coding cable?
 

sorry if this is covered elsewhere, a search didn't reveal anything.

I'm looking at this coding cable for my '04 530i, and I'll use the 20-pin on my E30 and a friends E36 M3:

BMW Inpa K Dcan Car Diagnostic Tool Cable USB Interface 20pin Connector | eBay

Any reason why I should stay away from this one? If there is a better option out there, can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance.

it should work, but you'll be waiting a while to get it from china. it states 12-45 working days.

The cheap Chinese-made cables are hit or miss. Some work fine but many don't. I'd just go with the one known to work and recommended on all the coding forums. You can either purchase it from one-stop-electronics (Car Diagnostic :: By Product Type :: INPA & Ediabas :: BMW INPA / Ediabas K+DCAN USB Interface - one-stop-electronics.com) or through their Ebay store (BMW Inpa Ediabas K Dcan USB Interface D Can Can | eBay). I used the "make an offer" feature and got it for $85 last summer.

You're going to need to pick up a 20-pin adapter though for the E36 and even then, the functionality will be limited. I don't even know if it will work with the E30.

^^thanks for the respone, I'll go with what you suggest.

20-pin functionality isn't a deal breaker. If it's there and works, great. If not, no big deal. I need this cable primarily for the E60.

thanks again.

Where do you get the software for the previous cable mentioned?

Get it from EUAutoHaus, anything less than the Seimens chip is not doing justice for the vehicle. you can code a car with Chinese cable but try flashing for an extended period of time and you'll end up forking over $1K easily in new ECU/modules. Don't ask me how I know. Shoot me a PM if you need

Thanks for the insight. I definitely do NOT need to brick any control units in the car.