Durametric alternatives?

Hey guys, about to pick up a 2011 cayman base. I'm coming from a 951 so all this obd2 stuff is new to me. I am looking for an alternative to the durametric that can be used it on my offbrand cars as well. Any experience with Autel or Foxwell scanners? TIA Bruce

Bruce, Assuming you mean what I think you mean by 951 then you have my sympathy; I came to a 987 Cayman from a 944 S2 which I loved and I don't think the 987 is a patch on the older car. However I digress .... The issue is that all basic scanners will read OBD2 codes and display them on screen. However if you want to do more than simply read codes then you need a scanner with some more Porsche -specific capability. The iCarsoft POR product will (apparently) read codes from any OBD2 car but will also allow you to reset the service light on 987's and I think the iCarSoft2 POR will also allow you to cycle the ABS master cylinder which is meant to help with bleeding the brakes. When I looked into it then the Autel and Foxwell scanners weren't able to do this but other people can correct me if I am wrong here. From the iCarsoft you then go up to the Durametric, which is a chunk more expensive but will do more with the car (although I'm not sure what). And the next step from there you are into the Piwis Porsche Dealer system which will allow you to re-code the car, add and remove optional extras, change the lock and unlock behaviour and so on. However this is main dealer only stuff as it costs a lot.

zcacogp Thanks for the reply. Do you own the iCarsfoft? It gets mixed reviews on Amazon .

No. I have a mind to buy one and am reminded of the need for one every time I start the car and it tells me to service it. However I do sometimes think that I'd rather keep the £100 in my bank account and that pressing the 'cancel' stalk isn't such a bad idea after all .... I guess I'll buy a code reader some time soon. My last post was pretty much the product of my research into the matter and it seems that the iCarsoft is the one to get, so when I buy it will probably be one of them. Mixed reviews on Amazon ? Yes, but it gets pretty good reviews in the 987 community (from what I can tell).

Thanks for the info

I have the iCarsoft POR-II. I've used it to reset some codes (e.g. airbags warning when I did some work inside the door panel and had to disconnect some things) and of course, reset service interval reminders for oil changes and intermediate services since I do most of my own service work. I've not tried anything like cycling the ABS unit. It does read standard/generic OBD -II info, too. It does work decently, though the user interface is not the most intuitive. I work in the software industry and maybe I'm too critical of this sort of stuff, but I've had to waste time hunting through ill-named menus to find what I'm looking for. Also, the firmware update process is janky, for sure. But, for $100 used on eBay, it does the job.

I purchased the iCarSoft POR II to reset the service reminders and that works easily. I didn’t need it for anything else but it will reset airbags, brake pad thickness, steering angle sensors and a list of other functions specific to Porsche. It also works as a generic OBD II code reader and resets trouble codes on all OBD II cars. It’s easy to update the firmware which I do every year when I change the oil and reset the minder. I recently replaced my original 70 ah battery with a new 92ah battery and on the 981 you need to initialize the new battery with the dealership PIWIS. I then bought the new iCarSoft POR V2.0 which functions similar to my original POR II but it also will initialize my new battery and it’s supposed to be able to bleed the ABS but I have read mixed reviews on the ABS bleeding and have not tried that. I was able to initialize the battery and figured the dealership labor charge would pay for the POR V2.0. I don’t think that you need to initialize the battery on the 987 so I think either one will work on your 987. The price new is similar for both the POR II and the POR V2.0 so unless you find a used POR II for less I would go with the POR V2.0. A shameless plug....I have a twice used iCarSoft POR II that I would sell for $100. Jim

Well I checked with Autel Their engineers say the only compatable model is the mk809. $560 on Amazon ...I think not.

I don't understand why the Autel people recommended that model. I have a MaxiDiag MD808Pro and it does a lot of stuff. It is under the heading of "Code Readers/Code Scanners" on their Web Site. I use it to reset the oil change and service reminders. It is supposed to do battery registration and a lot of other stuff that I probably will never do. It will do normal OBD2 stuff including live data. I also use it on my 2008 Buick. The only thing I don't like about it is its processing power is kind of slow at times and the desktop computer interface is kind of weak/confusing..

Thanks MLC. I wonder if they recommended that since mine is a gen2 year vs gen3? Just got home from picking up the car. WHAT A BLAST

+1 for Autel I use the Maxydas 708 (not sure I will check when back home) and it works fine I used it on 986C.2 S PDK for: bleeding brake fluid reset oil service bleed PDK transmission fluid (special Porsche procedure) analyze and fix sensors issues (crankshaft and coolant temp) Since my colleagues noticed I have this computer I became the the guy to go to fix : mercedes Citroen Fiat I plan to buy a PIWIS II so I can flash my TMC that has an older ROM version. For Porsche only the PIWIS II is the way to go because you also get all part diagrams and electrical diagrams ?

Well, I hate so say my hand got forced by a CEL today. Ended up ordering iCarsoft . Hope it works out!

Autel MaxyDas DS808 is the correct model I use. I ordered PIWIS II last night

sk8 You are my hero. It's bad enough working on German cars, but French and Italian???

@jetstream Please, make sure to check back to let us know how the iCarsoft works out for you. I was going to get one, but the reviews were not overwhelmingly positive.

Zoey, I got the iCarsoft Por v2.0 yesterday. First impressions, it seems like a quality unit with a decent display. It did the job of finding and clearing all codes. It will tell you the Porsche specific DTC codes, but not how to address the issue. In my case, I had a P1640 which was Porsche specific code for ECM fault. If it returns, I will have to find a troubleshooting guide for that issue. I will say the user interface is clunky and requires a lot of button pushing! The users manual font is tiny, but you can download one. I would have probably gone with the durametric, but my shop tablet did not have the processor power for the durametric. Plus, I would rather have a small, dedicated reader. I plugged it into my Toyota Tundra, it would count the codes in the OBDII , but could not run a diagnostic to retrieve the codes. Which was disappointing, but not unexpected. I paid $145 on Amazon and I think it is worth the money. Hope the info helps someone in their search.

Thanks you @jetstream ! I just changed the oil for the first time, so I need a way to reset the service indicator. Silly that I can't just do this via dashboard button (or in our case, stalk button) pushing. But then again, I had an Audi TT S-Line that required the same thing.

I need to start diagnosing an airbag light that has been on since a battery change ( 2007 Cayman base). A guy at an indy shop cleared it with a hand-held unit but it returned a day later. I would rather put the money I would spend at Porsche toward a better reader than the one I have. Reading the posts here, it’s hard to tell if airbag issues are covered by the various units. Can anyone shed some light on airbag issues? Thanks, C

I own a iCarsoft POR-II as well, I think its great.

Crispy, I'm new to the car and the iCarsoft . The box says it will reset all codes, including airbag. I think it will diagnose the airbag, but have not tried it. If you replaced the battery, does it have to be registered in the computer. If so, the unit will do that. That could be your airbag light issue. Just guessing, since I'm not that familar with my Cayman yet.