Quick ISTA+ question

[Arith2]

ISTA can worth in some aspects where it can calculate test plans which are basically fault specific service functions to guide you through the fault step by step. For example, I had a fault for a blocked radiator blind on an X3 this morning. I hit calculate and the troubleshooting function specific to radiator blinds pops up. It reads the faults and determines a course of action within the test plan. In this case, it determined a function test was needed while visually being inspected. In this case, the blinds did open and close so I answered yes when it asked me if they did. It determined there was no fault with the blinds. That helped me determine that the fault was no related to the electronics or faulty workmanship but rather something blocked the blinds and was no longer blocking them. It gives me a diag code for warranty purposes and ends the module. For older cars it can be hit or miss. You also need ISTA-P for programming on older vehicles. ISTA can absolutely be worth it however, my version is completely legitimate and I use it almost everyday for newer BMWs. I still usually use INPA for my M3. ISTA is easier but INPA is more compatible. ISTA also has repair instructions, wiring diagrams, and many other documents built into it whereas INPA is specifically a scan tool. You absolutely do need an ICOM which I post a picture of.

[bmwfnatic]

ISTA is kind of a double edged sword, it can work wonderfully, especially on newer cars, but sometimes it leads you down a path where it jumps to a stupid conclusion like ‘replace DME’, when that is obviously not the problem causer.

I can’t even remember the last time I booted up ISTA for an E46, and I don’t think I will in the near future.
Takes way too long, can easily get a cup of coffee while it identifies and scans the car, and once done I don’t find the things it can do particularly useful.

Another thing to keep in mind is the mile long backorder on an ICOM, while relatively inexpensive when bought from the dealer, orders are about 10-12 months out before you actually get anything, I personally wouldn’t bother with the Chinese clones, like everything that comes out of China, they’re crap.

[bigjae46]

I wish I knew more about what ISTA+ can actually do before investing $600. If it's what I think it is, it's worth the investment. Also it's odd that ISTA+ didn't give me an error message like "unable to communicate with ICOM" or something like that. It displayed the page (my upside-down image above) like if everything was fine, but the info listed didn't help me at all with the diagnosis (it's like if it was missing something, but no error message or failures from the software). Do you know what the Autel product name is?

The advantage of ISTA is that you can hook up to any F or G chassis car and it brings up all of the info instead of going to 4 different places for wiring diagrams, parts, recalls, etc. It comes up in one place. Not so much for an E chassis car.

This is what I use.

MaxiCheck MX808 | Autel

[E46m3zcp]

I don't want to create a new thread and since there's already an audience of people with INPA experience, and it's slightly relevant to this thread:
I can't find the MDK module in my INPA. Shouldn't the E46 have the MDK module where TPS position can be read, like in my image below (from a google search)? Maybe I'm missing some IPO files in my sgdat directory?

If there's a way to read TPS, where should I look for it? Maybe it's right in front of my nose and I'm just not seeing it.
Thanks!

[Tomba]

Had the same issue,

There is pedal voltages,
electric motor (MDK) voltages and
voltage/indication of the individual throttle bodies

in Tool32,
Pedal -> STATUS_PWG_POTI_WINKEL & STATUS_PWG_POTI_WINKEL_2
MDK -> STATUS_DKP_WINKEL & STATUS_DKP_WINKEL_SOLL (Actual and desired)
ITB -> STATUS_AQREL (opening surface throttle bodies)

I'm sure the voltages are read and put in RAM but I don't know were they are stored. Maybe by DS2 command (serial) you can read them.

[E46m3zcp]

Had the same issue,

There is pedal voltages,
electric motor (MDK) voltages and
voltage/indication of the individual throttle bodies

in Tool32,
Pedal -> STATUS_PWG_POTI_WINKEL & STATUS_PWG_POTI_WINKEL_2
MDK -> STATUS_DKP_WINKEL & STATUS_DKP_WINKEL_SOLL (Actual and desired)
ITB -> STATUS_AQREL (opening surface throttle bodies)

I'm sure the voltages are read and put in RAM but I don't know were they are stored. Maybe by DS2 command (serial) you can read them.

I opened tool32 but it’s not obvious how to input that information. Do you have any link where I can read about it?

[E46m3zcp]

Turns out I can read value by going to m54 engine ECU (INPA then gives an error message, but the read values -> MDK options work, and some values are read. I don't know if they will make sense though.

[Tomba]

in Tool32 open [mss54ds0.prg]. Then select the job on the left and run the job once or continuously.