Just Bought the Foxwell NT510 Scan Tool
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Awesome! That scanner comes up in a lot of discussions as probably the best bang-for-the-buck scanner that has bidirectional capabilities. There might be better choices if you have to cover many vehicle brands because it costs about $60 +/- to add each vehicle brand's enhanced software. But man, that seems to be a sweet scan tool. A lot of these price bracket scanners lag 2 - 4 years behind on current brand model diagnostic updates. Just the way it is.
Please provide feedback after you put it through its paces for a year or two.
Last fall I bought the Autel Diaglink model which is hawked as the DIY model of their MD802 model. $87 on an Amazon special deal. Mine comes with enhanced software for one vehicle brand and I can add other brands for $10 each. Mine doesn't have the bidirectional ability of yours.
Have fun with it, and let us know the pros and cons.
Please provide feedback after you put it through its paces for a year or two.
Last fall I bought the Autel Diaglink model which is hawked as the DIY model of their MD802 model. $87 on an Amazon special deal. Mine comes with enhanced software for one vehicle brand and I can add other brands for $10 each. Mine doesn't have the bidirectional ability of yours.
Have fun with it, and let us know the pros and cons.
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Awesome! That scanner comes up in a lot of discussions as probably the best bang-for-the-buck scanner that has bidirectional capabilities. There might be better choices if you have to cover many vehicle brands because it costs about $60 +/- to add each vehicle brand's enhanced software. But man, that seems to be a sweet scan tool. A lot of these price bracket scanners lag 2 - 4 years behind on current brand model diagnostic updates. Just the way it is.
Please provide feedback after you put it through its paces for a year or two.
Last fall I bought the Autel Diaglink model which is hawked as the DIY model of their MD802 model. $87 on an Amazon special deal. Mine comes with enhanced software for one vehicle brand and I can add other brands for $10 each. Mine doesn't have the bidirectional ability of yours.
Have fun with it, and let us know the pros and cons.
I definitely will; Turner Motorsport had a sale and I picked up the NT510 for $150 and an adapter cable for cars back to 1987 for $15. Shipping was free. I thought it was an exceptional deal, although I agree it's a better deal for people like me who stick with a specific brand. It will also work on Rolls Royce automobiles, but that's notgonnahappen.com...
Awesome! That scanner comes up in a lot of discussions as probably the best bang-for-the-buck scanner that has bidirectional capabilities. There might be better choices if you have to cover many vehicle brands because it costs about $60 +/- to add each vehicle brand's enhanced software. But man, that seems to be a sweet scan tool. A lot of these price bracket scanners lag 2 - 4 years behind on current brand model diagnostic updates. Just the way it is.
Please provide feedback after you put it through its paces for a year or two.
Last fall I bought the Autel Diaglink model which is hawked as the DIY model of their MD802 model. $87 on an Amazon special deal. Mine comes with enhanced software for one vehicle brand and I can add other brands for $10 each. Mine doesn't have the bidirectional ability of yours.
Have fun with it, and let us know the pros and cons.
I definitely will; Turner Motorsport had a sale and I picked up the NT510 for $150 and an adapter cable for cars back to 1987 for $15. Shipping was free. I thought it was an exceptional deal, although I agree it's a better deal for people like me who stick with a specific brand. It will also work on Rolls Royce automobiles, but that's notgonnahappen.com...
It's useful, but be prepared for many, many translation errors and counterintuitive menus. Like reading codes isn't under "read codes", it's under "ecu information". If you go to "read codes", you'll erase them without ever seeing them. Calibrating fuel injectors is painfully slow, and very easy to screw up. It can be super frustrating. Menus that read "1" "2" "3" (left to right) across the bottom of the screen use function keys that go "3" "2" "1", right to left. If you're not paying VERY close attention, you'll screw up whatever you were doing. And each menu group has its own idiosyncratic so it's like an Easter egg hunt.
You can get used to it if you're used to bending your brain the same way when you speak another language, are patient, and go slow.
You can get used to it if you're used to bending your brain the same way when you speak another language, are patient, and go slow.
Originally Posted By: antonmnster
It's useful, but be prepared for many, many translation errors and counterintuitive menus. Like reading codes isn't under "read codes", it's under "ecu information". If you go to "read codes", you'll erase them without ever seeing them. Calibrating fuel injectors is painfully slow, and very easy to screw up. It can be super frustrating. Menus that read "1" "2" "3" (left to right) across the bottom of the screen use function keys that go "3" "2" "1", right to left. If you're not paying VERY close attention, you'll screw up whatever you were doing. And each menu group has its own idiosyncratic so it's like an Easter egg hunt.
You can get used to it if you're used to bending your brain the same way when you speak another language, are patient, and go slow.
That's interesting; I was scanning for faults on the Clubman and didn't have any issues at all with reading codes, saving them, or erasing them.
Perhaps a software update?
It's useful, but be prepared for many, many translation errors and counterintuitive menus. Like reading codes isn't under "read codes", it's under "ecu information". If you go to "read codes", you'll erase them without ever seeing them. Calibrating fuel injectors is painfully slow, and very easy to screw up. It can be super frustrating. Menus that read "1" "2" "3" (left to right) across the bottom of the screen use function keys that go "3" "2" "1", right to left. If you're not paying VERY close attention, you'll screw up whatever you were doing. And each menu group has its own idiosyncratic so it's like an Easter egg hunt.
You can get used to it if you're used to bending your brain the same way when you speak another language, are patient, and go slow.
That's interesting; I was scanning for faults on the Clubman and didn't have any issues at all with reading codes, saving them, or erasing them.
Perhaps a software update?
Had it about a year but haven't updated. I'll check!
I have used a few tools from Foxwell, they are not bad at all for the money.
Sorry for not Googling, but....
What does "bidirectional" mean? I assume it means settings/adjustments can be imparted to the vehicle's ECU etc.
For example: Adjusting fuel injectors.
What does "bidirectional" mean? I assume it means settings/adjustments can be imparted to the vehicle's ECU etc.
For example: Adjusting fuel injectors.
It means the tool can communicate with the cars systems both ways not just read codes. A lower priced tool may be able to retract electronic parking brakes, reset the throttle body angle, trigger the ABS system to bleed brakes, run and evap test set steering angle and other useful commands.
The more expensive the tool the more capabilities its likely to have. A scan tool today needs at least some bidirectional abilities to be truly useful.
The more expensive the tool the more capabilities its likely to have. A scan tool today needs at least some bidirectional abilities to be truly useful.
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