hi mike in your microtuner post you mentioned

"this unit is also an OBD-II CODE SCANNER! Yes, that's right, you can now scan for your own DTC's (drivetrain trouble codes, or "error codes") if you get a check engine light for any reason, without going to a Ford dealership, without going to any service shop, and without buying your own code scanner, as this one unit does it all! "

How indepth of a scaner is it.. does it ONLY give trouble codes or can it do the more advanced things like tell you cylinder pressure and temps .. ect.. like the Auto Tap? I realize it wouldent have the loging features of the Auto Tap but just to be able to read thoes variables would be cool.

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Actually, it tells you there in our announcement you quoted what it will do. That has also been covered a number of times previously in several threads (including in the same thread you pulled that quote from). You can use the search feature of these message boards to easily find & read that material.

The Micro Tuner is an OBD-II code scanner in addition to it's real purpose, which is to add power & performance. It's not going to do all that the full version of Autotap can do (which we also sell but requires a laptop computer in addition, the Palm version is limited), nor is it going to replace a $2000 NGS Star tool, etc.

As stated in our announcement, it's an OBD-II code scanner, giving anyone who gets a check engine light in an OBD-II Ford a way to immediately retrieve the DTC related to the check engine (SES) light. That saves a minimum of another $150-$200 for the cost of an OBD-II code scanner, making an already incredible bargain even better.

If you want the capabilities of the full version of Autotap, then you'll need to buy the full version of Autotap, which we can also provide. If you have a laptop computer, there isn't a cheaper way to get those capabilities. If you don't have a laptop, then you can buy a cheap low-powered old used laptop for $100-$200 or so, as all Autotap needs is a 286 or better, and there are both DOS & Windoze versions of the Autotap software.

Give us a call if you want to go over any of this, & have a great weekend, Steve!

 

Mike - I never knew you sold autotap software??? I'm looking into getting an OBDII software for a laptop and the autotap was one of the ones I was considering. Since you sell it I'm sure you could answer some questions:

1. Does it give error messages for all the error codes, or do you have to look them up in an external source?

2. Do you sell the full version that has extended parameters for all cars/makes?

3. It's a tossup between Autotap and Ease (http://www.obd2.com/). Do you have any knowledge of the Ease, or enough to compare the two of them?

Thanks

 

Hi Captain,

Yes, we've been a distributor for Autotap for some time, but until all our products are displayed on our web site, which is currently under construction at troyerperformance.com, many times people don't know all the different products we sell.

1.) With just about any method of code scanning, you'll still have to look up the DTC (diagnostic trouble code), for example, what a P0605 code means, or what a P0171 code means, and from there, how to fix the problem. What has to be remembered is that the error codes themselves don't automatically tell you what needs repair/what is actually wrong with the vehicle, the error code simply tells you what *error code* is being reported by the PCM. From there, you still have to look that code up, and know how to do proper troubleshooting to know what part to replace or what exact action to take. Experienced technicians (and some "shadetree's") will many times instantly recognize what some of the codes usually require to repair them, but not always, there will usually need to be some troubleshooting done, and of course a re-test after repair.

2.) Yes, the is both a "full Ford vehicle" version, and well as a "all OBD-II vehicles" version, with a significant difference in price. There is also a "down-n-dirty" version (my term) that just gives you the standard OBD-II codes, with *none* of the extended manufacturer-specific data. We of course use the top-end setup here, which recognizes all OBD-II compliant vehicles.

3.) Kinda-sorta, I'm not an "expert" on Ease, as I feel you only get to that level by using it day in and day out, which we have not done with Ease. We have simply examined it's features, cost & benefits, and we feel Autotap is the way to go. Ease is significantly more expensive, which is a big minus, costing 2-3 times as much as the full Ford version of Autotap. Ease also does not list an "all OBD-II vehicles" model as Autotap does, and, Autotap's "all OBD-II models" version is still much less expensive than Ease's Ford-only solution. Ease does have a nifty wireless arrangement that would work well for a repair shop employing multiple technicians that each need to have their own wireless scanner and be able to tie into the same PC network, but that doesn't do end users any good in practical terms, and is, you guessed it, even more expensive.

Autotap's version 2.X hardware & software (V 2.03 software just released, so make sure you upgrade, any lurkers out there!) also upgraded the communications speed thru the OBD-II port from 19.2 Kb to 115Kb., basically about as fast as you're realistically going to get data to transmit via the OBD-II port.

All in all, we still consider Autotap to be the best bang for the buck solution for the end user and for the repair shop. This is something we look at several times a year, as well as anytime someone mentions something "new" or different is out. To date, we see no reason to change from Autotap, especially with as responsive and downright candid as they are, in addition to all their features, capabilities & value.

I hope that helps a bit, & give us a call to go over this in any more detail, or to place your order should you decide to go with Autotap.

 

Mike - thanks for the reply. Sorry to inform you (business wise), but I'm going to give the EASE a shot. I've gotten more recommendations on that then the Autotap software. So hopefully I'll like it, if not, it gets sent back.

Incase you're interested though, I went with the personal software for Ford w/ enhanced parameters. It was only $60 more then the Autotap Ford w/ enhanced parameters, which isn't to bad. But the Professional versions of EASE, oh my gosh, the built engine for L is cheaper then some of that software

Thanks again for the reply!