AutoEnginuity Scan Tool

I recently purchased the AutoEnginuity PC-based Scan Tool with BMW/MINI extensions to help diagnose some issues I was having, and to enable me to bleed my ABS unit. I'm really liking this stuff. They just sent me version 7.3.1 which should be on their site shortly for download - this fixes some issues with the ABS module interface code and enables it to work properly with the USB OBD interface that comes in the new kits. The ABS Air Bleed works properly now, as should other tests of the ABS sensors and solenoids.

Jay at AutoEnginuity tells me that this release completes their work on the BMW/MINI interfaces - at least for now - they've been working on it for a couple of years and finally have it "feature complete".

When I encountered an issue with the ABS Air Bleed with the version I purchased, technical support was very attentive. They were aware of the problem and promised me a fix within a couple of weeks. About a week later (today) they sent me a copy of the software prior to posting on their site. I'm very happy with their support.

The USB-based interface seems to work quite reliably. If you set the connection settings to use the proper ISO standard (on 1st gen MINIs) it connects to the car much faster (approx 20 seconds). The system can log any number of values available via generic OBD-II or the Enhanced BMW interfaces, though sample speed is limited by the MINI bus - about 4 samples per second on the 1st Gen MINIs. 2nd gen cars should fare better with the CAN bus. You can "play back" the log in the software to see how values or graphs change in simulated "real time", or you can manipulate the data directly in Excel or other spreadsheets since it's written in a standard CSV format. This is NOT a substitute for a dedicated data logger if you're wanting to log data at fast sample rates directly from hardwired sensors or wideband, but it's about as good as OBD-II based logging gets, and gives you easy access to lots of sensors without hacking.

They support a TON of sensors and tests not available via generic OBD-II if you purchase the Enhanced BMW interface. This isn't cheap, but it provides a level of diagnostics that you otherwise only get in expensive pro-grade scantools. Screenshots of the MINI-specific stuff are available here:
Screen Capture
(lots of screens - be sure to page through them)

Best price I found for the package of the new-style USB interface with the BMW extensions was at bimmerzone.com

Not a paid advertisement - I just like the stuff and thought some other folks might like to hear about it.

 

Yep. You start the "ABS Air Bleed" function in the Scan Tool - it prompts you to connect a power bleeder (like Motive), you click "next", then prompts you to open one bleeder screw, you click "next", then it goes through about a minute of automatically opening and closing the various ABS valves and tells you when it's done. Then you close the bleeder and repeat for the other three... easy.

 

1) No, the scangauge does NOT do ABS bleed, nor about 90% of the other stuff the AutoEnginuity does. The scangauge is a very basic code reader and value display ("gauge") for standard OBD values - but it can't access a large number of BMW-specific values nor actuate the test modes for many of the car's systems (unless, as was said, someone has some X-gauge voodoo that I haven't seen yet - and I've looked).

2) AutoEnginuity doesn't do ECU coding - that's about the only thing I've found that the dealer tools can do that this one doesn't... so you're still beholden to the dealer for that stuff. But I haven't needed a coding change in two and a half years...

 

exactly. My kids both have Acer Aspire One netbooks. I have a very small notebook for work that I'm about to swap for a small Thinkpad tablet that I'll run the Scan Tool on. I have it with me almost all the time, anyway.