Volvo diagnostics -map of members that can help
 

Following on from my earlier thread http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=136528 and combining with another forum members idea
http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=131398
I thought it would be an idea to start another map for those willing to offer free diagnostics to other forum members.

So here we are
http://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=280351

Please feel free to add a marker if you are willing to help. Just some simple rules to help keep things tidy and easy to understand.

Green marker - you have VCT/Vadis/Vida combo
Blue marker - you have DiCE/Vida combo
Red - you VOLFCR
Yellow - you have BSR PPC
Orange - you have a "generic" OBD reader (i.e it can't give specific Volvo codes)

Multiple markers if you are true geek and have more than one piece of kit.

The only other info is your forum username and a location (don't use your actual address or post emails, phone numbers, etc). So long as other members can see roughly where you are that's enough and contact should be via the forum (PM's).

To add a marker, click on "Additions" and "Add marker - Simple" from the drop down list.

If this takes off, maybe a mod could be kind enough to make this a sticky.

Over to the members......

Bump.

Hopefully some people in Kent will chip in soon.

I'm in Kent and have a code reader. Whats the problem and where are you?

10 mins from tunnel, essex side

If i had counterfeight and illegal copies of vida/vadis/Dice ( which they all are, except for independants and dealers ) i wouldnt like to make it public ..

I live in west Kent, and have no problems ... yet. Handy to keep in mind though.

Done that. First in Oxfordshire.

Volvo dealers charging £75 for code reading ought to be illegal ;) For the time it takes (and the likelihood of getting parts / service business off the back of it), it ought to be free...

Not that I'm blaming Volvo...they're all at it. What should have been a major breakthrough for the owner has been used by the industry as a cash cow.

cheers

James

IF volvo released it for sale to ,, oh say Their Customers,, you know , those people who keep them in buiss by buying there cars,, there wouldnt be an issue where "clone" hardware units were needed would there,,,

rather than refusing to allow the Owners of the cars the ablity to repair them properly,, by refusing to sell them the kit, or make avaliable the FULL codes to 3rd party manufs.... oh eerr isnt there some EU law about such a "lock in",,,

Volvo with there flat refusal to sell the Owners the needed items have no-one But themselves to blame, esp given the £ charged by their own dealer network,,,

i really must investigate the EU law on this ,, find out which one it is, the full wording ,,and have a little Chat with volvo uk HQ if needed.....

It's not just volvo is it , its Renault, Citroen microsoft , sony playstations etc etc for example ... they spend £ millions developing their hardware and software and providing a team of 10 or so people supporting it , so want to get their money back and they do this by charging their dealers around £6000 a year for software licences , and communication lines . So hence your £50 or whatever charge for code reading ..
Any you CAN have the proper diagnostic SW and HW like the independants do but you have to pay for it ...

see that contridicts what ive found from local dealers
they flatly refuse that it is purchasable
i dont Want "live" to change things like sw/keys/alarms, even at the £ of that i Dont mind paying the dealer/volvo to do that, (yes im insane)

id not mind paying for a legal copy (stand alone only , no live services at all) of vida (or vadis) and not mind the ££££ for a proper gen volvo hw interface, but they refuse point blank to admit it is purchasable, even if it is at "falls off chair" price point.

I was under the impression that you could buy them (ok, you might have to pose as a trader...)...but the price is fairly steep. Having said that, the price which Clan has mentioned before isn't *that* steep. It's roughly 2.5x the eBay price, but then it's not counterfeit.

Of course how useful that is depends on whether or not a stand-alone copy of VIDA is included. I bet it isn't (and I bet it isn't cheap...!), and that is the bigger problem.

Honestly, if Volvo get a bee in their bonnet about this, I think they're being very silly. You can't do *that* much without a "live" copy of VIDA for the software updates. It's also unlikely to rob their franchisees of enough business to be more than a tiny blip on the radar, and will avoid alienating a chunk of their customers who might otherwise jump ship for a more co-operative manufacturer.

cheers

James

I havent tried myself but the Dice and related parts for example have normal part numbers and are in the normal parts system . but you need a live connection subscription to volvo for the diagnostic software to work legaly . No one can legaly buy the software which doesnt have the connection to volvo . So how do independent operators get supplied with the kit? ....they pay a lot for it similar to the price i mentioned above i would say ..
It is completely uneconomic to have this kit legaly unless you are using it daily ...

I was under the impression that there is a legal stand-alone system supplied to remote locations without a reliable high-speed internet connections, and it is a pirated version of this which is supplied with the eBay DiCE-clone units.

I too thought there was no VADIS-like version of VIDA, but I've been reliably informed that, however rare, it does exist.

cheers

James

so
in effect you Cant as a Private owner purchase it

no "vat/company number",,a " appropriate high speed connection" ,,that you cant get the spex of what is "appropriate"...




i agree its not Only volvo,
but in all honesty here, would you Buy a "peugot"?? i mean come on its a peugot,, and bwm/audi,, look im insane Not compleatly stark raving bonkers ,,, :D and being brutally honest here, there are 2 brands of car id consider buying, Volvo, (pre 2002/phase 2/ford) and aston martin *but id need a lottery win to afford an aston, the rest Really dont offer anything near what volvo do, are "french" or worse !. and they look pants, are pants and aint a volvo.


most of us came from the 7xx/9xx era (some even earlier) where you Could fix your own car, it "appears" that since "phase 2" cars were brought in that you Cant fix your own cars due to the Manuf's restrictions on what you can and cant buy yet need a "volvo specific" gizmo doodad to turn out certain warning lights. and unless you have "this and that and this" as well as a Few Thousand, you can not have the tools.
"this n that n this" being vat number/company number , buissness, Approved highspeed internet connection thats deemed suitable...

end of the day, volvo's shooting itself in both feet.
yes there are Lots of folk who "take it to the dealer" and pay .
theres a Lot lot more that Wont goto a dealer = car doesnt get serviced properly > unreliable volvo > name tarnished (unfairly so)
and the biggest % , volvo owners, long standing ones, who thanks to some "cleaver" rules and interpretation can not buy the tool/sw...

Dealer lock in, doesnt work and neither does the "well you Could buy it, IF they owned up to it being an item to buy,,and IF you have ,,and ,,and and,,,"
that aint cricket .. or the sweedish version of cricket is it.

Dont think im having a go at "you" , its a "rassberry" aimed at "volvo", its thier policys that need ammendment and rationalisation with "the real world".

an old phrase springs to mind "fairs fair".. we buy em, we Love em,,let us fix em cos afterall We own it, and we are "the customer".

...or, you can accept the world as it is, and beat them at their own game by buying one of the eBay ones with a "free" copy of stand-alone VIDA thrown in ;)

I ought to point out that I don't have one myself...yet...

cheers

James

ps: Where does it say you need a VAT/Company number?

one could buy one of those,, but strange as it seems id prefer a solution that wasnt in the "gray" part of the spectrum. i Try to keep things "100% legit".



the vat/company number came from talks with a dealer's parts dept chap, very helpfull dealer/parts dept chappie (one not on the forums)




PS, i also havent bought one of the "other" units ,,yet...

I know what you're saying, but if they're playing silly buggers...I'm willing to bend the rules for a quiet life. Of course Clan's original point was not so much about the wisdom of owning an counterfeit unit, but advertising the fact...which is a good point! I must admit that a VIDA/DiCE setup feels more questionable than a VCT/VADIS rig.

For the record, the forum's policy is that questions like "where do I get a DiCE knock-off" or "how do I get a log-in for my eBay copy of VADIS" (i.e. where it's explicitly stated that it's pirated, or that a pirated copy is being sought) are not allowed, but general discussions about both systems are welcome, as we're absolutely sure that all posters who don't state that theirs are dodgy must have bought them from Volvo. Right ;)

Of course if a moderator happens to be engaged in a theoretical (or should that be idealogical?) discussion about knock-off DiCE units, that's a different matter...:D

cheers

James

i love classic peugeots :):)

Updated :D

Hello

Local (and respected) independent Volvo Specialist - VIDA
Local Bosch specialists - Autologic

I can't find anyone else who can connect to my TDi.

I'm told that the subscription to these systems is £6000+ p.a., hence the fee to have codes read.

Nationwide chains like Halfords (Nationwide) don't carry the software. Kwikfit now claim to have Bosch diagnostics, so might offer a cheaper alternative, but......!

vida & dice in Blackpool, updated on the map :)

ppc scan tool
 

ppc scan tool sunderland on the map

Vida/DiCE - Longridge, Preston - complete Newb with it though!

I have a diagnostic tool, which covers cambus and lots of other bits and pieces, Iam in South Birmingham.

Volvo fcr in watford

Free code reading in the north east, VIDA/DICE, Vol-FCR and flash code reader

Anyone near Brighton?

Classic V70. DICE?

If anyone can educate me as to what this is all about and where I may be able to get my own copy of this??

VIDA + Dice in Bromsgrove, my dealer is happy with the fact I have it :thumbs_up:

readers
 

generic reader in oxford

Vida/Dice, Weston super Mare :thumbs_up:

DICE unit available in Cardiff £20 for forum members for Diag / clearing codes / service reset, airbag fault codes and airbag light reset. Also can alter stuff like approach lighting, heated seat temps etc. Active suspension reset. ABS 'anti skid service required' 'Alarm system service required' 'Gearbox service required' all checked and cleared. Launch X431 also available for all other makes. Same services as above. PM me.

so are you charging members for this service or asking for a donation:thumbs_up:

Nice one.

Come to W-s-M and get it done for free :thumbs_up:

Free in Birmingham too.

I can personally recommend this chap:thumbs_up:

Anyone got a reader in the Worcestershire/Gloucestershire area? :thumbs_up:

Go to the map and have a look :thumbs_up:

I have and there is no-one. Hence I'm doing a small shout out to see if anyone comes forward or PMs me. :thumbs_up:

Contact S60MBS, he is seems to be the most local to you. He's a good guy and will certainly help you out if he can :thumbs_up: