help which software ?

[joelataxi]

Advice please.

been looking at some of the handheld mileage correction kit, and it all looks pretty impressive, as i'm new i'll need good backup/help
also is there one hand held unit that covers more dash's via odb/diagnoistics plug or are they all the same ?

as it looks like a 5 or 6k investment i wonder if anyone has any pointers?

are there any that cover the 407s yet ?

and has the new style m.o.t. slowed business any?

i've had a few done and the guy has travelled 20 odd miles to me so i'm sure there's a demand locally.

how easy or difficult is it starting from fresh ?

i was originally interested in just radio decoding but the market seems to be flooded with folks offering a very cheap service (and free on some forums)

cheers for any advice on this one

[jbes]

Most of the documentation for the units has a full list of vehicles they support and the method of recalibration.
Direct usually means you need to strip the dash down completely. and good soldering and desoldering is required.
PLUG means a dash removal but only a connector is inserted into a plug on the back of the dash.
OBD means all done diagnosticly.

Don't worry about car radio decoding m8. The market is screwed for the moment, but don't forget most of the radio's made after 2000 excluding ford & blaupunkt can't be done by these freebie wanna be decoders armed with calcs. don't write of decoding radio's yet ;-)

[joelataxi]

thanks for that jbes

[decode1]

and before you take the plunge double check on availability. just because the guy you use comes 20 miles doesn 't mean hes the nearest. a lot of us have regular customers, and dont need full time advertising. try asking around local garages, as these will be your mainstay. the initial outlay may be 5 to 6 k but dont forget upgrades, usually around 3k + a year .

[wayupnorth]

and before you take the plunge double check on availability. just because the guy you use comes 20 miles doesn 't mean hes the nearest. a lot of us have regular customers, and dont need full time advertising. try asking around local garages, as these will be your mainstay. the initial outlay may be 5 to 6 k but dont forget upgrades, usually around 3k + a year .

Unless you have a Digiprog, in which case it works out at €600 per month = €7200 per year.......WAAOW!

And no buy upgrades, no fixee machine until you do.

The phrase " by the balls" springs to mind at this point..........

(New Digiprog III great machine but has many glitches and often breaks down requiring back to base for repair. )

[Rev Tech]

Your statement is untrue we always fix machines, the client chooses to have an update or not. None of my customers are ever held to ransome.

You havn't even got a DigiProg.

[wayupnorth]

Correct. I have to concede I don't actually have a Digiprog. But I know two people who do own a Digiprog 2 and 3 very well. I've seen it working - and I have to say it's a crackin' machine. Light years ahead of what I have been using ( laptop DOS based software)
I was actually ver yseriously considering buying a new portable diagnostic machine, I have looked into all FOUR machines currently on the market , and I have been asking around. Even on this forum. I actually spoke to your company very recently!

But you don't challenge my points that

A - The new Digiprog has given some teething problems, and needed to go back for repairs - (quite understandable with any new complex machine)

B- The Updates, according to your own website, currently work out at a whopping €7,200 a year. That's on top of the initial outlay of €10,000.

I don't need to own a Digiprog to discover that.

But my sources tell me that if they have an 'OLD' software version, even 6 months old, they have been told they have to buy an update before it can be repaired as the 'OLD' software " no longer exists!"

I'm only telling you what they have told me mate. No offence meant.

I'll just have to take your word for it that the customers - in this case - are wrong.

[joelataxi]

and before you take the plunge double check on availability. just because the guy you use comes 20 miles doesn 't mean hes the nearest. a lot of us have regular customers, and dont need full time advertising. try asking around local garages, as these will be your mainstay. the initial outlay may be 5 to 6 k but dont forget upgrades, usually around 3k + a year .

thanks, i'm around Telford, Preese and Newport auctions quite a bit which are all local and there doesn't seem to be anyone closer ( i would think theres gonna be some in Wolverhampton and Telford but the guy i've used came out from Stoke)

I'm halfway between Manchester and Birmingham, which i know are both well covered.

I hadn't realised the upgrades would run so high, how's that then?
is there an upgrade every time another model is covered?

i had thought there might have been one every six months will all new models covered.

On that point couldn't you just upgrade the software every six months as i said?
or is it the case if you miss an upgrade you lose the back up ?
and the chance to catch up on the software in one go ?

just sounds a lot of hassle having to update your software every month.

thanks again for any info

[digital1973]

On the subject of the Digi Prog equipment i would like to add that i have been using a DigiprogII for over 18 months now and was a complete novice when i started. i have found there help and back up first class. I have not had an upgrade for nearly 12 months BUT have needed the machine looking at once which was not a problem at all.

As i have said i have not had an upgrade for nearly a year but have found that on correcting an average of 6-7 cars a week i have had to turn away about 8 cars over the year.

Now I realise I am never going to own Chelsea FC on that sort of turn over but as a bit of pin money it soon adds up and i was able to pay off the initial outlay in a little over 14 months.

My advice would be that if you are just starting out buy the best package you can afford and establish a loyal client base for the first year, then look to upgrade if necessary.

Good Luck