[thatBimmerBloke]

I ordered Vgate iCar Pro BLE BT4.0 (BLE) and wanted to know which app will be the best to read/clear codes on my F32. I know Bimmerlink can do it but I read it is always in German and hard to understand?

Recently had a cylinder misfire and would've been easier to know what was going on rather than relying on going to the dealer and then waiting for half a day for them to get back to me.

I'm not interested in coding as I already have ESys for that so my main focus is an app to view all fault/shadow codes. However, will be better to have the option. I know Carly does both but they sell their adapter for like 70 or 80 bucks, clearly overcharging for it and then the yearly subscription

[Fliplegend]

I use Auto Doctor with a veepeak bluetooth. I believe it's $5/month to unlock the app.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by Fliplegend

I use Auto Doctor with a veepeak bluetooth. I believe it's $5/month to unlock the app.

I see Auto Doctor needs ELM327-based adapter so I should be able to use Vgate to connect to it, I'll give it a try, thanks.

[Wgosma]

BimmerLink has been revised few months ago and is now in English- pretty good app. Companion BimmerCode also very good.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

BimmerLink has been revised few months ago and is now in English- pretty good app. Companion BimmerCode also very good.

That's good, I was on the fence because of it being in German.
It's just one-time payment of $26 each for Bimmerlink and Bimmercode?

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

That's good, I was on the fence because of it being in German.
It's just one-time payment of $26 each for Bimmerlink and Bimmercode?

Correct; no subscription fee required.

[sspade]

BimmerLink and BimmerCode. Best combo out there...

One time fee from app store and you are good.

Should be able to get both apps and a WiFi OBD dongle for well under $100.

Apparently the latest Bluetooth offering from Vgate doe not work with BMW. I have the Vgate iCar 3 WiFi and it works perfectly.

https://bimmercode.app/adapters/

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by sspade

BimmerLink and BimmerCode. Best combo out there...

One time fee from app store and you are good.

Should be able to get both apps and a WiFi OBD dongle for well under $100.

Apparently the latest Bluetooth offering from Vgate doe not work with BMW. I have the Vgate iCar 3 WiFi and it works perfectly.

https://bimmercode.app/adapters/

Thanks! I canceled the order for Vgate iCar 3 BT4.0/BLE, will most likely order iCar 3 WiFi, is this the one you have? It's not in Bimmerlink's list of supported adapters though. https://www.amazon.com/Vgate-Scanner...ve&sr=1-3&th=1
Wifi adapter should be faster and more reliable than Bluetooth?

[sspade]

Yes thats the exact one that I have (except mine came in green). It used to be on the BimmerLink site back when I bought it. It definitely works with my car and has never failed me, knock on wood!

If you wanted to be doubly sure - you could just get one of the new ones listed on their website. It appears he refreshed the list recently and those are probably "the best, latest and greatest" on the market. They very well could be faster than mine.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by sspade

Yes thats the exact one that I have (except mine came in green). It used to be on the BimmerLink site back when I bought it. It definitely works with my car and has never failed me, knock on wood!

If you wanted to be doubly sure - you could just get one of the new ones listed on their website. It appears he refreshed the list recently and those are probably "the best, latest and greatest" on the market. They very well could be faster than mine.

I'll grab this one from the list -> Veepeak OBDCheck BLE, $27 on Amazon and works with both iOS and Android, will be using on iOS primarily.
Thanks!

[mlev]

I have the Veepeak but the bluetooth/wifi adapter+apps only show OBD2 codes. Doesn't pick up any BMW manufacturer codes. So I also bought a Foxwell NT510 to get as many thorough/hidden OBD1/2/manufacturer codes as possible. Worth the investment and can also clear more codes/register batteries and a bunch of other stuff. I bought mine on eBay from Foxwell.
I only use the Veepeak along with Bimmercode for coding now.

ISTA-D/Rheingold + CABLE + Windows Laptop is going to be the cheapest and most in-depth option if you are tech savvy enough to set it up and know how to use it (need laptop with tons of storage)

[Zanity]

This reminds me of using google translate for bimmercode expert mode to translate the german to english lol. We don't have to do that anymore. Now I'm curious if the new Supra will be configurable in BimmerCode.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by mlev

I have the Veepeak but the bluetooth/wifi adapter+apps only show OBD2 codes. Doesn't pick up any BMW manufacturer codes. So I also bought a Foxwell NT510 to get as many thorough/hidden OBD1/2/manufacturer codes as possible. Worth the investment and can also clear more codes/register batteries and a bunch of other stuff. I bought mine on eBay from Foxwell.
I only use the Veepeak along with Bimmercode for coding now.

ISTA-D/Rheingold + CABLE + Windows Laptop is going to be the cheapest and most in-depth option if you are tech savvy enough to set it up and know how to use it (need laptop with tons of storage)

Thanks, that's really helpful. Any examples of manufacturer codes that OBDii won't read? Stuff like cylinder misfire, sensor malfunction and all? It feels like getting something like Foxwell NT510 might be a better choice.

Originally Posted by Zanity

This reminds me of using google translate for bimmercode expert mode to translate the german to english lol. We don't have to do that anymore. Now I'm curious if the new Supra will be configurable in BimmerCode.

I think I had to translate a few things when I was using Esys on my previous car, just to be sure I wasn't messing something up

[sspade]

thatBimmerBloke

To each their own but BimmerLink can read and clear all codes. As well as everything else mlev mentioned. Dont be mislead. There are also an almost unlimited amount of sensor values that you get access to.

A lot of guys have spent more on Foxwell NT510 only to find out about BimmerLink after the fact.

[mlev]

Originally Posted by sspade

thatBimmerBloke

To each their own but BimmerLink can read and clear all codes. As well as everything else mlev mentioned. Dont be mislead. There are also an almost unlimited amount of sensor values that you get access to.

A lot of guys have spent more on Foxwell NT510 only to find out about BimmerLink after the fact.

Bimmerlink is probably a good value for many people and can get the job done. I don't think anyone has sat down side by side to compare features and efficiencies of both. There's not a condensed list of written out features for Bimmerlink, the descriptions for what it's capable of is very broad. Yes Bimmerlink can code batteries, but Foxwell can code injectors, prime the fuel pump, reset transmission adaptation, reset brake sensors.
Most of these features I've never seen associated with Bimmerlink. Foxwell can distinguish pending codes (non CEL) and real (CEL) codes rather than just displaying them all.
Here's a 47 page list of Foxwell features across various BMW models. Again, there's simply nothing spelled out even remotely close to this for Bimmerlink.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by mlev

Bimmerlink is probably a good value for many people and can get the job done. I don't think anyone has sat down side by side to compare features and efficiencies of both. There's not a condensed list of written out features for Bimmerlink, the descriptions for what it's capable of is very broad. Yes Bimmerlink can code batteries, but Foxwell can code injectors, prime the fuel pump, reset transmission adaptation, reset brake sensors.
Most of these features I've never seen associated with Bimmerlink. Foxwell can distinguish pending codes (non CEL) and real (CEL) codes rather than just displaying them all.
Here's a 47 page list of Foxwell features across various BMW models. Again, there's simply nothing spelled out even remotely close to this for Bimmerlink.

That's interesting. It'd be helpful to know which codes are real.

I just want to know the fault codes so I can get the dealer to fix them, I'm still under warranty for 2.5 more years and I read the dealers ignore fault codes sometimes and if you know the car is throwing some code then you can ask the dealer to fix them to avoid any future issues.

sspade Is there a way to distinguish pending and real fault codes in Bimmerlink.

[sspade]

@mlev

As far as I know BimmerLink cannot do the following:

can code injectors
prime the fuel pump
reset brake sensors

Reset transmission adaptation can be done manually and does not need a scan tool (see pic).

All codes, both hard and soft are displayed with BimmerLink.

It does seem Foxwell has a few more features that havent been added to BimmerLink as of yet.

Good info for prospective buyers.

This is good info for prospective buyers.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by sspade

@mlev

As far as I know BimmerLink cannot do the following:

can code injectors
prime the fuel pump
reset brake sensors

Reset transmission adaptation can be done manually and does not need a scan tool (see pic).

All codes, both hard and soft are displayed with BimmerLink.

It does seem Foxwell has a few more features that havent been added to BimmerLink as of yet.

Good info for prospective buyers.

This is good info for prospective buyers.

Can we distinguish between soft/pending and hard codes in Bimmerlink?