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Jasonb
Member Since: 04 May 2013
Location: Bristol
Posts: 97
  
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| Mongoose cable v Chinese copy for use with SDD |
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Has anyone got any experience of a Cheaper mongoose cables?
They much cheaper than the Drewtech ones but are they just money down th drain ?
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 28th Jul 2013 7:37 pm |
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BBS SPY
Site Sponsor
Member Since: 15 Jun 2007
Location: Sunny Cyprus
Posts: 3054
  
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Yea, I have lots of experience with Chinese Clones of the mongoose and the Chinese clones of the VCM before it.
As much as you may hope there to be a cheaper shortcut, and despite many promising possibilities emerging, you pretty much get what you pay for.
Despite all else that has been introuduced since, the faultmate MSV-2, which was once the only alternate, is still the best and most capable by far.
To date, i know of no one who has invested in one as having any regrets.
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| 28th Jul 2013 8:10 pm |
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StornowayStu
Member Since: 10 Aug 2012
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 331
  
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Well I have both, a mongoose clone which I picked up for about $80 and Colin's BBS MSV2. I have had to replace one mongoose because some kind of firmware flash on the SDD side killed it. If you ever want to check if you have a genuine mongoose (I have seen clones on eBay offered at the same price as the real ones so price isn't always a good guide!) open it up and if the surface of the chips has been scuffed off to conceal the chip set etc, it's pretty likely a knock off.
That said, I have used it to see what the dealership sees. But for real module programming, I don't think I would trust it not to leave me stranded which is why I use the MSV because there's someone like Colin who can help me out if I do something dumb. That's not going to happen from China.
I can appreciate the genuine Mongoose (and the MSV2) aren't within reach of every pocket. It's a bit like the full on Photoshop. If I were using it daily as my work tool then I'd pay for it. I'm more of a dabbler to at least Adobe markets Photoshop Elements which does what I need it to do at a price I can justify. A full price SDD subscription isn't something I can justify so there really isn't incentive for me to buy a genuine Mongoose.
Now some of the projects that Colin and gang have been working on seem like they might fill that Photoshop Elements gap, which I think would be a lot better than relying on a wing and a prayer....
-- Stuart
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| 28th Jul 2013 8:23 pm |
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Jasonb
Member Since: 04 May 2013
Location: Bristol
Posts: 97
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Good advise as ever chaps.
If I were doing vehicle diags as my trade then I wouldn't hesitate to invest in the quality kit.
Where I'm at is I've got a MY06 D3 that I've had a few months. I'd like to update the SatNav so I can use it on the move, enable the 3 flash indicators, perhaps update the Bluetooth version, enable the 4WD info screen and if possible configure the car to disable the fog lights when the caravan is hooked up (saw something about this in the CCF).
After that I see me using it to read and clear fault codes that might crop up from time to time, reset service indicator, etc.
Perhaps another route is to pay someone to do the software updates as a one off then maybe run with a cheap dongle but avoid any risky programming !
Anyone in the Bristol area want to quote me for do the above updates ?
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| 29th Jul 2013 8:56 am |
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geoff.
Member Since: 24 Jan 2010
Location: West kent
Posts: 8531
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give woody32 a shout 
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| 29th Jul 2013 9:09 am |
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Martin
Site Admin and Owner
Member Since: 06 Nov 2004
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 18552
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Just bear in mind that SDD can't do a lot of the CCF configuration to enable features - only the aftermarket systems can. 06 D3 SE / 15 LR D90 XS SW / 88 LR 90 Td5 / 68 BMW 2000 ti
Any issues with the site let me know!
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| 29th Jul 2013 9:09 am |
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