Spartacus

Plus one for the Cerakote wipes. The protection and the black color lasts much longer. I skip the masking part and use them carefully. john

I own and have tried many. For major issues, i use the BMW Factory ISTA clone setup. $500-600. It is the factory software and it is very detailed and it also gives you recommended repair procedures. But for >90% of the time I use a $60 Autel Ap200 with my iPhone. Carista is a toy for programming things like closing windows when you push your fey fob. (Worked on my X5) It is neat but not useful for real scan/debugging. The ISTA requires a windows laptop, a multiplexor, various cables and going thru hours of hacked software setup to get going. Its an awful lot to clear a code. The Autel Ap200 scans nearly as deep as the factory ISTA and you can keep it in your glove box. If you lose it, its only $60 to replace. I use it on all my BMW and Mercedes. As an example, it can scan to tell you how much ash is in your diesel particulate filter and then it can start a Regen cycle. It can scan the frequencies , transmit power, and actual PSI of individual tire pressure monitors. Autel is the real deal. The low end one that i use seems to use much of the same software as the expensive high end Autels. The high end ones can probably give you more advice on how to do the repair and they can probably code the part. But, for scanning AP200 is my vote. Car is German, scanner is German. Done. When you buy the Ap200, you can only pick one car brand. For a VW and BMW/Mini setup, you would need to buy a 2nd subscription or just buy a 2nd AP200. I bought two. One for BMW/Minis/ one for Mercedes. Check engine lights don't cause me anxiety. I look forward to getting an Autel scan. You want good engineering, but a german scan tool. You want cardboard and lies, buy a Fiat 500 and CarISTA.