Witech micropod clone

[2015DShemi]

Hi All

First post here. All of the dealers in my area don't seem to know what they are doing. No problem with either of my vehicles is solved on the first visit and I normally have to guide the dealer mechanics to find issues.

They are very nice but I honestly don't have the time to teach them how to fix my vehicles. I am looking to purchase a witech micropod but it is hard to justify the cost of the oem version for just my 2 Chrysler vehicles.

My question is, has anyone here purchased any of the various micropod clones and if so, what degree of success have you had with things like flash programming, general diagnostics, obd mode 8 stuff like abs bleeding?

I wouldn't mind spending the $500 if the clone tool works, I just don't want to be the guinea pig

Thanks!

Joe

 

[07MegaCabRam]

I have a friend that has the WiTech pod2 and works great.

 

[2015DShemi]

Does he have one of the Chinese clones or an oem tool? Would you mind asking where he got it?

Thanks!!

Joe

 

[07MegaCabRam]

I will text him. I know he spend around $200 for it and downladed the witech software.

 

[07MegaCabRam]

He said it's OEM. has the link. Hang on.. He said you still need a pin to get into the BCM, but the Ram doesn't change.

 

[2015DShemi]

Thanks much appreciated!!

 

[07MegaCabRam]

V17.03.01 wiTech MicroPod 2 Diagnostic Programming Tool for Chrysl Multi-language

He said he paid the $209.

 

[2015DShemi]

Did he get it on eBay? There are so many clones out there hard to tell the good from the bad... Unless they're all the same?

 

[2015DShemi]

Nevermind just realized that was a link you gave me. Sorry not familiar with this site yet

 

[BossHogg]

My question is, has anyone here purchased any of the various micropod clones and if so, what degree of success have you had with things like flash programming, general diagnostics, obd mode 8 stuff like abs bleeding?

The Autel MS 906 seems to be popular, it will set you back $1,000. Can't afford one so I don't know how much power the tool has, for example, can it command the ABS to bleed. I just replaced my brake fluid in my 2013 using a vacuum bleeder, worked perfectly ($22 from Amazon).

Only your dealer has the ability to reflash simply because you have to have access to the software files. This is done by the dealership tool that communicates with your vehicle and Chrysler's servers that check if all ECUs in your vehicle have the current firmware versions. If not, the tool can download and flash each ECU.

As far as doing things like FOB learning or TPMS settings, you will need your vehicle's 4 digits pin number. There are a few pin numbers for each vehicle but the one you need is made up of four numeric digits, only your dealer's parts department can look that up for you. Be aware, greedy dealers will charge you for the pin but as I understand it, the pin number belongs to the vehicle and you already paid for the vehicle.

 

[2015DShemi]

Though I haven't tried it personally the flash files can be downloaded with a techauthority subscription. I believe car manufacturers are required by law to make them downloadable.

Emissions related controllers can be flashed with J2534 programmer

Supposedly all flashes can be done with a witech micropod clone (and the oem witech micropod obviously)

I've looked at a lot of the aftermarket tools and they are all far more expensive than the clone and probably don't have the same Chrysler coverage as the witech micropod.

I just ordered one... Will let everyone know how it works out.

 

[BossHogg]

I just ordered one... Will let everyone know how it works out.

I'm very interested, what did you order?

 

[PNUTLT1]

So this is like the autoengenuity tool?
Can this be used to mess with BCM, TPM, TCU and ECU settings?

I want the AE tool, but its a little pricey.
I want it to mess around with BCM settings for my ram.

 

[00R/T]

The problem with the clones is that you can only use them with the old versions of the software that weren't online, and they only go up to around 12MY or so. You also can't do any sales code configuration or the like without a DealerCONNECT account.

 

[2015DShemi]

Will let everyone know in a few days - just got a shipment notification. I have a 2015 WK 3.6L (wife) and a 2015 DS 5.7L (me).

I'll let you know how it works on the 2015 model years. I looked at autoenginuity but it got mixed reviews and looking at the screenshots on their website, the UI seemed weird.

Plus, with the Chrysler add-ons, it is twice the price of the witech clone. I'll be happy if I just get full Chrysler OBD 2 sensor monitoring plus a few misc tests. I can handle paying the dealer for flashes if I must

 

[2015DShemi]

Ok, so here's an update... the kit shipped directly from China and arrived in a few days. The Micropod clone itself appears to be reasonably high quality but there are obvious differences from the OEM version: no lanyard, no wi-fi, no metal clip on the OBD 2 connector, etc. The firmware that mine came with was v2.4.1.

I followed the directions that came with the kit (albeit in somewhat fractured English) and upon starting the wiTECH software, I got a "device with serial number ***-XXXXX is not registered" error message.

The company that sold it to me said the copy of wiTECH was destroyed somehow and that I needed to buy a "wiTECH hdd" from them for a small additional fee. Not entirely sure what that would be but I worked around the problem before I got their reply. Long story short, I am a computer guy so I spent a couple of hours messing around with the software and the computer it was installed on and was able to get around the issue.

I connected it to my 2015 DS and my wife's 2015 WK with no issues. I disabled the side view mirror tilt in reverse on her WK (only thing she didn't like about it) and she was thrilled. There are functions to bleed ABS, program tire sizes, etc. There are literally hundreds of sensor readings, dozens of tests, actuators and misc functions that you can perform that seem to be very vehicle specific - which you would expect. Every switch/gadget in the vehicle seems to have a corresponding sensor reading of some kind in the software. The only odd behavior I saw was when I connected to the ABS computer of my DS... the EVIC freaked out and started screaming to service the ABS. Maybe that is a safety feature of some kind so folks don't go driving while messing with the ABS computer? Powering the vehicle off and on again made the ABS warning go away. I could not find any "PROXI alignment" functions - maybe they don't apply to my vehicles?

I did not try flashing anything as I don't have a good enough reason to sign up for a time-limited TechAuthority subscription at the moment but next time I do, I'll give it a shot. At the very least, it will be nice to be able to go to the dealer next time and tell THEM which modules need updating (wiTECH lets you print an ECU report) because whatever point-of-sale software the advisors use doesn't always tell them when an update is available. For example, my PCM is on an AE revision but TechAuthority said that AF is available (and has been since before my last dealer visit)

Your mileage may vary but this was $200 well spent in my eyes.

 

[2015DShemi]

I've done a considerable amount of research on this software and it appears that as of the 17.04.27 P4 patch level, the wiTECH 1.0 system has been EOL'ed for all CAN bus vehicles - forcing you to use the 100% web-based wiTECH 2.0.

If you decide to move forward with the Micropod clone, you will need to block the P4 update (or find a way to block the "diagnostic.js" file that does the check) or the software will kick you out seconds after opening the vehicle topography.

Once the update is blocked, it works fine - confirmed up to the 2015 MY

 

[dbidault]

I was told the same thing from the company I bought my clone from a few months ago. I still don't know how much they want for a HDD or what it is supposed to do for me but if you have a fix that works I'd be interested in any help you can give me to get mine working again.

I just did a update to the radio firmware in my truck last week, its a 2015 DS also and was sent over the air to my radio. I think that this is when mine got blocked.

I tried installing ver 17.03.10 diagnostic on another laptop with no internet connection and I am still blocked with the fresh install.

I also looked for the "diagnostic.js" file and have not found it.

 

[2015DShemi]

Chrysler pushed out an update that blocked wiTECH 1.0 on 7/27. PM me and I'll give you more info.

 

[Mpgrimm2]

Just curious, why not post up the info for anyone that comes looking for answers does the road?