2004 Mitsubishi L200 engine. 2001 Defender TD5 all-scan. 2004 Citroen Berlingo ABS and engine. 1998 Volvo V70 TDI service. 2004 Audi A3 absolutely everything (it's shagged). 2002 Astra 1.4petrol emissions. Happy days!
The hardware spec sounds like what I'd be suggesting for a pro machine (i5, 8GB RAM minimum, SSD) so its no surprise it runs like a greased ferret and should have the data processing grunt to run diagnostics and data recording across multiple channels.
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Post by valhalla on Jul 29, 2020 0:46:02 GMT 1
It's a fairly compact little Lenovo laptop. The model series seems to be a V15-IIL with a model code of 82C5.
I counted the time from pushing the power-button to being able to start the Autocom application this evening; 11seconds
The car I tried this on was the Mitsubishi L200, 4D56 engine. I had previously been working on this with the Autel MS908, so the codes were all cleared, but nonetheless, the Autocom was able to match the Autel on features: Live data list is good, output tests seem to be all there, if not possibly more with the Autocom, as the Autel repeats the buttons a little.
The main thing straightaway is the the Autocom hides its strengths under the hood a little; I may have been a bit hard on it with the comment (offline) about the Freelander2, as having coupled-up to the Mitsubishi, suddenly all the features popped-up, yet at the home-screen, not much seems to be offered. A bit of a "leading diagnosis path" possibly, but I will reserve judgement there for the time-being. I was just impressed it matched the Autel on this first real test, so no gripes so-far.
I will separately post what I was doing on the Mitsubishi, as that was a very strange diagnosis, in the end! I do believe, though, that the owner got a very credible and value-for-money 75minutes of my time to establish and fix the problem with his engine performance. It might just save this vehicle from being sold again, as it couldn't tow a pram, let alone get the owner home expediently from the East Coast with a trailer load of sheep!
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Post by valhalla on Jul 30, 2020 0:39:37 GMT 1
Today's two tests;
1) Defender TD5 engine : A total washout for the Autocom, it wouldn't even attempt to connect to the Thunder controller on this car, just flagged an error. The car is a 1998MY, meaning that the Autocom "start-date" of 2000MY was already a bit dubious, but nonetheless, anything before 2007 in the Defender car-park is just the same if there's a TD5 under the bonnet. The Autel, enevitably, just communicated with the car and did the job, albeit clunky and slow.
2) Astra G 1.4 Z14XE 2002MY : The Autocom did a fairly good job with this. A bit clunky and uncertain of itself when forced to do an ISS (all systems scan) across all of the car, especially with recognising the engine type, but once actually into the engine, it was happy to correctly report and clear the faults, run live data, and be stable enough to work-with for 1/2hour of O2 sensor analysis, etc. What is more, unlike the Autel, I can find the reports and data much more easily, and accessibly, on the PC hard-drive. So much less faffing tonight to reconsider what I was seeing this afternoon. The Autel, in contrast, is not happy on old GM's like this, and reports strange fault codes that just don't exist - or translate from Chinglish !! It also struggles with stability on live data streaming, and where that data goes is a mystery.....
So summary of today. Autel 1 : Autocom 1
with a bonus point to the Autocom for being easier to manage reported data, so that makes Autocom 2.....
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huffo
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Post by huffo on Jul 30, 2020 6:47:10 GMT 1
Valhalla,
Is it possible the Defender Td5 isn’t included in the CAR package that you bought from Autocom and you’d need the more comprehensive CAR+TRUCK package to get it to talk to a Td5? If that’s the case, it’d have been better if the Autocom had said “this vehicle isn’t included in your package, please upgrade” rather than just refusing/failing to communicate.
Cheers, James
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remmington
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Post by remmington on Jul 30, 2020 7:16:04 GMT 1
Simple question Valhalla.
Is this "AutoCom" a later version of Delphi DS150?
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Post by trickydicky on Jul 30, 2020 10:40:06 GMT 1
Simple question Valhalla. Is this "AutoCom" a later version of Delphi DS150? I suspect Autocom manufacturers lesser scan tools for third parties such as Delphi and Wurth, looking at the hardware
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Post by valhalla on Jul 30, 2020 11:16:29 GMT 1
Valhalla, Is it possible the Defender Td5 isn’t included in the CAR package that you bought from Autocom and you’d need the more comprehensive CAR+TRUCK package to get it to talk to a Td5? If that’s the case, it’d have been better if the Autocom had said “this vehicle isn’t included in your package, please upgrade” rather than just refusing/failing to communicate. Cheers, James The later Defenders are included - the Autocom even goes as far as to list Defender after 2000 - so I think in this case, it just doesn't work. Hence I put the Autel straight on to the car and confirmed it wasn't the car. There may be some subtleties as to why it doesn't work (K-line protocols for Landrovers of that era), but in this case, I'm happy to conceed that the Autel, as the back-up tool that will remain charged-up and on the shelf, is going to be the "go-to" tool for the earlier Landrovers from pre-CANbus diagnostic days.
I don't expect every tool to do everything, not even slightly in some cases, however it's quite good to remember which one to grab in the heat of battle!
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Post by valhalla on Jul 30, 2020 19:32:14 GMT 1
I put the Autocom onto a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI on a 2005plate this lunchtime, just to see how it fared in comparison to the VCDS.
It didn't do too badly at all, so much so that I didn't bother putting the VCDS on afterwards. It's not quite the same as using the "pukka" tool, but I don't intend to use it for the VAG cars anyway, so no worries either way.
What is apparent, despite the warnings and cautions on the front screen, is that the VIN "grab" function is very reliable, and interprets the VIN information far better than the Autel ever does, so there's a bit more efficiency when first connecting the tool, especially as the Autel has such an awful touchscreen virtual keyboard with which to enter the VIN each time.
The ISS intelligent scan is still a bit unsure of itself when there are likely to be two or more options for any particular module - for example it could only narrow the engine down to 2 types this morning, and I had to tell it that we were looking at an ALH - but even so, this only seems to affect the way it reports, not the ability to grab the information (so far).
I'm getting more confident of this tool each day, but I need to run it across some much newer cars before heaving a sigh of relief.
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remmington
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Post by remmington on Jul 30, 2020 20:10:36 GMT 1
Simple question Valhalla. Is this "AutoCom" a later version of Delphi DS150? I suspect Autocom manufacturers lesser scan tools for third parties such as Delphi and Wurth, looking at the hardware Info ex Hincley diagnostics - www.hickleys.com/diagnostics/"There is no difference between Delphi and Autocom CDP, only the branding" We have a Delphi DS450 (+Truck) and Delphi VTi here... When Valhalla quoted "ISS" search - which means "clustering" to you and me. This is the same prompt Delphi gives you as an option... (this is what made me ask). Delphi VTi (guided diagnostics is OK but nothing to write home about).
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Post by valhalla on Jul 30, 2020 23:45:58 GMT 1
I have tried to get some sort of understanding as to what should be covered, by model, and by Model Year, for my Landrover needs. I went to the document that is included with the Autocom installation.
In short, I'm just as confused now as I was before looking.... There seems to be a stange pattern of features dropping-out on newer Model Years, for example;
I looked at the Freelander 2 TD4 listed data. This is the model I mentioned above, when I said I would have been stuffed if I had needed to use the Autocom to retract the EPB rear calipers for service. The car I had was a 2014MY, and when I look at the coverage list, yes, 2014MY does NOT have this feature, and many like it. Look at 2013MY, and the full suite of tools is there, including EPB service "adjustment", which is strange, not least that 2014MY should be the same as 2013MY for control systems......
I then did more digging in my old report files. Lo and behold, the Autocom 2012 old system I had a few years back, this actually did communicate with a 1999MY Defender, as I have all the reports from the ECU scan for DTC's on that car. I even have that particular car under restoration in my premises this last few years, so as soon as I can get the body mated down to the chassis, I really must try this Autocom 2020 on it, as I'm wondering what is going on! This 1999MY Defender should talk exactly the same as the 1998MY Defender that failed to communicate yesterday, so goodness-knows what has happened there!
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Post by trickydicky on Jul 30, 2020 23:59:44 GMT 1
So my RACscan tool is a rebadged version of a Wurth WOW and I think Autocom must have developed it for them.
I have a few tricks that you can try to navigate it a bit better
1. Turn off the year and select all, this will run through all the model years that are relevant to that model
2. If you know another vehicle uses the same powertrain try that if something doesnt seem to be there (for example Nissan Navarra is the same as a Merc X Class and when you go in as the Merc you can do a lot more functions)
3. If you click the toolbox tab there may be the option to enter simulation mode where you can check which functions are available on a particular model
4 in toolbox there may be a unit conversion tool which is useful for converting PID measurements
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Post by valhalla on Jul 31, 2020 0:14:18 GMT 1
3. If you click the toolbox tab there may be the option to enter simulation mode where you can check which functions are available on a particular model I'm going to try this tomorrow, so many thanks for this tip!
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remmington
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Post by remmington on Jul 31, 2020 6:42:56 GMT 1
So my RACscan tool is a rebadged version of a Wurth WOW and I think Autocom must have developed it for them. I have a few tricks that you can try to navigate it a bit better 1. Turn off the year and select all, this will run through all the model years that are relevant to that model 2. If you know another vehicle uses the same powertrain try that if something doesnt seem to be there (for example Nissan Navarra is the same as a Merc X Class and when you go in as the Merc you can do a lot more functions) 3. If you click the toolbox tab there may be the option to enter simulation mode where you can check which functions are available on a particular model4 in toolbox there may be a unit conversion tool which is useful for converting PID measurements Yep... Delphi does this too! (So we are talking about the same thing). Our Delphi system is pants with Vivaro/Renault vans - but super with Transits - Merc sprinters.
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remmington
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Post by remmington on Jul 31, 2020 6:44:57 GMT 1
I have tried to get some sort of understanding as to what should be covered, by model, and by Model Year, for my Landrover needs. I went to the document that is included with the Autocom installation. In short, I'm just as confused now as I was before looking.... There seems to be a stange pattern of features dropping-out on newer Model Years, for example; I looked at the Freelander 2 TD4 listed data. This is the model I mentioned above, when I said I would have been stuffed if I had needed to use the Autocom to retract the EPB rear calipers for service. The car I had was a 2014MY, and when I look at the coverage list, yes, 2014MY does NOT have this feature, and many like it. Look at 2013MY, and the full suite of tools is there, including EPB service "adjustment", which is strange, not least that 2014MY should be the same as 2013MY for control systems...... I then did more digging in my old report files. Lo and behold, the Autocom 2012 old system I had a few years back, this actually did communicate with a 1999MY Defender, as I have all the reports from the ECU scan for DTC's on that car. I even have that particular car under restoration in my premises this last few years, so as soon as I can get the body mated down to the chassis, I really must try this Autocom 2020 on it, as I'm wondering what is going on! This 1999MY Defender should talk exactly the same as the 1998MY Defender that failed to communicate yesterday, so goodness-knows what has happened there! Holes in coverage. Back to the initial conversation we had before your purchase. Trying to find a coverage list before buying is hard work (impossible). Not fair really if you think about it.
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