Ok, this may be me just being a dumbass, but I was looking at FCRs and then found myself questioning my own sanity, because what's the point in having one for the average owner?

So, you can read fault codes, which are mostly gobbledeegook. Then you look it up and find a spurious fault somewhere on the car, which unless you are a mechanic, you can't fix...BUT you CAN clear the fault code.....


BUT WHY?

If you delete the fault code it's not fixing anything is it? It will come back, and the problem is still there.

I know that it's good information to go armed to a garage with, being able to say its an O2 sensor on the left bank of cylinders is faulty (or whatever) but they will not just go ahead and start fixing or replacing stuff without doing all the diagnostics themselves anyway.So, why bother?

Am I missing the point?

(Post not intended to offend or diss fault code readers, sponsors etc!) Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

Well, deleting a minor fault lets you see if it comes back or if it is just a glitch, if it comes back, it allows you to drive away from motorway/B road traffic to the next safe location or garage, or should you be in the desert, out of danger/desert/dunes at night etc.

Good FCR such as the IID tool also do MUCH, MUCH, more than reading the fault.

There is a detailed write up about it in the latest issue of LRO magazine, page 32, written by an avid L322 owner.

Cheers l=Oo\________/oO=l l:OolΞΞΞΞΞΞΞloO:l

Current
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L SDV8 - 2013 - Indus Silver, on Almond.
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L V8 - 2002 - ex-2003 G4 Challenge Event Vehicle, Stage 3: Australia
RANGE ROVER HSE 4.4L V8 - 2004 - one-of-one Overfinch
RANGE ROVER P38a 4.0L V8 - 1999 - ex-2000 TReK Event Vehicle: South Africa

Previous:
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L TDV8 - 2012 - RANGE ROVER 3.6L TDV8 x3 - RANGE ROVER Td6 x1 - RANGE ROVER Classic 3.5L V8 x1

I said the average owner! (desert dunes etc)  Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

No point, just scares the C**p out of you when you plug it in.......

Never had one, not getting one. If the ff breaks i can call my local mechanic and he will come and plug his in and read the fault/s.

Im assuming mine has a list of uncleared faults dating back to when it was built.  There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2021 Discovery 5 D300 MHEV commercial

I am new to the FFRR and the iiD tool but I have a Nanocom for the Disco TD5 and it has saved me a small fortune in allowing me to pinpoint and repair faults which, with the electronics involved, I would have been chasing my tail over. John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT
2003 Discovery TD5 Auto, Nanocom Evolution - gone to a new home!
MasseyFerguson 152 - No electronics!! - Sold

Let me just give you an example .
This summer on Cote d'Azur , fantastic weather , roof open etc .
Its the Long week-end of 15Th of august ( 3 days week end )

Then because it was too sunny when i parked for buying bread , my daughter closes the inside part of the roof .
When i get to the condo , i close the roof , but probably not good enough as the inside was closed and i did not see it .
During the night one of those summer storms with lots of rain .
next morning , water in the car and christmas tree on the dashboard .

I did take out all the fuses from the fuse boxes , dried them etc ....but still had the transfailsafe message on the dashboard .

So i plug my IID tool , and i clear all the faults , and then I can drive the 400 KM back home the next day .

without my IID Tool had to wait Monday for the Garages to open ....
2 nights more in a hotel , if space was available as i had to exit the Condo on Saturday morning .... Jaybear

2002 V8 , premier edition , 19" alloys ,

I'm wondering if the average owner even knows what a diagnostic tool is...........

I suppose garage wise, it depends if you take the car there and ask them to fix the "air suspension issue" for eg, or to replace the height sensor on the nearside rear wheel.

Sometimes you can source a height sensor for a rear wheel cheaper than they charge, so they will just have to fit the part.....

Just an example mind..........

Again, as you pointed out, not sure if the average owner goes to this length..... 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Adam, from a personal point of view. I carry an IID tool in all of my personal cars, this allows me to reset any minor glitches when away from my workshop, say on holiday... Or when I'm hundreds of miles away from home/work and one of the cars will throw a fit (always at the most inconvenient of times) and it saves me and my passengers (usually including my small children) both huge amounts of stress & time...

My family has to put up with me driving 7-10yr old JLR products that (and lets be honest here) do sometimes lock out suspension access or throw up the EML/go into limp home mode at times! The IID tool allows me to reset the issue (more often than not they are battery/sticky sensor related issues) and continue on with our holiday/journey

As far as I'm concerned, these devices are a MUST when we drive these deeply complex cars...

Adam, like you, I really couldn't see the point of having one.

Since my TPMS failed, I bought one last week and started using it yesterday to switch the TPMS off. It was an easy and quick job.

There are other things that my FF could use that the IID tool will sort, such as auto-locking once moving and showing the service countdown thing that two dealer attempts / promises have failed to do. Then there's the auto door mirror park function that I suddenly find incredibly handy.

Beyond that, I'm sure the thing will sit in the centre cubby (not the glovebox as that's electronic and has failed to open once with a flat battery...) and be ignored. BUT, to back-up what Craig has just said, I now find myself feeling hugely relieved that should any errors occur, I can simply plug the thing in and I should be OK.

To be fair, after 2 and a half years of driving L322's, I've never YET been stranded due to an ECU fault. But it could, and probably will, happen. A protracted wait for a recovery vehicle and an inconveniently located main dealer are hassles I could well do without. By comparison, a £250-ish IID tool in the car seems worthwhile, and it's always worth something should one ever wishes to sell. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.

Thats about where I am, but to be fair. Adam was talking about the average owners, which we are not..........

......or are we ?

I know some of you peeps have newer cars, but if you run an early model, you tend to know a bit more about them and love the marque.......as they tend to throw up a few more issues I'd imagine.

I'm not saying you guys with newer ones don't - you know what I mean.......

A bit like having a teenager in the house......... 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

It's for the DIY-er Adam. If you generally put a RR into a dealer or independent for any issue, then it's of little use.

But if you tinker (or more) with the car, a fault code reader/diagnostic tool is invaluable for reading faults, clearing faults, changing settings, calibrating systems or updating software.

For an example from my own experience recently. The D3 the suspension dropped to the bump stops.

Some people would pay to get it recovered to a dealer, pay them the £100+ an hour rate for diagnosis of the issue, then pay for any corrective work on top of that.

I don't

The IID Tool told me that the supply to the air suspension compressor was open circuit - which told me to look at the power supply to it. A fuse had blown, and to cut a long story short, I changed the compressor (1 hour) because of the age of it - it was no longer reliable.

The IID Tool then allowed me to clear the fault, and update the software in the suspension ECU to the newest version to support the latest compressor.

If you don't do any work on the car yourself, then there is an argument it's just a toy. But it's a toy that if you know how to use it, can get you out of the as the guys above have said

Hours of endless fun if its the IIDtool - messing with the CCF file. I have switched off easy entry/exit, turned on speed locking of all the doors, enabled the alarm chirp, changed the height slightly, enabled lazy locking etc etc

The dealer charged me £100 + VAT to make one change.

I also use it to read and clear faults to see if they come back and checking live values which told me my alternator was shot, I didn't fit the replacement but steered the Indy in the right direction. Also as I have upgraded to the IIDTool BT I explained to SWMBO that I needed an iPad Air to drive it - she agreed - happiest of days

Sorry Martin I'm not really a DIYer but I have enjoyed messing, just like I enjoy seeing reading the forum to see how real DIYers get stuck into jobs that would terrify me. I do the occasional thing but it has to be simple, even then I forget to put the bolts back in - new spoiler and rear stoplight and camera but I did save the cost of a new wiper motor by replacing a seal which only cost a few pence

OP not offended in the slightest.

Shrouds don't have pockets  Geoff

So you have done work on the car yourself - doing the config changes

OK, thanks for the replies, I get the arguments now.

With mine, a 2010 MY car, even though the warranty is out, I'd tend to get the dealer to look it over as I'm not sure I'm comfortable pulling the SC apart, as I need a car to keep me moving and I might screw it up. The dealer gives me a loan car in the meanwhile, and any work they do is warranted.

I can see how it could help get you out of a sticky moment a long way from home, but when I looked online it wasn't a £250 piece of kit, its £350 plus VAT, and it's locked to one VIN. (IID BT from Island 4x4)

The dealer doesn't charge me for investigating something like this, they do the diagnostics and tell me what needed doing and I get the choice to go ahead or not.

All the CCF functions mentioned are already enabled on my 2010MY, and some can be done via the dash anyway. Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

Dan at Duckworth's gave me the best price for a non-BT IID Tool, Adam. Better than Island 4x4.

For my sporadic usage, that's all I really need. The BT version, from what I gather, suits the more 'determined' user via a tablet / iPad interface as opposed to the instrument readout of the non-BT model.

It's possible to get unlock codes so it may be used on up to 10 FF's.

But the points you made regarding your FF going to a reputed dealer tend to support your argument against buying one.

On that basis, and purely as a failsafe, you MIGHT be better looking out for a secondhand one. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.