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MsRN
12-02-2011, 10:54 AM
I picked up an upper-end Actron scanner last week, thinking to find clues to my engines cold stalls BEFORE I dig into the VANOS and valve cover gasket. It found no stored codes (neither did the dealership, FWIW).

Is a generic OBDII code reader adequate? Or should I be looking at something specialized (i.e. Peake)?
danewilson77
12-02-2011, 11:01 AM
Actron is fine....
kayger12
12-02-2011, 01:37 PM
Actron is fine....

Won't the Peake grab codes that the Actron will not?

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kayger12
12-02-2011, 01:39 PM
Pulled this from Peake:

"Before deciding between our tool and any generic OBDII (like the Actron), please consider that our product is a BMW-specific code reader. Your car maintains two completely separate diagnostic systems - one that was programmed by the factory for dealers and technicians to use for diagnostics, and a generic, government-mandated system intended for emissions monitoring (OBDII).

For accurate diagnostics, using the BMW factory codes is the best place to start, as the generic language can often lead to missed diagnosis or unknown codes.

Regarding our display, the characters displayed are simply a Hex conversion of the factory codes. Our easy to use manual contains code tables (one of which will correspond directly to your specific car) where you can look up the factory definition.

While some OBDII tools will include flashy features, they're still not giving you the true diagnostic codes that a factory capable scan tool can. There is a reason that techs, dealers, and thousands of BMW owners will only trust a tool that reads the codes that are specific to their car."
danewilson77
12-02-2011, 02:03 PM
Mmm....maybe. I guess. I guess it would pull more data....

My actron will read BMW codes and generic obd-II codes. I guess it might be more important with a turbo to be able to pull "data".

Not sure. I've always owned this actron and it has served me well.
kayger12
12-02-2011, 02:53 PM
Mmm....maybe. I guess. I guess it would pull more data....

My actron will read BMW codes and generic obd-II codes. I guess it might be more important with a turbo to be able to pull "data".

Not sure. I've always owned this actron and it has served me well.

Yeah- my friend who is a mechanic told me the Actron would be fine, but I bought the Peake anyway.

I'd like to know what, if anything, the Peake would show that the Actron wouldn't.

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