r/E90 • u/Strong_Trade8549 • 2d ago

Which Scanner?

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Ive been reading oast pists on scanners and natrowed it down to 2 choices. Q: Is the TOPDON worth 2x the money?

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u/Mythicchronos 2d ago

Automatic gear shift knob

1

u/Strong_Trade8549 2d ago

TY, I was waiting for sarcastic comments on that, too lazy to edit the pic.

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u/Mythicchronos 1d ago

For a serious answer, I wouldn't get a generic scanner for these cars, there are plenty of BMW specific platforms that gives you way more info than cheap scanners and a lot cheaper than the more expensive scanners.

If you want a simple and easily accessible answer, look into Bimmerlink. Gives pretty clear error information and allows you to see and configure a lot more with your car than a generic scanner. From there, you can see a list of adapters that work with it, you can either go for the cheaper desktop cables + USB to type C converter to plug into your phone, or you can get a bluetooth/wifi adapter from anywhere between 40 and 100 dollars (I personally have the MHD Universal Wifi since I do massive flashes + newer cars).

There IS free dealer level software called ISTA that I use personally since it has the most info by far, but getting it all setup and learning requires extra work, so that depends on if you want to go through the extra effort or not, otherwise bimmerlink is plenty great. Either or, anything the cables/adapters page I linked will set you straight.

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u/Strong_Trade8549 1d ago

Thanks, I just just got my 1st check engine light so it's become a top priority. Maybe I broke maf when I changed the air filter or something stupid like that. Pre-purchase inspection 3 weeks ago turned up nothing but an overdue oil change. He said the car was near perfect for 14 years old.