We own several BMW’s , so having a BMW specific scan tool to give
detailed info specifically for BMW codes was important for quick and
accurate diagnosis instead of purchasing a generic “all makes” OBD II
scanner. When I first got the E46 M3, I had the BMW specific Peake
Research R5FCX3-16 which worked well for that generation of vehicle, but
Peake seemed to have died off/stopped making products to support 2008+
models so I looked at other options incl BT tool, Schaben/Foxwell NT520,
Carly, Carista, and a couple others which required connecting to a
laptop.
Now foxwell have released new update version of nt520,it is
Foxwell NT530 scanenr.
Based on reviews from various bmw forums (M3forum, bimmerforums,
M3post, E90post, obdadvisor, etc) I narrowed down my choices. I use
Apple/Mac & didn’t want to be tied to a computer to diagnose any
issues with my vehicle plus many were only for PC/Windows computers. I
wasn’t sure about how future use/support would be on models that
connected to my iPhone, so I decided to further narrow my choices down
to a stand alone model. After a lot of research & reviews, I
narrowed it down to the
Foxwell NT520.
I bought it from
http://www.obd360.com/wholesale/foxwell-nt520-pro-multi-system-scanner.html
4 days delivery. Amazing! Lots of features, worked out of the box
before updates, auto scanned & identified my vehicle quickly!
I recently failed a CA smog check inspection on my E92 M3 with a
sensors not ready for the O2 sensors after having the battery replaced
or when I got a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and they reset the TPMS
sensors. All OBD II data logging was erased and I failed smog
inspection. The shop generically told me to drive 200 mi, come back
& hope its ready. I looked up the “BMW drive cycle” and in about 30
minutes completed hooked it up to the NT520 and the I/M Readiness showed
all sensors were ready/OK. Knowing that it was ready, took it back to
the smog station and passed! Saved me from aimlessly driving my car 200
mi & going back to the smog station not knowing if it would pass or
not.
It auto scanned & identified my M3 & scanned all the systems
with a summary stating 0 error codes found. Great diagnostic tool!
I’m sure this scanner will come in handy for battery registration.
Foxwell NT650 scanner
I have F15 engine X5, Battery was discharging and needed replacement,
dealer wanted to charge me a couple hundred. I bought the battery from
the dealer however and ordered this product. Battery needs to be
registered since I bought same specs as the original that was placed in
the car when I bought it. This tool helped me get rid of the fault codes
and register the battery also, something that the dealer would usually
need to do. Easy to use, plug and play, Great scanning tool.
Unfortunately it doesn’t work with/you can’t update with a Mac, so I
had to take it to work to use a PC. Also the coding options seem
limited. I was hoping it could activate custom features like mirror
folding on lock, 5 quick blinks, high beam alarm activation, angel eye
brightness, etc. I haven’t found it capable of doing custom coding and
activation. The manual is useless, but luckily its easy to use. But its
positives outweigh the negatives!
http://www.obd360.com
