Quarta2six

I have this pesky CEL that keeps coming on and going off sometime on its own and a couple of times I've gone to the auto parts store for them to clear it. I see that they use those generic OBDII scanners but those dont seem to tell the whole story. The same code when I finally went to my Indy whatever he hooked the car up to (he had a laptop) showed him the exact problem. I want something that will give me a little more power and ability then a regular scanner but I dont want anything to complicated either also dont want to spend a ton of money. From what ive read i would need something that contained INPA and DIS. I work on my car enough and think this will come in handy. Also are any of the programs out there MAC based or all done on a PC? I've looked through a couple of threads referring to buying a cable and some software but I dont want to buy something I dont need, I would also like to do stuff like register my battery, sensor resets, etc. All help appreciated.

PS. I probably wont be doing any coding, a little scared of that I have someone for that.

Crckrjck

If you want something simple and not too expensive, and if you have an Android phone or tablet, you can buy something like what's listed below and download the Torque app for Android. It will allow you to pull and reset codes and do some general diagnostics. You won't be able to register a battery, or do any coding, but it is good for Service Engine Soon troubleshooting, and has some interesting real-time engine monitoring features...

Wireless ELM327 OBD2 OBDII Bluetooth Car Auto Scan Scanner Torque Android New | eBay

cryptical

I can attest to this as I have that exact same BT scanner and use Torque along with some other apps as well. It works perfectly.

Quarta2six

I think I want something a little bit more involved then something I can operate with my phone. If its anything like those hand held OBDII scanners I dont think it will work. My problem is there not detailed enough. For instance when I checked the code a couple times with the OBD it just read a code with a generic explanation. When I took it to my indy and he plugged it up using his comp. it told him the exact BMW code and diagnostics. From what I've been reading I think I need a cable and software that have INPA and DIS on them. I've seen these packages on ebay for about $30-160, has anyone on here gotten one of these packages?

Crckrjck

I also have this cable and have done the basic coding things that everyone does and used it to register a new battery. You'll see many posts saying not to buy cheap cables, but this one has done everything i've needed it to. I've had it and used it when needed for 2 years. Comes with the needed software also.

BMW Data Cable Ediabas Inpa Dis SSS Progman Navcoder USB to OBD | eBay

Gee_115

If you are not planning on doing any coding then all you need is DIS. Inpa is good but not as detailed as DIS and DIS gives you more options. You also might not get the English version of INPA.

Quarta2six

Is this particular ebay seller the one you used?

No not coding Im almost positive I have almost everything coded on my car, I have someone for that. I did here that INPA might not be in english. So does INPA and DIS come on one disc the ones I've seen on ebay appear that they do. Do you have a trusted sight I might be able to buy this from without spending to much? Im ok with ebay I just want something someone has used before to take the guess work out of it.

Crckrjck

BMW Data Cable Ediabas Inpa Dis SSS Progman Navcoder USB to OBD | eBay
Is this particular ebay seller the one you used?

Yes, that is the seller I purchased mine from, "most_favourite_things", and it appears to be the same item. My software was in english, or I was able to choose english after installing.
I forget, but it is in english now.

Gee_115

I don't have a site for you I purchased a whole OPS unit from China which came with DIS and SSS already installed on a hard drive. For INPA I downloaded and setup myself from various websites.

DSGoose

I've done some research on this lately, and my findings are that there are two inexpensive handheld units that are meant for BMWs (and MINIs). I've ordered a C110 but it hasn't arrived yet.

icarsoft bmw multi-system scanner i910
cReader C110

Dennis