VIDA DICE VS Obd11 tool

[stlnoble]

hello,

my? is will the VIDA DICE to the same things as the OBD11 tool? Do I even need to get ALLDATA?

thanks Patrick

[sjonnie]

my? is will the VIDA DICE to the same things as the OBD11 tool?
You can probably live with an OBD2 scanner for most things. But if you want to initiate any tests or read codes other than those stores in the ECM you'll need the VIDA DICE.

[Antherzoll]

Depends on your application and ability. VIDA software is great to have as a standalone, even without a DICE unit. The DICE unit is also very useful if you want to scan and read Volvo specific codes in the various modules, repair and diagnostic information, as well as live data readings of engine parameters, and more. The VIDA program can be a bear install, and even more so to comprehend, but many have been successful. If you're into serious DIY (or just a nerd like some of us :rolleyes:) then I'd suggest it, otherwise like what sjonnie said, there is a ton of information out there on the forums, as well as people who are willing to answer question that a generic code reader will get you by with most minor and some major issue.

Understand that a the price for a authentic VIDA/DICE unit is ridiculous for the common DIYer and that all that are being sold on various website have a cracked VIDA with a knock-off DICE.

[tapanitja]

Hi,
my personal justification goes like this:
- I was Ok with PPC's volvo obd2 for DTCs quite a long time but then it was time to make trans flush. To do this you want know trs oli temp, reset the trs counter and in addition I did new adaptation, for these one needs Vida/dice.
- I use an old xp-pc with increased memory, it was a bit of a pain to get vida installed, with dice I never had any problems.
The difficulty is that you never know if you get a working combination pc-vida-dice and if you get it all working you need to learn how to use it.
br Tapsa

[billr99]

hello,

my? is will the VIDA DICE to the same things as the OBD11 tool? Do I even need to get ALLDATA?

thanks Patrick

I've used both on my Volvos and all I can say is that since I got my VIDA/DiCE four years ago, I've saved a tonne of money by using it and eliminating the need to drive two hours up the road to go to the only dealer we have in this part of the world. Not only have I saved all the money I invested in the DiCE and mods to my old Dell laptop I use for it, but I've been able to eliminate that whole blind diagnostics that sometime you get into with a generic scanner that only gives you the regulated OBD codes. VIDA is the dealer device so you get not only ALL the Volvo codes but you get all the repair documentation that the dealer would use. You will not need AllData unless you want the recall data that AllData provides.

As far as getting it all set up, the easiest way to do it is to get an older laptop used and configure it to be a VIDA/DiCE device from the get go. That is what is specified in the software documentation and by following those directions you should get a relatively easy start. Then if you want to add stuff to the PC later, it works way better than trying to add VIDA to a PC already setup with all the stuff most people have on one.

Anyway, having a VIDA/DiCE is the only way to go with these modern-era Volvos and if you do any DIY work on yours, you have to get one.

Have fun,

Bill

[hoonk]

the easiest way to do it is to get an older laptop used and configure it to be a VIDA/DiCE device from the get go

A word of caution trying to repurpose an old cpu or laptop - Sometime after 2010A VIDA began requiring 3GB of ram to install - and 2GB is the maximum ram on lots of older machines. There was a virtual machine version of VIDA 2012 that someone posted in this forum that does run with less than 3GB ram. Did not try one of my dice units with it when i had it loaded, so I don't know if the virtual machine is able to use the usb ports.

[stlnoble]

I would like to thank everyone for the great advice!!!

Patrick

[billr99]

A word of caution trying to repurpose an old cpu or laptop - Sometime after 2010A VIDA began requiring 3GB of ram to install - and 2GB is the maximum ram on lots of older machines. There was a virtual machine version of VIDA 2012 that someone posted in this forum that does run with less than 3GB ram. Did not try one of my dice units with it when i had it loaded, so I don't know if the virtual machine is able to use the usb ports.

Correct. I run 2012A on my old Dell with its max of 2G Ram. Not as quick as my 16G Hackintosh, but I don't care as much if it gets knocked about a bit.

Cheers,

Bill

[Antherzoll]

Correct. I run 2012A on my old Dell with its max of 2G Ram. Not as quick as my 16G Hackintosh, but I don't care as much if it gets knocked about a bit.

Cheers,

Bill

you can run it on your hackintosh in a windows visualization with Virtual Box. That is what I did and it works great, took a bit of work to install.

[billr99]

you can run it on your hackintosh in a windows visualization with Virtual Box. That is what I did and it works great, took a bit of work to install.

And I do (actually I use VMWare Fusion), but my Hack is a desktop. Too bad too as it runs 2012D nicely quick with the VM setup to throw 2 processors and 4G RAM at it. But no way, this beast is being hauled out to the barn just so I can hook my XC up to it. My old Dell, albeit slow, works OK for its intended, and pretty much exclusive, purpose as a scanner.

Cheers,

Bill

[Reverend]

I run my VIDA 2013A in a Windows Virtual Machine. It's easier to keep it that way as an untouched, unupdateable sandbox environment. I can also quickly copy it to any OTHER computer and just "play" that entire environment on any machine. Plus it will run nicely with 4GB or slower but still run on a POS machine with 1GB RAM.