An alternative to Diagbox - Topdon Artidiag 800BT

[GiveMeABreak]

Before you go down that road, it is worth restoring your backup licence file (if you have kept it) and that may well resolve the activation issue after a restart.

[Paul-R]

APPDIAG.SYS? Almost the first thing I tried I'm afraid.

[cit-rotti]

Before you go down that road, it is worth restoring your backup licence file (if you have kept it) and that may well resolve the activation issue after a restart.

If the backup file (APPDIAG.SYS) is not successful, the following often helps:

First execute the backup file and then restart.
Then run the update 7.xx to 7.57 or a similar update again and install it cleanly.

Greetings Wolfgang

[Paul-R]

Unfortunately running the most recent update (7.57 to 7.58) didn't work. Jim at Easydiagnostics provided me with the information I needed to reinstall Diagbox so that's all done now and the urgency about our 308 has gone.

Which brings me back to my original reason for posting. Inviting opinions about the Xtool D8BT. And comparisons with the Artidiag offerings.

[Paul-R]

Well, there have been no comments and I eventually decided to order the D8BT. After a near week of no information I queried what was going on and was told that there was no stock and that they would refund me. I asked how long it would be before there was stock and they then told me that it had been discontinued! Wonderful.

Anyway I then asked about the D8W (the wireless WiFi version as opposed to the wireless BlueTooth version). It's more expensive but has a greater range and is faster transferring data. They gave me a link to their shop on Aliexpress. It always makes me gulp when buying a high value item through Aliexpress but I used PayPal to give me an extra layer of security. I got my best UK cost by setting the price in US$ and then using my UK credit card (which pays PayPal) to make the exchange (at the perfect interbank rate) between US$ and GB£. The end cost to me was a few £s under £400.

The delivery to me was exemplary, just under a week arriving yesterday lunch-time. I had a play with it yesterday afternoon on the 308. It autodetected the VIN without problem and then cleared all the error codes except for a couple on the engine ECU and one on the Combine ECU (whatever that is). My Diagbox 7.58 will clear all the engine ECU codes but not the Combine code. They come back of course!

I then tried to do something that Diagbox 7.58 can't do. Add another key as a spare. It did this with no problem although I needed the key code just as a working Diagbox would need. I think that the D8W can extract the PIN code if I've read the bumf properly and I must try that soon to confirm. Fortunately I had the key code anyway.

I then read the codes on my brother's 2005 Vauxhall Astra Estate. A much simpler system of course. It dealt with a temporary code in the immobiliser easily but not the two codes in the Engine ECU. Not unexpected as we know there are problems with the glow plugs to be investigated.

One thing I wasn't expecting was when I'd finished on the 308 I couldn't pull the VCI off the EOBD socket. It required a mighty wrench to get the VCI off and when I inspected the VCI I could see that part of the plastic surround had broken. I compared the D8W VCI with the VCI off the Diagbox and this is much better designed as there is a metal pin which obviously has more springy 'give' to allow removal whilst having enough grip to hold it in place.

I sent the two attached photos to the manufacturer and am waiting for a decent reply from them about this.