Found a cheap scan tool for multiple vehicles that does live data, module control and ABS actuation.

https://www.amazon.com/FOXWELL-Scanner-Reader-Automotive-Diagnostic/dp/B07CSMJJK9/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I made a thread a while back about looking at various knock off scanner products that duplicated existing dealership scanner tools. I decided to hold off on getting one of those and then I started digging into the various products I saw on Amazon and found the scanner linked above. Despite the engrish in the literature I took a chance based on the reviews and picked it up. Prior to the purchase I also emailed the company asking if the thing supported the functions I needed for my car and they replied to me indicating that it did. The response to my email gave me hope that things would actually work.

When I got the device I opened it up and I made sure to update the software, but it turned out I didn't really need to do it as the packages I needed to use were already at the latest version.

Some pics below of the thing.

Front of package. Straight from China!

Back of package - Engrish strong!

Has a plastic carrying case.  It's not a super high quality case, but hey this is the first one I've bought that came with a carrying case so I was happy!

This is after I already took the thing out and put it back in, it is much more nicely packaged when you first open it up.

After updating the software I took it out and hooked it up to a couple of my vehicles. The first one I tried was the 2004 Lincoln Navigator. The device says it has an auto VIN discovery for some vehicles, but in this case it required me to enter the VIN number manually, which is a somewhat tedious exercise because you have to use a virtual keyboard. Once I finished getting that entered it took me through a few menus where I was able to access various systems on the car. I tried out the live data feature and sure enough I was able to monitor just about anything I could think of that had a sensor in the car. I could also send signals to control various modules and there was an option for ABS bleed, which I did not try.

I took the device over to my 2006 Corvette Z06 and hooked it up. I assumed it would work in the same fashion for this car as it did with the Navigator, but it didn't do any sort of auto vin discovery or entry instead it presented me with a set of menus where I chose the year, make and type of the car after which I was presented with a menu of letter options that as far as I could tell had no instructions on what to select. This was never really described anywhere in the manual, but I recalled reading a comment from the seller on an Amazon review where this came up and when I went back to check it they noted that you needed to choose the option matching the fifth character of the car's VIN number from this list of options. OKAY! Totally straightforward! Good thing that isn't really documented anywhere. The manual does describe a "manual vehicle selection" process, but nothing about choosing the fifth character of the car's VIN number.

Anyway, after doing that I actually was taken into a set of menus where I could view live data from the car and control various modules. I opened up the live data and checked the TPS reading and sure enough when I pressed on the gas the TPS reading went up. I started looking through the various options and I saw that it can command the door solenoid on or off. The car has no manual latches for the doors (though there are manual pulls on the floor in case you have a dead battery or something) instead you press on a sensor pad or button and the door pops open. So, I turned off the passenger door and sure enough the door no longer popped open when I pushed the button on the inside. The window still went down in preparation for the door to pop, but the door didn't actually open. Turned the solenoid back on and it opened up.

I haven't had a chance to test the ABS bleed option on anything yet, but once it warms up I will give it a go on the Vette as my last couple of brake jobs have been in my garage and I want to make sure everything is cleared out in there.

For $140 I'm pretty happy to find something like this as there were a number of different tools out there that did things like this, but they all were very expensive. Granted, I haven't actually tested every option, but it's looking good so far.

Interested to see how this works out for abs bleed and more in depth tasks of that sort. Following for future reference.

Following for the future as well! 

Was this the TPMS reset tool thread that this came from?

I wonder how fast the live data stream rate is. I have a couple of other scanners where the data stream is laughably slow to refresh. Like maybe 1 Hz. Though I have a suspicion that my be limited by my car's ECU because other vehicles I've tried it on seem be update much more instantaneously.

freetors said:

I wonder how fast the live data stream rate is. I have a couple of other scanners where the data stream is laughably slow to refresh. Like maybe 1 Hz. Though I have a suspicion that my be limited by my car's ECU because other vehicles I've tried it on seem be update much more instantaneously.

 

Well, I did a quick test with the Vette monitoring the TPS and pressing the throttle on and off seemed to update pretty quickly on the display. The tool also lets you monitor multiple parameters at a time.

I will report back once I have a chance to do the ABS bleed procedure. When the frosty weather lets up I will be out there.

java230 said:

Following for the future as well! 

 

Was this the TPMS reset tool thread that this came from?

No, I actually remembered the title of my original thread and found it.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/i-found-myself-going-down-the-chinese-knock-off-code-reader-rabbit-hole-the-other-night/145116/page1/
 

Can do you things turn solenoids off and on, or mess with emissions controls? I once used a Snap-On diagnostic tool track down a weird idle problem on a 90s GM car. I turned stuff on & off til I chased down the one that didn't work. If this tool lets you do real diagnostic tests, I'll buy one immediately.

slefain said:

Can do you things turn solenoids off and on, or mess with emissions controls? I once used a Snap-On diagnostic tool track down a weird idle problem on a 90s GM car. I turned stuff on & off til I chased down the one that didn't work. If this tool lets you do real diagnostic tests, I'll buy one immediately.

I have not seen if there are emissions related items, but it does let you turn solenoids on and off. The door opener in the Corvette is controlled by a solenoid and that is what I used as a test. Turned off the solenoid, door doesn't open. I'm not sure how wide ranging the support is across models for this, but the tool does support it.

Shenzen is where the best electronics are made in china. The whole country is leap years ahead of where it was 10-15 years ago, but Shenzen is at the top of the pile for advanced electronics. 

Buying on Amazon is a best practice i recommend for chinese made products because amazon's 30 day return period will let you try something and return it if it's garbage. 

I might have to pick this up for my focus for my brake bleed. 
 

Theres an $18 off coupon on Amazon for it now. 

Do we still like this Foxwell model? 

I'm considering ordering for ABS and Air bag capability. 

It would really be great if something had TPMS too. 

The Foxwell is still priced at $140 - $18

Was just poking around, hoping to find a really good thread about scan tools after having another fuss about mine.

I've got an ECS Tuning Schwaben-branded/packaged Foxwell NT510, which has successfully read some seat sensor codes in Trent's second-gen Mini Clubman, and reset a vehicle check timer on my F55 Mini (while complaining that it couldn't... so that's reassuring). It fails every time to read the VIN, or to accept a manually-entered VIN. It does allow me to browse generically to my vehicle type, but it arrives there with no notion of what my car does/doesn't have without a scan.

In short... I'm not thrilled, though at least my car isn't complaining that it's due for a check just because I did the plugs and cabin filter myself instead of paying the dealer $550 at the last oil change.

Any updates on the NT630?

Anybody know anything about KDS iCarsoft (or other models of KDS) scan tools?

I bought this one a while ago and used it to trouble shoot some abs issues on my sons SX4.

The live data allowed us to check the reading from each wheel sensor to identify the bad one and eventually determine it was an issue with the wheel bearing. Replaced the wheel bearing and the problems were solved  

Were now using it to troubleshoot a problem with the O2 readings. The graphing capabilities aren't great, but does let you put multiple sensors on the same chart so you can compare the traces instead of trying to watch two numbers changing. 

This is timely, I just picked one up (Foxwell 510Elite) with Honda and Toyota software this week. The graphing is basic (as mentioned earlier), but it packs a lot of capability in a reasonably priced package ($189 including both sets of manufacturer-specific software). I wouldn't buy another car without scanning all the modules first.

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

Did you update the software? I've done mine twice - once when I got it, and once recently - and in both cases there were significant improvements. The last update fixed a problem with failing to read OBD2 monitor status, for example.

In reply to 02Pilot :

I did indeed update the software; about the same pattern: Once straight out of the box, and once when I pulled it out again to reset my "vehicle check" and bang my head against the VIN problem a couple of weeks ago.

I contacted ECS about this a couple of weeks ago (right after the latter episode), and they got back to me and offered me a refund, a trade for another of the same, or to talk to a tech. I opted for the latter, thinking there was a nonzero chance of operator error, but after something of a wait they more or less pointed me at a thread on northamericanmotoring.com instead of actually having a tech talk to me. Which is fine. I'm waiting to see when and whether a moderator approves my "anybody else not able to scan or enter VIN?" question and what comes of it. I'm starting to hope that returning it is still an option and pursuing another tool. This one seems to be much better in theory than practice, and I'm not looking forward to finding out that it has bigger problems at an inopportune moment.