I've wanted a Starscan setup for ever but I'm too cheap. Not pick pennies off the floor cheap, well, only when no ones looking ….. anyway. In a fit of frustration with the airbag light I purchased an Autel Maxidiag Elite MD802. Just under $300 is the normal price but being cheap I waited and got a better deal. So, I took it down to my Crossfire and it couldn't communicate with the modules in my car. Well, it should work on my other cars, I suppose. Then why not try entering it as a SLK32 AMG? Plugged it in and followed the prompts until it fully understood exactly which benz it was plugged into. Well, long story short, it read every single module, every single pending code, every single code, every single stored code, you get the idea. Had a whole bunch in every subsystems except the engine. Things like front right wheel speed implausible, front left wheel speed implausible, temporary lost communication with the TCM, can bus errors, transmission slipping or implausible gear ratio, and on and on and on. Cleared ALL codes except the airbag light because the passenger seat is in the closet instead of the car. Went for a short ride and holy moly the car is shifting so much better. Lately it's been changing gears harshly while driving at a relaxed pace. Hitting the rev limiter from 2nd to 3rd occasionally. What's left is more investigation into the tool and more driving around to confirm the shift and drivability improvement. Not to mention monitoring to see which hidden codes return. Another problem is the software, instructions and auto update tools are Windows 7, Vista and XP only. I have Macs mostly with one PC dedicated to my car programs. Cheapo Acer and it won't read the darn disk. I'll find a work around eventually. Even with the complaints, up till now, worth every penny.

Les

 

Thanks Wes !
I found it here for $229 with free shipping :
http://www.wobd2.com/app/order.asp

 

Seems like a valuable piece of equipment. Thanks for the report.

 

I'm seeing what it can do. It can't log knock retard or injector pulse width as far as I can tell, unfortunately. I hooked it up to my other car and it came up clean with no codes, hidden or otherwise. I'll keep learning with it as it's too soon to give a final thumbs up.

Les

 

I would say this could be a major breakthrough for the SRT6 guys. Great job Wes. wonder ifvRuby is aware of this tool compliance. lol

 

I messed with the live data for a while today. It can display lots of live info. Oil level, oil temperature, transmission temperature, torque converter lockup, individual wheel speeds, yaw and I think I saw g-forces too. The normal stuff like short and long term fuel trims, IAT's, ect's, timing advance, boost, all in real time but at slow sample rates of course. I couldn't find injector pulse width even though it's available for some makes. Couldn't find knock sensor data … drat. Next I need to find out how to data log with it, if possible. It takes a freeze frame of all pertinent data when a code is thrown that you can access. Nice feature.

Les

 

Better deal:

Online Update Autel MaxiDiag Elite MD802 4 System with Data Stream

 

I'm not going to buy anything else in the future until the low price experts here have completed their due diligence.

I joined the Autel Forums and it seems the tool can't reset the tpms on a Crossfire. Also, I'm having more luck than the normal Crossfire owners with this tool. So perhaps only SRT-6 owners should consider it after I find out more. I'm going to attempt to enter as a Chrysler again and see what, if anything, I can read.

Les

 

I was going to ask TPMS because the Crossfire is unique in that matter on the R170.

 

Here's the message I got from Autel support ….. "Actually this vehicle can't be supported well in our product. I searched your product is MD802, which can't do data logging. Sorry for that."

Far from what I wanted to hear. Perhaps they should put an asterisk beside their claim to support all Chrysler vehicles from 1996 to present.

Back to concentrating on what it can do.

Les

 

Moved up from the 908P. The docking station of Maxisys Elite is nice since I can leave it on my toolbox all day. the screen is a million times better than the 908p and it also has more memory. This thing is faster than the 908P in boot up time and also navigation through the menus and connecting to the vehicles. This comes with the newest J2534 which is smaller than the one with the 908P and also has no antenna. Ive used it to code a few cars and also with my Laptop to flash a few different makes of vehicles. You just need to make sure to install the right software. If your a professional this is the tool for you. my snap on versus stays in the toolbox 99% of the time now that I have this.