2006 XC70 - Vida Dice vs Super Volvo Dice Pro

Metallo · Post by **Metallo** » 28 Sep 2013, 09:35

Hi,

I'm on the market to buy a Vida Dice and found two different ones:

Vida Dice
Super Volvo Dice Pro

Does anybody know the difference?
Also, given that I own an XC70 2006 and a 940 Polar 1997 does it make any sense to buy the very latest version, I mean 2013 instead 2012 ?

I read the various threads on the forum and noticed that getting a working tool is a lottery as they are all coming from China, so, no real guarantee that it will work

- however I believe that buying from Amazon (even if coming from China) would increase the level of 'warranty' over the purchase in case of returns, what do you think?

Thanks for your advice.

Alex

Post by **precopster** » 28 Sep 2013, 15:26

The casing is different, that's all. It's just a ploy to sell the same unit for more dollars.

Post by **coflynn** » 28 Sep 2013, 19:05

Yeah, it's always a gamble. With AliExpress their is some hope if things don't work out in getting a refund too, maybe not as good as amazon.

Honestly I would just buy the cheapest one you can find - it's all the same. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/hot-sale ... 83883.html is $90 with shipping looks to be best deal right now.

Get the VMWare VIDA image from https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =9&t=55027 if it's still up, haven't used it myself but have a similar setup (I have Win 7 Pro which comes with an XP Mode).

-Colin

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 28 Sep 2013, 22:19

I keep seeing these units have an led for Bluetooth. can they interface via Bluetooth to a laptop? ( I have a dongle that I use for my phones.)

Post by **coflynn** » 29 Sep 2013, 05:29

The cheap DiCE clone's do not have Bluetooth modules installed. I think you could add one if you want, provided you can do very fine-pitch soldering.

Metallo · Post by **Metallo** » 29 Sep 2013, 08:47

HI folks,

Thank you for your advice, regarding the version, any need to go for 2013 version? Or 2012B will be just fine in my case?

Thank you
Alex

MattHenning · Post by **MattHenning** » 29 Sep 2013, 11:09

I was unable to successfully install 2012. I tried two different installation discs and two different computers. I followed all of the tips and tricks I could find here and on other forums. I was able to install 2010 with no problems on the first try. Make sure you have the PRO version of windows. It is essential.
I ended up buying 2 DiCE units before getting one that worked. I would strongly advise against AliExpress. The working unit I got came from eBay.

Post by **precopster** » 29 Sep 2013, 13:17

I've ordered 3 times from this supplier and Mandy checks in with me on each order. Shipping is 3-4 days through DHL guaranteed. Seller's rating is over 99%

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/NEW-VIDA ... 00637.html

I also rely heavily on AliExpress for my business needs and it's a place where you choose sellers carefully. So far I've racked up over 100 orders with various sellers and zero problems. The key is to aim for sellers with 99 plus percent feedback.

Read feedback like your life depends on it and remember that 95-96 % feedback means 1/20 or 1/25 transactions has a sour ending.
Would you buy from eBay from a seller with only 96% feedback??

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 29 Sep 2013, 14:27

eh I wasn't too worried about Bluetooth, it would've been cool though, I wouldn't use it enough anyway.

Post by **coflynn** » 29 Sep 2013, 15:07

If you had a very new car you might want the latest version... otherwise I don't think it really matters. As mentioned it's MUCH easier to find the VMWare image, since you don't need to do any funny business during install (since you aren't actually installing VIDA). I think VIDA is really meant to be run on a dedicated computer (e.g. as at the shop), so if you've got a lot of other stuff running as services on your computer, conflicts do happen. With the VMWare image VIDA is running on a virtual compute.r