Volvo's diag tool (VIDA/DiCE)

[347stang]

Hi all,
First post for me on this site.
Just picked up a 2001 V70XC 2.4T, love the car so far.
My question, would it be worth while buying the VIDA tool? I see them on ebay and some other sites for 90-150 dollars.
I do all of my own repairs.
Has anyone bought one of them, are they worth buying?


My stable!
2014 F250 Super Duty
2005 Ford Focus ZX5 (wife's car)
2001 V70XC
1979 Mustang custom

[howardc64]

Yeah, worth buying. I've used mine for the following on 2 01 Volvos

- ETM sweeptest to evaluate the condition of failure prone TPS (throttle position sensor) on the 01s
- TCM adaptation. Good to do after ATF change and if you ever mess with the valvebody
- Read ATF temperature to know how hot it gets when warmed up
- Turn off SRS fault. My fault when I broke the clock spring
- Read alarm code to figure out the fault module
- Find which door lock actuator was bad (you can read the internal lock position sensor, one of mine was bad)
- Recalibrate vent actuators. Was fun, not sure it did much for me :)
- Find MAP sensor failure
- Change service reminder interval (programmable mileage via diag tool)

So yes, worth the price if you DIY. A bit pricier than my VW ($10) and Toyota diag tool ($30) but you get it back within 1 trip to the dealer to read codes :)

I recently read somewhere there are more faulty clones showing up in online stores. So you might search for a place with good reviews/rep.

[Antherzoll]

Many people, my self included, have had great experiences with this seller.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2013-Hot-sales-Professional-Volvo-Dice-Vida-not-only-J2534-but-also-Volvo-Protocol-support-SELF/11188_437145144.html

[XC70Jazzer]

Many people, my self included, have had great experiences with this seller.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2013-Hot-sales-Professional-Volvo-Dice-Vida-not-only-J2534-but-also-Volvo-Protocol-support-SELF/11188_437145144.html

Hello...when you by this you put the CD into a computer ( I have one in my garage ) and then the car plugs into a computer? I would love to own this since I have 2 Volvos but I'm hoping the tech part wouldn't be too much to handle ?

[Antherzoll]

Pretty much. Make sure your system meets the requirements and follow the sellers instructions.

[Jeph430]

Many people, my self included, have had great experiences with this seller.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2013-Hot-sales-Professional-Volvo-Dice-Vida-not-only-J2534-but-also-Volvo-Protocol-support-SELF/11188_437145144.html

Bought this one a while back but never got the software to work. Any suggestions?

[Antherzoll]

Contact the seller, make sure your system meets the requirements, and try uninstalling all the supporting software and VIDA from your system and installing it agian.

[volvospeed70]

Bought this one a while back but never got the software to work. Any suggestions?


The main issue is that the software really really prefers to be run on a pc with Windows XP service pack 3 which was the last Update of XP.

I tried running the software on my windows 7 PC and even tried all the different modes like running it as a windows XP machine with no luck and the same for my wife's laptop running windows 8.

I dug out my 12 year old laptop from the basement that had windows xp on it and it worked like a charm with zero software issues. So now that laptop is only used for the volvo lol.

[The Landshark]

I got a dice unit to diagnose my xc70's anti skid and park assist faults, already paid for itself but the vida software is a hassle,
i eventually got mine running by installing vm ware and a copy of xp professional on my windows 8.1 laptop, i didn't want to reload xp on it as its the only computer i have,
running it in the virtual machine solves the software problems.

[Leto Atreides II]

I think I got mine running on win 7 (in a VM) -- the main issue was using just the right version of Internet Explorer.

[2002V70XC]

I've got 2014A version running fine on Windows 7 Professional 64bit and Internet Explorer 10. I think theres a requirement that Vida/Dice don't work with Home edition so at least Pro or Ultimate has to be used.
If you accidentally upgraded your IE to version 11 then you can still downgrade it back to 10. I'm sure IE11 doesn't work with Vida/Dice.

[sanfelice]

does the "most recent version" mean anything for us older XC owners ?

[2002V70XC]

does the "most recent version" mean anything for us older XC owners ?
I don't think so! Maybe they got extra stuff on the new version but you would be achieving the same things in terms of looking for codes, parts #....
I just wish that Vida/Dice would run faster. Its too slow for my liking!

[johng12]

What about the following scanner on ebay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VOLVO-DIAGNOSTIC-SCANNER-TOOL-SRS-ABS-RESET-ERASE-CODE-READER-Vida-Dice-/181674120532?fits=Year%3A2004%7CMake%3AVolvo%7CMod el%3AXC90

[Liliflower]

Hello...when you by this you put the CD into a computer ( I have one in my garage ) and then the car plugs into a computer? I would love to own this since I have 2 Volvos but I'm hoping the tech part wouldn't be too much to handle ?

Yape, if you get the current version. When new versions come out, you just download the SW and installed it on laptop, that's it.
there are two rather reputable dealers, uobd2.net and obdii365
uobd2.net:$99
obdii365: $85
both of them are A-quality
well, easy to see that the later costs $14 less than previous, that why i choose to get it there
here is the VIDA dice link: http://www.obdii365.com/wholesale/volvo-vida-dice-diagnostic-tool-2011-d-version.html