I haven't used it much since I got it, but I did manage to try all the features of this 3130 scanner and the few things I didn't like were: (1) The limited flash memory probably doesn't have much capacity because when I tried to obtain an upgrade file, there were two choices. You either get one version that gives some firmware update, or you choose the other version that gives you a firmware update plus extra database trouble code info for maybe 25-30 more vehicles, but at the expense of losing the mulilingual functionality. The upgrade site also didn't mention if you can downgrade back if you didn't like whichever version you picked, so I didn't take that risk and chose the version that just gives an update to the firmware. (2) The scanner can save your retrieved codes to memory and then you can print or export a report via the OBD PC-Link software. You can also print some graphs with the software version that I have (version 1.32). I have heard others say graphs were not possible, so maybe they had older versions. Anyway, my complaint is you cannot save the raw data so you can open with the software again for later analysis. You can only export the main data to text file report or print the graphs. (3) Tech support never got back to me about my question regarding capturing live data. I'm still not clear on the three trigger points of capturing the data (such as what exactly do they mean by setting a manual trigger in the beginning versus middle or the end depending on when the ENTER/LD button was pressed?).
However, I really liked the ability to capture live data. Though I didn't have any issues with my car, I can see how a lot of the live data info can help with diagnosing a potential problem with the car. You can see the numbers updating (such as engine rpm or short term fuel trim, etc.) which seems like once every second.
Overall, I can see this being a useful tool and gets the main job done. However, due to the minor annoyances with the updateability and the reporting features, I would have to deduct one star.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
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