Member Since: 30 Apr 2009
Location: Worthing
Posts: 376
Just got mine today, and I can echo Wiggs's review...Good piece of kit...Already went through and cleared all the faults on mine. See if I have any tomorrow...
I can just see a bit of OCD kicking in, now. 55-Reg Java Black SE, Unlocked SatNav (via Wiggs and Bodsy), Nudge Bar/Driving Lamps/RAI, Front & Rear Lamp Guards, RLD Sump Plate, RLD spare wheel protector
"Every movie-going moron knows that only a mining company could be evil enough to attack Smurfs living in a rainforest." - Doug Casey
11th Jan 2010 6:10 pm
Ulysses
Member Since: 28 Dec 2009
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 18
Received mine today, will use it tomorrow and see what I've got.2006 TDV6 HSE
2008 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic
2005 Honda Pan European ST1300
11th Jan 2010 7:35 pm
BBS SPY Site Sponsor
Member Since: 15 Jun 2007
Location: Sunny Cyprus
Posts: 3054
Thanks JamesG01, glad to see your new piece of essential diagnostic equipment has arrived safely.
Now you know why i sent one to Wiggs, until you see and experience it for yourself it's hard to believe what a slick bit of kit it is.
It's quite likely that your D3 will start to accrue faults over time as they all do, because of day to day network errors and other occasional system glitches. And this varies from car to car, but at least you will now be able to start learning what is normal for your car and can be ignored, allowing you to easily sort the wheat from the chaff as it were when it matters.
And i bet you feel a damned site more comfortable and confident having the FCR in the D3 when you venture out now.
11th Jan 2010 7:41 pm
JamesG01
Member Since: 30 Apr 2009
Location: Worthing
Posts: 376
Colin,
At the moment I couldn't really justify the full-on MSV-2 (although Wiggs demonstrated it to me back in June/July), so I was well pleased that you brought out the FCR.
Does exactly what I need it to do.
Cheers,
James55-Reg Java Black SE, Unlocked SatNav (via Wiggs and Bodsy), Nudge Bar/Driving Lamps/RAI, Front & Rear Lamp Guards, RLD Sump Plate, RLD spare wheel protector
"Every movie-going moron knows that only a mining company could be evil enough to attack Smurfs living in a rainforest." - Doug Casey
11th Jan 2010 8:02 pm
1784
Member Since: 04 Sep 2009
Location: Almunge
Posts: 148
I also received the FCR yesterday and was impressed on how easy it was to connect and use. No manual really needed, it works very intuitive.
Will definitely be the first thing to pack when going on a longer trip in the D3.
/Thomas
12th Jan 2010 9:50 am
DN D3 Decade
Member Since: 24 Jun 2006
Location: W.London.
Posts: 2317
Well I've just had a 'little review' of the add ons...........+Shipping costs ranging from £23 to £32 odd + 3% credit card surcharge + VAT ......strewth, I'm sorry Colin, I need to lie down for a while.
12th Jan 2010 11:18 am
BBS SPY Site Sponsor
Member Since: 15 Jun 2007
Location: Sunny Cyprus
Posts: 3054
Hiya DN
Thanks for bringing that up, no seriously, i see where you are coming from and it gives me an opportunity to explain that i would not have otherwise had
And i thank you for having the courage to say exactly what you are thinking.
But to do this properly, we should really start by reviewing the price of the unit itself.
With the 10% discount to forum members, the FCR comes to just less than GBP 180. Given that is a brand new and highly custom developed tool that obviously works extremely well and that it covers every single ECU on both CAN busses as well as on the fibre optic most bus and the nearest that comes close to it (MSV-2) is near 4 or 5 times that, it's hardly a kings ransom of a price. I could have easily set the price at 299 without complaint.
I believe that few would imagine that i am making very much from each FCR and bearing in mind it will reduce sales of MSV-2's, it will be a very long time before i manage to break even in respect of covering its development costs. Just consider how much you would have asked if you had developed it.
Its also not like its buyers would not likely save much more than its purchase cost, and then it always has a resale value too, because it can be re locked to another VIN.
Moving on to shipping costs:
We are based in Cyprus, and sadly this means we are overseas to most everybody and that does elevate some other costs such as shipping. However if we lived in say the UK, almost every aspect of our business running costs would be substantially higher. Tax, rent, wages (which you can at least double or treble), accountancy, electric, insurance and so on and on. In reality it's only the fact that we are based here that makes what we do viable at all and lets face it, what we do is pretty out there like no other. At the absolute least, i think its fair to say that our prices would have to rise by far more than a bit of additional shipping would cost.
I would also add that we do not add a single penny to what it costs us to ship, we provide multiple options via only well renowned couriers who of course round everything up to the nearest kilo.
Credit card surcharge:
Adding 3% for your payment convenience does sound harsh i agree, especially compared to what you are probably used to seeing when using your card to buy your groceries at your local Tesco's. But then you have to consider that it is an internet transaction which carries the most risk, and of course it is also an overseas transaction too. You may be in the UK, which is a lower risk country, but to the CC company they cannot distinguish geographically from the UK versus any of the many countries renowned for very high incidences of web / CC fraud.
If it helps any, you should know that actually we loose just over 5% on each CC transaction, but again in our effort to be a fair as we could, we split the loss. Of course we could always just build it into the price as i know many do, but then we feel it is also wrong to penalize those paying by less convenient methods.
And Finally VAT:
No one likes to pay VAT, and we sure as hell don't like being made into unpaid Tax collectors for any government, and just as it is with the Shipping and Credit card fees, It is not money we will get to keep for very long.
But again, accepting that you have to pay VAT at all, we are actually doing you a favor on 2 counts.
First there has been much press about the UK VAT going back up to 17.5 % which no body likes, But we have never charged VAT at 17.5% anyway !!!.
We only charge VAT at 15%, which is, and has been for a long time, the Cyprus rate.
Second, while we might be forced to add 15% VAT, at least it won't be going to Gordon brown and his band of fiddling MP's which alone makes it vastly more tolerable.
So in summation, based on the initially very good price of the item and the fact that you make a VAT saving on the shipping and CC surcharge. It's actually not as bad as it looks at all.
12th Jan 2010 8:32 pm
DN D3 Decade
Member Since: 24 Jun 2006
Location: W.London.
Posts: 2317
Thanks for taking the time to explain things Colin I am not complaining at the cost of the item, and understand that you are looking to cover the cost of developing this great piece of kit. It was really just a shock to find that a (in my mind)£200 item could soon escalate into totalling not that far short of £300 that's all. I'll have to learn to come to terms with it.
12th Jan 2010 11:14 pm
BBS SPY Site Sponsor
Member Since: 15 Jun 2007
Location: Sunny Cyprus
Posts: 3054
No worries, DN, i know exactly what you mean, it gets like that when you start adding the nice bits on when looking at buying cars or PC's and its only sensible to look at how the add ons dramatically affect the starting price.
But if you choose another payment method and non expedited shipping, it would however cost you just 233 GBP which ain't much of a rise and certainly is not into heavy money territory at all really, considering what it does, never mind how well it does it
And should you ever come to not need it any more, you could easily sell it on here for say 150 GBP, meaning you would only have been out of pocket about 80 quid. And how much does it cost to go and get your fault codes read at a dealers (never mind cleared) including of course VAT at 17.5%, fuel to get the car there and back and the loss of your time based on your normal hourly rate ( well you gotta add on everything in order to compare like for like fairly ) ,
Anyway, when and if you decide DN, you know where to find me
I really don't know why no one has not thought about getting some of these little miracle tools as a group buy,
The numbers go up = lower prices, delivered to one place = dramatically lower postage. Shimples
The Americans are way ahead of you guys on that idea BTW.
Mine's on it's way according to the TNT tracking service. Hope to have it tomorrow if they can fight their way through all the snow and ice to the NE of England Now an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
14th Jan 2010 9:39 am
DN D3 Decade
Member Since: 24 Jun 2006
Location: W.London.
Posts: 2317
Doh, what the hell!.........Just put my order in ( moment of weakness) Sent you a PM Colin.
17th Jan 2010 8:50 pm
BBS SPY Site Sponsor
Member Since: 15 Jun 2007
Location: Sunny Cyprus
Posts: 3054
Whadda ya mean "moment of weakness" DN.
You must mean flash of clarity
If when you get it and try it, you don't think its the best thing you ever did, i will eat my hat
I will have my Admin apply the 10% discount in the morning and contact you accordingly
According to their tracking system, it was on the their van, ready to be delivered to my house on Friday but it never appeared. Rang TNT on Saturday and they blamed it on weather delays and gave me some old cobblers over the phone about it being booked in to the Teesside depot before it had actually arrived there (how does that work then ).
Promised me it would be delivered on Monday and it seems to be booked on to the delivery van again so we'll see Now an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
18th Jan 2010 9:06 am
kariylit
Member Since: 01 Jun 2008
Location: Finland
Posts: 49
Hi,
Looks very very interesting, i'm planning to order one but one question popped in to my mind, there is license only to use this for one car as it locks itself to VIN code at first connection. When i'm upgrading my MY04 D3 to newer model will i lose this with old car and need to buy new one?
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+ 3% credit card surcharge 
).
