Looking at this one - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00652G4TS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AD7D9D1JAFECP&psc=1

 

Padgett recommended this one.
I bought it and am pleased...

DiagLink | Autel

www.autel.com

 

Doesn't look at TPMS, therefore of no use to me.

 

I have one of these and a few others on here also have one:

Amazon.com: OBDLink MX+ OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner for iPhone, Android, and Windows : Automotive

Buy OBDLink MX+ OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner for iPhone, Android, and Windows: Code Readers & Scan Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Roy

 

I have one of these and a few others on here also have one:

Amazon.com: OBDLink MX+ OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner for iPhone, Android, and Windows : Automotive

Buy OBDLink MX+ OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner for iPhone, Android, and Windows: Code Readers & Scan Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I use the OBDLink MX as well, for my non-GM cars. Tech2 for GM.

 

Hey Long, I'm a former Patchogue guy, lived on LI until 2007. Still have family there and in Port Jeff.

 

I'm a lifetime CNY guy, but worked a bunch in the boroughs and a bit in Nassau on My Island over the years.
Nice area. Terrific people.

 

If you want the ultimate scanner for your car buy a VXdaig VCX NANO for GM. The thing can almost completely replace a tech2 handheld and can also run GDS2. I own one for my 02 DHS and it has been a huge time and money saver. (P.S. I am not a spammer I just personally believe this thing is damn good for $120)

 

Agree, it comes with the Tech2Win software for the PC. Can do many things but some reprogramming requires a subscription.

Best stand alone device I've found is the Autel Diaglink with the GM module. Under a buck.

 

You never said you had to have one that looks at the TPMS

Roy

 

Of course, that was Hurricane87's first post in this thread...

 

The one I linked to doesn't read TPMS either.

FWIW, I carry a "roadside bag" in the trunk of my car. Among other things there's a tire pressure gauge, 12V compressor and a tire plug kit in the event of a low pressure warning. Never had an issue with the actual TPMS system in any of my cars (Subaru, Volvo and Toyota), but plenty of tires with slow leaks and aftermarket TPMS sensors that didn't play well with the system.

Speaking of TPMS, what is the longest you have seen the battery last in a factory sensor?

 

The one I linked to doesn't read TPMS either.

FWIW, I carry a "roadside bag" in the trunk of my car. Among other things there's a tire pressure gauge, 12V compressor and a tire plug kit in the event of a low pressure warning. Never had an issue with the actual TPMS system in any of my cars (Subaru, Volvo and Toyota), but plenty of tires with slow leaks and aftermarket TPMS sensors that didn't play well with the system.

Speaking of TPMS, what is the longest you have seen the battery last in a factory sensor?

I still have all four original TPMS' in my 2010.

 

I've had TPMS sensors fail. All of my sensors in both sets of CTS wheels are replacements from originals as one or more started to fail. They used to last only about five years and I would replace them every time I replaced tires but now they last closer to 10 and even longer (witness Long's experience). The fewer miles you drive, the less often the sensors are "awake" and draining their batteries.

 

Yep ^^^

Truth be told, I've proactively replaced TPMS in both sets of tires for my '13 Tahoe which sees more use.
Ironically the originals still worked but I've had to replace two of the new units already which were genuine GM pieces.

The TPMS is a nice convenience feature to have although a true aficionado knows when a tire is low.

 

I taught my wife how to use a pressure gauge for if/when the TPMS warning light illuminates. She was even able to learn to use the 12V compressor we keep in her car!

It has been my experience that sudden blow-outs are very rare, they are typically the result of an under-inflated tire that has a slow, undetected leak. This IMO is the real advantage of the TPMS system - detecting those slow leaks before they cause a bigger problem.

 

Yup. When you take a nail, the cause of the puncture usually plugs the hole but not well enough and you lose a bit of air but usually not all at once. Without TPMS, it can take a day or two (or more) before many would notice it.

 

I'd feel it on the first hard corner.

That said where I rely on TPMS the most is on trailer tires.

 

What does the tire pressure readout in the DIC say ?

 

I've been pleased with my BlueDriver OBD scanner but I have not used it near to the extent that some on this Forum do...

Bill

 

I've also got BlueDriver and like it a lot. It reads TPMS and anti-lock brake stuff and other good things.

 

I have used one of those VXdiag units on a C5 corvette and 4th gen camaro. To be honest, they are pretty poor. pin 9 (GM uart?) is not populated so it wont work for ABS and airbag troubleshooting on older model cars. Probably be fine for a 2011 CTS though.

All the software is cracked and the GDS crack may be out of date, but certainly miles better then those cheap bluetooth scanners. Great for bi-directional commands. IMHO if you can afford the extra i'd recommend going for the chinese clone MDI2 units, which seems to work with all GM cars from what I can tell.

 

I have used one of those VXdiag units on a C5 corvette and 4th gen camaro. To be honest, they are pretty poor. pin 9 (GM uart?) is not populated so it wont work for ABS and airbag troubleshooting on older model cars. Probably be fine for a 2011 CTS though.

It works the ABS pumps on a '96 Corvette (first year of OBD2) and my '03 Z06...never tried the airbag function, tho'...

 

Autel scanners.

 

Have had A Lot of scanners since the early 80s. Prefer the OTC 2000 for ALDL cars. For OBD-II prefer the Autel Diaglink and have GM, Chrysler, and Benz modules (software, $10 download) or for GM the Tech2Win software and a Nano dongle. For on the road and checking out used cars I have Torque Pro on my cell phone and a $12 BT dongle.

Also have a bunch of mostly PC-based suites, cables, and dongles I do not use much.

 

I have both a Tech2, and a TOPDON Elite. The TOPDON works on pretty much everything, and does ABS and SRS, as well as the standard MIL Diag.

Amazon.com: Code Reader ABS SRS OBD2 Scanner TOPDON Elite Diagnostic Scan Tool Full OBDII Functions in Graphical Display DTC Lookup Turn off MIL Prints Data Free Update : Automotive

Buy Code Reader ABS SRS OBD2 Scanner TOPDON Elite Diagnostic Scan Tool Full OBDII Functions in Graphical Display DTC Lookup Turn off MIL Prints Data Free Update: Code Readers & Scan Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Its not currently available on Amazon thou.

 

Just had a surprise with my NANO. Said "license has expired". Had to go to VXDIAG, download latest VX Manager, Firmware Upgrade, then Upgrade License. Do not know how often this must be done or how long it will be available.

 

Just had a surprise with my NANO. Said "license has expired". Had to go to VXDIAG, download latest VX Manager, Firmware Upgrade, then Upgrade License. Do not know how often this must be done or how long it will be available.

I have one of those but never got it working right.

 

The sequence you have to go through for it to start is interesting. Open the VXManager first and make sure the dongle is found. Then open the Tech2Win via the configurator so must select "North America" first. If not are liable to get the menu with just F0 and F1.

Licenses say "2030" so that is good but at top it talks about 60 days. Not sure what that is for.

Autel Diaglink is a lot easier to use,

 

@Padgett , I hope you don't mind that I'm responding to the quote below here instead of on the other thread. It seems more related to this discussion.

I have a couple of questions. about your Nano, and also about your under $20 BT dongles from Amazon.

With the Nano, are you talking about this one: https://amzn.com/B082KMT8C3

My questions on that are, does that come with the Tech2Win software and license? Or do you have to buy the Tech2Win separately?

Also, have you tried pairing to that Nano with your phone/tablet and using it with Torque Pro? How does that adapter perform with Torque? Go to the "Adapter settings" and check the PIDs/Second reported, and also the version information there. Which ELM chipset does it have? How many PIDs/second are you getting?

Interesting, I have bought A Bunch of cheap (under $20) shorty/mini (don't hit your shins) BT dongles from Amazon. Got one bad one. They do everything Torque Pro cares about. My better scanners (Tech2Win, Autel) have their own connectors.

And about those cheap Amazon dongles, same questions. ELM Version? PIDs/Second shown in Torque's adapter information?

My BAFX dongle regularly runs 30-35 PIDs/Second no matter what vehicle I plug it into. That's about my minimum threshold for a dongle to be useful beyond just reading codes. It reports ELM v1.5, which is a bogus clone firmware version. ELM never had a version 1.5 of the genuine chips/firmware. My OBDLink LX reports ELM v1.3a (legit, genuine) and tops out around 50 to 60 PIDs/Second in most vehicles with newer, faster PCMs. It hits that number in Magoo. The OBDLink MX that I have reports ELM v2.2 (also genuine) and will hit 70 to 75 PIDs/Second when plugged into modern PCMs. PCM speed also matters for update speed in Torque. It doesn't matter which dongle of the three I plug into Richard, I get about 30 PIDs/Second, and that's because the 1997 PCM only goes fast enough to hit that. Generally speaking, the newer the car, the faster the PCM.

One thing that faster dongles do is make graphs in Torque more accurate. If you run 6 or 8 graphs on a screen, with the slow dongles, you get rough graphs. If you're graphing a bunch of stuff (8 or 10 PIDs total) including O2 sensor 1 on both banks, you might actually miss the wave forms and get some weird random looking graph for the O2 sensors. With the faster adapters, you get the actual wave form, even if you graph sensor 1 and 2 on both banks, plus short and long term fuel trims on both banks, plus a few other PIDs. That comes in very handy if I'm searching for a vacuum leak that's causing elevated fuel trims as just one example of why it's a good thing.

In the autocross car(s), and in Richard when I run him at an autocross, I also use my OBDLink dongles with Track Attack app for the same reason. Those faster dongles pick up more data points for the onscreen data that's overlaid on the video that Track Attack captures from a run, and for the data log graphs you can see in Track Attack.

 

Never looked at PIDS/second but will. Mostly just watch parameters and do $06s. Don't graph just never needed.
I have the wired NANO. It comes with a USB plug, Tech2Win, and a license but needs to be renewed using VXManager periodically (60 days). Documentation is mainly in the reviews on Amazon.

 

So I tried the VXDIAG VCX NANO GDS2, and seemed to have got the cracked software installed after disabling anti-virus or it will go nuts. I can connect to the 2014 CTS, but have not been able to get it to show me anything useful other than DTC history.

I try navigate to the modules section as it seems to be the only place that will have the misfire detail I'm looking for.

Then I select engine controls for the Engine Control Module:

Then I try the Misfire Graphic, while the engine is already running. Or any other function, for that matter. All I get is the following error:

Has anybody actually got useful troubleshooting information out of this convoluted software and scanner? I've got an annoying misfire and would like to see if I can identify which cylinder rather than blindly replace all six ignition coils. But I can't get anything out of the scanner other than DTC history.

 

Sad to say Autel has discontinued the DiagLink in favor of much more expensive scanners (they also have very cheap ones). My last update was in 2018. Apparently there are still some NOS floating around. Is there anything else as capable in the U$100 price range ? "Diagnostic for ABS, SRS, Engine, Transmission, EPB, Oil Reset " plus OBD II.

Is the ML629 ($125) any good ?

 

I’m also looking for a new scanner as my check engine light came on with my 2011 GMC Sierra but my cheap scanner can’t find the code. It looks like the Autel ML629 seems like a decent unit. does the 629 work on multiple vehicle brands or will I need to buy the extra vehicle make…

 

I bought the Autel Diaglink and downloaded the GM module for my vehicles, but it will still read CEL codes on my son's Subaru.

 

It sounds like it is multi-car but really do not know. Would like to know if there is something the 629 (not 619) cannot do that the DigiLink could. As for some code reading and clearing, I have not found anything that beats Torque Pro on an Android phone or tab.