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| actron cp9580 |
This review is from: Actron CP9580 Auto Scanner with CodeConnect Trilingual OBD II, CAN and ABS Scan Tool (Automotive)
After looking at scanners for several years, I finally decided to buy
this one because it seemed to have the most usable features (including
live data, graphing, recording, etc.) and also had the unique "Code
Connect" feature for reporting the most likely fixes that work for
specific makes and models based on a large reported & verified
repair database. I was not disappointed. So far, the "top reported
fixes" for the detected trouble codes and vehicle model have been the
ones which really worked on my own car and on friends' cars that I
repaired. Although some reviewers claim that the Code Connect may not
work well for certain car models which had very limited production
numbers, it worked well for my repairs which included a Toyota Echo
which was not a very common model.
Despite the fact that Code Connect is usually right on target with its fixes, a few of the fixes that come up would almost never work and look rather silly and unrelated to the trouble codes. I suspect that the reason may be some bad data that comes from incompetent or dishonest shops in the reporting data base. So if you sometimes see fixes that look ridiculous, don't be surprised - they probably ARE ridiculous.
Certain "cars" such as Jeep and SUV's are classified as trucks, so you may need to select truck on the scanner to find the make and model. The specific model list presently goes up to model year 2008, so you will need to select the generic "Global OBD II" on the menu for more recent vehicles or vehicles not on the list. Code Connect does not work for the generic Global OBD II selection, but you will still get the trouble codes with definitions.
Although powertrain (including emission) diagnostic trouble codes work for almost all domestic, Asian, and European vehicles, the ABS trouble codes will only come up for GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles 1996-2008. There is not much Code Connect fix info for ABS, but the ABS code definitions are usually enough to lead you to the problem. A few domestic vehicles are not ABS covered. You can check vehicle coverage by going to actron.com and selecting products, scan tools, Auto Scanner Plus 9580, and clicking the Actron CP9580 ABS coverage chart link on the bottom of the page.
I recommend downloading and printing the User Manual which is over 100 pages and tells you much more than the Quick Start Manual included in the scanner package. You can get it on actron.com when you click customer service and then click user manuals.
You do not need the computer software download at all unless you want to transfer car diagnostic information from the scanner to your computer to save it or print it. Software program updates for the Actron CP9580 unit itself are not yet available at the time of this review, so don't try to get it. Although there are reports that the software package does not install on 64 bit and Windows 7 systems, it seems to work fine on Windows Vista and earlier systems. Go to the Actron web site and click updates. Scanning Suite 3.0 is the one to download for the CP9580 even though the CP9580 is not yet listed on the web page as one of the supported scanners.
After you install the scanning suite and you want to use print capture (also called print data on the CP9580 scanning tool) to transfer scanner data to your computer, you could have a problem because the USB port instructions are unclear when you click on print capture. You need to select a com connection port on the computer drop down menu such as com1, com2, com3, com4,...etc. even though you are using a USB rather than a serial port. To find the port number, connect the CP9580 to a USB terminal using the provided cable, and select the print data menu on the Actron CP9580 so that "print data" appears on the top of the scanner display. Then go to control panel on your computer and select device manager. Click the + on the "ports" in the device manager list to get the com number for SPX (Actron). After you transfer vehicle data from the scanner to your computer, you can click edit on the print capture document which puts the information in Windows Notepad text format for editing, saving, copying, printing, etc. If you save the notepad itself, select save as and select an existing known folder, or it may disappear into a nonexistent scanning suite location.
Although I have used the print capture to see how it works, I have not found it necessary to use for my repair work. The stand-alone CP9580 works fine.
I did call customer technical support one time, and found the representative to be knowledgeable and friendly.
Update January 2011. Actron updated their website a little so that Scanning suite 3.0 is now listed as supporting the CP9580. However, it still will not work on 64 bit or Windows 7 systems. They say that a 64 bit & Windows 7 version will be available very soon, but it is still very late considering how long the new Windows operating system has been out. Actron also added CP9580 printing (print capture) instructions which are similar to my instructions above, except that they go to Device Manager by right clicking computer (my computer) instead of using Control Panel classic view. Software program updates for the CP9580 unit itself are not expected for a long time. I can understand that at least a couple of years of repair data are needed to get meaningful Code Connect information, but they really need to update ABS information sooner for the vehicles not yet covered on the scanner.
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The Actron CP9580 is great AutoScanner Plus OBD II, CAN & ABS Scan Tool is the ultimate choice in handheld automotive diagnostic scan tools, suitable both for advanced automotive do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) and automotive professionals.! To learn more about this scan tools, read Actron CP9580 review and find out where to get best deals on Actron CP9580.
