2004 XC70 Diagnostic Scan Tools

warne · Post by **warne** » 26 Sep 2015, 17:34

Hi all,
I'm new to this forum and was wanting to know if anyone has much experience with some of the OBD II
scaners that are on the market.
I am a longtime Volvo owner, having previously owned a 1988 740 4 door and a 1990 740 wagon.
I currently own a 1993 240 4 door, a 1995 940 wagon, and a just purchased 2004 XC70 AWD.
The display screen on the dash of the XC70 indicates a regular service interval, a headlight, multiple bulb failure, and an SRS airbag service urgent warning.
My questions involve the screen messages. Do any of the scanners clear any of these messages?
Does a scanner pinpoint where any fault may be coming from?
As far as I can tell, all of the bulbs; headlights, taillights, marker lights are all in working order.
I would assume regular service would be changing oil, filters, plugs etc. which has been done.
I'm sure the SRS warning could have a multitude of faults, is this something that needs to be done and reset by a dealer?

Thank you for any help in this area.
warne

Post by **abscate** » 27 Sep 2015, 01:48

I bought the AUTEL 801 series scanner which reads and clears the codes on my 2005 V70. I believe the 600 series in this line is the first one that will do both read and clear.

One clear will pay for the unit compared to the dealer cost for the same.

If you are into serious Volvo though, you should look into a VIDA setup

mrscullini · Post by **mrscullini** » 27 Sep 2015, 10:31

i have the autel us703. this model comes preloaded with domestic vehicle files. i just had to upload the euro files. this wasn't a big deal. it is a decent general purpose scanner that can read and clear most codes, but not everything, like the urgent warnings. i also find it handy for reading live data.

to really do it right, you need vida/dice. as abscate said, this the only way to go. search the vida/dice forum here. there is a download for the 2012 version which will run on a virtual machine. i've been using it and it works well. there is also a thread talking about which dice unit to buy off of ebay.

if you are not aware, vida is the software and dice is the hardware comm unit.

warne · Post by **warne** » 27 Sep 2015, 11:00

Thank you for the info. I will be looking into the VIDA DICE, although it is a bit expensive. Is there any discussion about what pc system ( laptop, tablet, windows OS version) that would be best for this software?
I assume that any urgent messages can be cleared, once corrected, using VIDA DICE.
I read through some of the posts, and was able to clear the 'regular service required' message by following the proceedure posted by JOFTAA.
-warne

mrscullini · Post by **mrscullini** » 27 Sep 2015, 11:15

warne wrote:Thank you for the info. I will be looking into the VIDA DICE, although it is a bit expensive. Is there any discussion about what pc system ( laptop, tablet, windows OS version) that would be best for this software?
I assume that any urgent messages can be cleared, once corrected, using VIDA DICE.
I read through some of the posts, and was able to clear the 'regular service required' message by following the proceedure posted by JOFTAA.
-warne

the threads on vida have system requirements. if i recall, you need xp pro or win 7 pro. i'm running win 7 home and that why i have the virtual machine running. the vm is running xp pro. the download is free. you can also download vmware as shareware. basically, the software is free, you just need to buy dice. install went fairly smooth for me. it took maybe 2 hours.

for the service required message, there is a procedure by pushing the odo reset button and turning the key to the different position. something like that. the procedure is well documented, you should be able to find it easily.

dice is great because you can diagnose comm errors between the various control modules. there are 15 or so computers on these cars and so dice make troubleshooting so much easier.

warne · Post by **warne** » 27 Sep 2015, 11:26

Yep, cleared the reg service message; leave the door open, hold odo reset, turn key to I, three flashes of triangle, turn to II, let go of odo button. Now on to the 'headlight multiple bulb failure' warning. Along with that, the 'day running light' message popped up as well.
-warne

mrscullini · Post by **mrscullini** » 27 Sep 2015, 11:33

warne wrote:Yep, cleared the reg service message; leave the door open, hold odo reset, turn key to I, three flashes of triangle, turn to II, let go of odo button. Now on to the 'headlight multiple bulb failure' warning. Along with that, the 'day running light' message popped up as well.
-warne

not exactly sure about the daytime running light failure. sounds like you need to replace multiple bulbs, including headlight. once done, the messages should be cleared.

thinking that the headlight and daytime running light messages are the same. my dtrl are disabled so when i have had a headlight failure i didn't get a dtrl message.

warne · Post by **warne** » 27 Sep 2015, 11:46

Checked all bulbs, everything works. Day running light message only on a few times, headlights were not on when message appeared (during daylight hours), but came on after engine restart. Seems more like a daylight sensor issue. With the headlight switch in the off position, headlights are always on, day or night.
-warne

MarcM · Post by **MarcM** » 27 Sep 2015, 22:18

Do not attempt to install Dice on anything over 7/XP. Still cleaning up the mess on my Win 10 machine. LOL! I'm a 26 yr veteran IT guy (who delivers beer) and it's a pain. Guess I'm pulling Ubuntu off the spare laptop and regressing to 7 to get mine to work.

warne · Post by **warne** » 28 Sep 2015, 01:24

MarcM wrote:Do not attempt to install Dice on anything over 7/XP. Still cleaning up the mess on my Win 10 machine. LOL! I'm a 26 yr veteran IT guy (who delivers beer) and it's a pain. Guess I'm pulling Ubuntu off the spare laptop and regressing to 7 to get mine to work.

Thanks, most of the ones for sale on amazon and ebay say the same thing, nothing higher than XP or 7, with IE 8. Got an old laptop that I can use just for VIDA DICE, will try it out as soon as I get it.
-warne