Hi All I have done several searched for "OBD" to see what would be a suitable scanner for a home user to get some insight into the car when dreaded warning lights activate. In my search the Autel AP200 seems to get rated highly (for the budget). However wasn't if there were others equally suitable, as I am finding it difficult to source one in the UK from an authorised Autel dealer (assume you need to purchase from them to take advantage of the updates for 1 car). Would be interested in hearing your thoughts/views Cheers
'Some insight' - so what's wrong with the simple phone apps like EOBD mentioned in the many threads you've read ?
The simple EOBD apps will work fine for talking to the engine ecu. Some will even do live data and freeze frame. For Ferrari though, there aren’t any at this point that can talk to all of the other modules. Multiecuscan has some hope, as it’s based around Fiat protocols, but none yet worked when I tried a few months ago. The Autel AP200 is unique at the price point in that it can communicate with all ecus. Got an airbag light you want to switch off? No problem. Want to find out what’s happening with your TCU? It’ll work. Trouble with your immobiliser? It’ll consult with your BCM and report /clear codes. I purchased mine into the UK from amazon. £50 delivered. Your other alternative is getting a cracked Launch X451, but I found it very hard to understand the dodgey Russian websites that were selling those. I just didn’t know what I was going to get, other than zero product support should it be needed. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Thanks Greyboxer and Brogenville for your replies and apologies I have responded sooner (hadn't received any notifications) @greyboxer - the reason for the question is that is appears that some OBD work better than others both in terms of usability and displaying information. Appreciate this could be dependant on the program doing the diagnostics. However have noticed that seems that some cars are better catered for with particular scanners (this could be me not understanding). @brogenville - have read a number of your thread on the 612 which all sound interesting but beyond me! wIll look at the AP200 again as I was looking at ebay rather than amazon (didn't think of them!). The one I have found is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Autel-Bluetooth-Scanner-Systems-Diagnoses/dp/B07QCT1PC5/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=ap200&qid=1589463646&sr=8-3 which I assume is the same one you got Thanks again
i used AP200 amazing lot of data easy to use , many functions live data etc.. and you can save as PDF many reports i bought it for the clutch reading it show 25% wear but ferrari dealer SD3 scanner show 58% so not sure how accurate .. sny one with clutch reading issues?
A good tech can look through the sight port at the T/O bearing pin and tell you how worn the clutch is. The SD and other tool readings are just estimates.
Yeah, I often see people quote their clutch wear to 2 decimal places... this is just daft. Advice from my specialist is that its at best 15-20% accurate, and besides, you can start to have shifting problems when they get down to 25%. With that said, the difference between the AP200 and the SD3 does seem odd. My bet is that the data is being read correctly, but the equation its doing to calculate the wear figure is wrong.
Surprisingly, when the clutches on F1 cars start to go, its not slipping that you tend to see first. According to my Ferrari specialist, it tends to be trouble getting into gear, or a tendency for the gearbox to drop into neutral. No personal experience with this, but it comes from a reliable source. On the slipping, you can adjust the PIS (Point of initial slip) using an SD3 (or other maxisys, leonardo, launch etc.) to re-teach the car where the slipping point is. This, I expect, will eek out a bit more clutch life. I worry that there is a danger that if people fixate too much on clutch remaining life figures shown on scan tools, that the Ferrari scene may go the way the Porsche guys have with the weird obsession with counting engine over-rev revolutions. A mate of mine had literally thousands knocked off the value of his 997 Turbo because the ecu had logged 4 revolutions just above max RPM years before he even owned it. It was like he had an accident damaged car after it was branded an "over-rev" car. Its crazy, but then Porsche obsessives are a breed unto themselves.
Thank you.. great info.. not sure what damage could happen if you wait till you experience these symptoms (not getting into gear or drop to Neutral ) will it damage flywheel?
