Panda 2012+ Cables and reader query for MES

[Jamie KC]

It’s becoming more apparent that having MES will be advantageous, just hoping my super slow laptop will work with the software.

Re connectors for the Panda 312/319 - Will this here kit do the job?

Here is the description, it comes with a modded OBD reader if that’s a concern on these vehicles?

TIA, Jamie

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

I’d highly recommend you look at the website for Gendan UK - they are the ‘official’ agent for MES. They’re very helpful with enquiries too

The reality is you don’t need the full set of coloured cables: most of the time you just plug straight in, but may need the yellow cable now and again. MES is ‘old’ and happily runs in older, slower laptops (I have it on a cheap 2016 Levono one which I only use for MES — rest of the time I’m Mac-based. )

The cheap ‘Chinese copy’ ELM connectors that are all over eBay often dont work and need to be adapted by removing (or adding?) a component on the circuit board. So you need the ‘adapted’ version. The units sold by Gendan don’t need that.

I actually use a Bluetooth ‘dongle’ in the car’s OBD socket rather than a wired connection (again bought from Gendan on the advice it would work with an iPhone too — many don't, as I’ve learned having bought a few! The ‘good’ one was about £50 I think?). And if the adapter cables is needed, that goes in the car socket and the Bluetooth unit plugs into the other end of the short adapter.

I have MES on my iPhone too. Works exactly the same, but it’s an annual subscription rather than the one-off PC payment

The dongle also works perfectly with the very cheap but excellent CarScanner app on my Landy and my wife’s Skoda, and the Panda too. The only thing it can’t do is the very Fiat-specific relearns and oil degradation reset.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

However… do remember fault codes are not always right. There are several electronic control units (ECUs) across the car (hence Multi ECU Scan). But they rely on receiving the right voltage (and can give ‘false’ errors if the car battery is in poor health). If the sensors they rely on for their inputs are dirty, such as an oil-fouled MAF sensor, they can be ‘mislead’. And if there’s any faults in the wiring — broken wire, corroded earth etc — that too will lead to ‘false’ codes. A code reader can pinpoint some things: on the diesel it can tell you exactly which of the four glow plugs is faulty, for example. But it can also lead you down a wormhole of mis-diagnosis if the ‘fault’ is due to more ‘physical’ things such as a broken wire or missing earth (the TwinAir is good at this with the Earth to the oil pressure switch failing). These issues can only be found by methodical investigation.

 

[Jamie KC]

Thanks, detail appreciated, will look at Gendan too!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Thanks, detail appreciated, will look at Gendan too!

Their website is a bit overwhelming- I simply emailed them and said ‘what do I need’. They recommended a package of Bluetooth reader and yellow adapter (a package that I couldn’t find on their site). They don’t sell MES - no one does. It’s a download and payment direct on the developer’s site.

 

[ceecff]

For Panda 2012 you need ELM327 + yellow adapter only.
MES and FES run in old laptop specially if not logging data, I use FES in little notebook (it was tested in Pentium III).

 

[Pedigrine]

Google. Multiscan package chooser,that will help.