My first bidirectional scan tool! XTOOLS D8

I took the plunge and bought a 'big boy' scan tool. I needed something with bidirectional control and that could reset the BMW/Mini VANOS adaptations and from the reviews I saw/read it seemed like the D8 was a lot of bang for the buck. It also has the ability to do key programming for a lot of cars and I'm told that with a FOB reader (another $250) it can do even more like the BMW/Mini, Toyota, etc.

It just arrived today, and it is 24F outside with snow and ice falling from the sky. I'll have to wait until this weekend to play with it. What has impressed me most so far was the level of communication from the company. I emailed them to ask if it had the capability to reset the adaptation for the VANOS system and got a reply in less than a day with some information. The lady who responded asked for the VIN so she could make sure there would be no issues and the next day sent more detailed information. When I asked about the BMW/Mini fob programming she pointed me to the FOB reader on Amazon and also told me that Amazon should have new stock Saturday and she would email me when it was available again. I was impressed to get that level of support these days considering I'm a nobody, shade tree mechanic asking for presales support from a Chinese company.

I'll give it a whirl and report back. I'm still undecided about the FOB reader but I would not have much more in it than getting a new FOB/key cut at the dealer. I should be able to cut the key myself as well with some more research into how they are coded (I have done this with Ford chipped keys.)

Congrats on your purchase, I read quickly thru the description,. Is seems to be an interesting option, depending on budget and needs...

What Android version is it running and what is the screen size?

Would be interesting to see screen shot of the manufacturer selection screen,

BMW key chips can be tricky officially they come from Germany with a precut key.
Different BMW fob readers/writers on Amazon I did a Land-Rover Freelander 1 for EWS3 a few years back for some reason th e AK90 wouldn't write to a Rover 75 EWS key although it would read it.

I'm not sure how Andy managed to write over my initial reply about the screen size and Android version. Here is that information:

8" touch screen, 1024x600
Android 5.1.1

Andy asked for screen shots of the MFG selection screen(s), I'll try to attach them all.

So far my impression of the D8 is mixed. It has a very limited number of bidirectional controls for my 2011 Mini Countryman but on my 2011 Ranger the list is extensive. I was able to reset the Vanos adaptation on the Mini and tell it to relearn. This was a pain because of the very Chinglishy on screen prompts in some places.

It did provide more information than my cheap scanner though. It was showing a right side marker bulb out. It was not out by very dim. Not that important but handy. It also told me the aux coolant pump circuit was open (turbo cooling after key off). I subscribed to Mitchell DIY and have spent the last hour cussing to myself at their diagrams and having to jump though multiple pages to find out what purple wire does. I also stumbled across the fact there is a fuse tacked onto the wiring for the pump at the pump itself. Mitchell DIY is better than nothing but the organization and presentation sucks.

Oh, I also noticed that while KOEO tests worked on the Ranger KOER did nothing. I plan on contacting them to report this to see if it will get updated BMW bidirectional stuff (and more PIDs too, it would be nice to see things like the VANOS angles to see if they make sense and to get a report of the angle for each CAM after learning the adaptation so you can see it it near the edge of the allowable range. It can be a good sign of timing chain wear as I understand.)

Had the D8 now for a few months (bluetooth version with optional endscope). Happy so far but still learning how to use it.
Support has been good. They pushed out a fix for an engine diagnostic test error on a 2008 Duramax within 24 hours.

I don't care for the few-word description on the updates. It should have a displayable summary.