Cheap piwis/durametric

Hi, I have found a website that sells dura metric cable and software cheap. Has anyone bought one and if so does it work ok? I am tempted to give it a try for £50

If you hunt around, you'll find it even cheaper. BUT it is a Chinese copy, usually supplied with a copy of Durametric version 3 software. It works OK-ish on a 996, but if you look at Durametric.com you will see how many improvements have been made, and they are now on version 6. If you try to update it with the version 5 or 6 software, you will likely turn the unit into a brick. If you are serious about diagnostics, and think your next car may also be a Porsche, I would recommend biting the bullet and purchasing the genuine article.

Richard, Thanks. If something looks too good to be true it usually is..... Oh well. I will start saving

i just bought a elm 327 to use on my focus 0ff e bay,(ONLY A tenner)i also was looking at a piwis lead from china (www.0Bd2be.com) with software it was $30

Durametric cable here for 17 quid http://www.cardiag.co.uk/porsche-piwis-cable-207.html

Anyone point or PM me to a corner of the WWW that might be hosting version 3 as Durametric no longer have it on there site just 5 & 6?. I have used my cable with 5 in the past but its iffy.

if you want the software do this go to www.uobd2.com , type in piwis on search box ,click on lead info , software is in related down load files (download piwis cable zip) also i have bought a lead from another site , i found this info when looking into lead suppliers hope this helps

Thanks, But it say's that version 5. Which does work but I think v3 is a lot more stable for a snide.

Is the specification of the data for the porsche-specific diagnostics openly available? If so, how hard can it be to write an application to read/write the necessary information? If not, then how do Durametric do it, by trial and error?

In the early versions of the Durametric software just so. All you got was the OBD error code plus a German version of what the code related to via a lookup table. Over the years this has been improved, English code lookups have appeared though some German ones still appear once in a while. They have also added better help files and the ability to reset and code some of the more common control units.

Yes, but my point was, whereas the specification for standard OBD data information is openly available (as what each packet of data means what), is there some document that defines all the Porsche specific data. I would have thought that Porsche keep that information confidential to themselves, but if so, how do Durametric make a device that can read and write Porsche specific codes?

I once spoke to a chap from AutoLogic, when they were showing the new (then) Porsche version of their tester at Autofarm a few years back. He told me they had a PIWIS tester, and would record and analyse the data stream between the PIWIS and control module, and mimic it for their tester. I seem to recall Durametric doing something similar in the early days.

If you have not found a copy yet PM me your email address and I will send you a zip file with version 3. Mine works ok with both 3 & 5.

Does a durametric show up errors if there are no lights on the dashboard? i.e. everything working normally if that makes sense.

Yes. Many DME errors will not set off the engine check light, but fault codes will be stored in the fault memory. Same applies to other modules, such as the alarm control module, which don't have a warning light in the dash.

Is this the tool that costs around £300.

The genuine kit is about £260: http://www.hickleys.com/diagnostics/durametric.php . You can also buy it direct from Durametric.com, but by the time you pay carriage, duty, and VAT, I'm not sure how much you save. The Chinese clones have their limitations, but as above, are a fraction of the price. Personally, I would go genuine, especially if my next car was likely to be a Porsche. Yes, it is expensive, but if you are serious about DIY then a decent diagnostic tool is essential. The complication of the electronics on P-cars is only going one way.

my lead from china arrived today ,it had a copy of Durametric v3 ,loaded software on to laptop and connected to car, it works fine(well worth £33) , when looking at the dme i found my car has had 1 range 4 over rev at 452 hours and has 1250 total run hours ,this over rev must have occured before i owned the vechicle , should i be concerned about this ,it also said i have a fault with the porsche radio cd unit (i removed this to fit a pioneer avic d3 4 years ago)my friend with a 996 and a cayman wants their vechicles checked now.

Any chance of a email of that v3?

987 Boxster RANGE 1, 7200-7500 RANGE 2, 7500-7700 RANGE 3, 7700-7900 RANGE 4, 7900-8400 RANGE 5, 8400-9500 RANGE 6, 9500 and over I wouldn't worry, it was such a long time ago that if it had done any damage it would have manifested itself by now. If you look at the version history on www.durametric.com you will see the improvements and bug fixes since then, but at £33 it is a whole lot better than nothing. Now wasn't there someone here looking for the V3 software? (Post #6) . Edit: Too slow!

Any chance of a link for the purchase? And does it come with the cable as well as software? Cheers

I bought mine from http://www.cardiag.co.uk/porsche-piwis-cable-207.html Cost 17 GBP so fairly cheap. Took a little while to get here but eventually arrived and works fine with software that came with it which is a rip off of Durametric vers 3. I also tried using Durametric vers 5 and it works ok with that but I only really got it to check private cars when I was looking for a 996 Turbo after selling my 993. The cheap clone is so cheap it is worth getting while you keep an eye on eBay for a second hand authentic one. If you do a search in Google for Porsche Piwis cable you might find an even cheaper source.

Great Thanks

That's where I got mine from and they supplied it with some KWP2000 protocol software which came in handy as one of my cars uses KWP (different lead obviously). But that left me without v3 that's why I have only used v5 but with mixed results.

Worth emailing them and they are likely to give you a download link. Mine came with a CD with version 3 of the software. Have tried emailing this to somebody who wanted it but the file even zipped up was too large. If you have a convenient hosting site I could upload for you or if you PM me your address I could put on CD and send to you.

Good point, I got it about 2 years back but I could still try mailing them.

glad to know the over rev range 4 has not done any damage to my engine,i got my lead and software from www.obd2be.com ,cost $30.00 plus $21.60 p&p(DHL) so£33.11 and they take paypal (took 3,1/2 weeks to arrive) type in piwis in search. eddie terry i did recieve the v3 software by e-mail from you ,thanks (got it as a back up). thirteeneast if you pm me b4 12.30 fri(as all pm go to my work e mails,and i finish work at 12.30 on a friday) i will forward you a copy of v3)

Many thanks. Sorted.

I've used V3 with a compatible cable, fantastic for the low cost outlay, helped me diagnose and fix a faulty speed sensor and healh check my car on a regular basis.

I've just purchased one of these cables from cardiag (£17) However just tried it and can only read the engine and alarm systems, for all the others e.g. ABS/PSM, seats, airbags it says it cant connect to the unit? Is anyone else having this problem or are all your systems GO!?

I believe the cheaper versions work with the engine and alarm yes. However that is still a ton of data for 17 You should be able to monitor every sensor on the engine and also modify the output to see realtime data which is fantastic to check things are running correctly.

A boggo OBD2 scanner will read the engine sensors, and with decent software will datalog engine sensor values. I have an OBD2 scanner which will do almost as good a job as Durametric, but only does DME diagnosis. I would contact the seller and complain.