Does anyone have experiences with the myriad brands of scan tools available?
The cheap ones work surprisingly well but do not reset the oil service light.
So far, my choice seems to be " Icarsoft Por ll "

 

My Pcar doesnt have an oil service light so I dont know if it works.

I have a foxwell scanner with Porsche software. I’m happy to try it on your car. Im at Kipling and Eglinton.

pm me

 

I've got a couple Autel scanners, the MD808Pro for all systems codes and some basic services and TS501 for TPMS sensor programming. Haven't tried oil reset with them, just EBP but it apparently does it.

 

What’s the model of your car? Newer cars pretty much require piwis 3.

 

I have Foxwel NT710, which is upgraded version of NT530, well known tool in Porsche world. It handles many tasks ranging from service interval resets to ABS brake bleeding (on a 991 at least).

 

Apparently, you can get a piwis 3 original for about 6k US, and a clone for about 1500 US. Seeing as oil changes are $600, and people are paying 200k for their cars, this is almost chump change

 

I have a Foxwell, very easy to use but honestly I probably haven't even scratched the surface.

 

I bought an Autel MK808 from Amazon for ~$700cdn back in November 2022.... has some bi directional capablilities. I have not tested it on my old 01 Boxster S yet. I bought it to help diagnose an ABS problem on my beater Civic.

It doesn't have as many options as VCDS does for VW/Audi.

 

if you have an old laptop that supports 1080p screen resolution you can get a cloned piwis 3 under 1000 cad

 

Of all the scanners and diagnostic testers I have, more than 5 including the Durametric Pro, the VCDS was by far the best for the piddly amount they charged for it.

 

You're right. Eurotool.com Unfortunately the notebook I run my volvo vida system on is only win 7 pro, but that is only a small obstacle

I wonder if anyone here has gone this route?

 

For older P-cars UDT999 is very good and not too expensive (no affiliation). Designed specifically for 928/944/964/968/993/996.

https://928-ecu-repair.com/diagnosetools_udt999.html

 

Based on this review for bidirectional scanner, I ordered the Thinkdiag 2. Will report back when I receive it.

 

Look... forget about those $900-$3,000 scanners...
I was constantly worried about theft of my $2k autel scanner. Yes it did everything I needed but not worth the stress of theft.

I discovered THINKDIAG-1 and it did everything my autel could and used my phone processor in an app which is 100x faster than the autel processor and ram.

Then I needed a 06 Cayenne Turbo ABS module replaced. The Think Diag company just released THINKDIAG-2 last year. I messaged the manufacturer and asked if it can code Porsche ABS module and they said yes it'll code ABS and many other modules Offline with their integrated vin decoding, so I bought an ebay exact part number plugged it in to the pump. Ran a dish to clear dtcs and ABS hit code module and in 3 seconds it was coded and back in communication to the canbus. Not $4k and 3 months to order New from Germany.. dumb


Wow they also provide free online ECU coding for Porsche with the THINKDIAG-2. ($120)

I had all the cheap scanners icarsoft / icarscan / foxwell durametric/ ect they all are trash unless you want to check DTC'S.... PIWIS is hands down the best but the price and having to have a laptop wired in the car is stupid, this is 2024 guys....

I'm not sponsored but I try to tell everyone about this Scanner bc it is the most capable at the lowest price. It can do everything my $2,000 autel could and more, plus it's way faster communication and coding anything takes seconds.

Best part is it's a small dongle that I leave on the seat sometimes with worry. Thieves will break windows for an Autel/snap-on/launch scanner case...

If you own ANY Porsche buy this THINKDIAG-2
You will not be disappointed I Gaurantee it and so does Amazon.

 

Thanks for the excellent advice!