usando

I'm seeing a lot of different posts about this so I thought I'd consolidate some information here.

Firmware is King
The knock off cables use 1.4.1 or 1.4.6 (latest). The "real" cables use 2.0.1 or 2.0.4 (latest). They are all fake of course but the good fakes use the same firmware as the real Xhorse cable. The 1.4.1 firmware does not support active tests. The cable will work on 10 year old Toyotas like some in the GS forum have said but they will not work on the 2011 Prius as some on PriusChat have said.

Remember that firmware is not the Techstream version. It is also not the MCVI driver version.

An updated driver will do nothing for you. The bad fakes will not let you update the firmware. Update Techstream or the driver all you want and it will still not let you perform tests with your ECUs.

Amazon Sucks
Me and other people on various systems forums have bought cables on Amazon Marketplace. Many people have been sold the 1.4.1 cable. Ask the seller about the firmware before buying. Same if you go with feebay.

Back Story
1) Original TechStream cable/machine costs $5000+.
2) Drew Technologies created the Mongoose cable as an alternative to TechStream. It's legit and supported for TechStream Lite but the cable costs $500.
3) XHorse is a knock off of Mongoose. Costs about $100. This is "legit". 100% works with all modern Toyotas.
4) Chinese knock offs of XHorse. This is what most people are buying. There are a lot of bad fakes of these. The good fakes use the same firmware as XHorse. These ones will work just like the XHorse except you get no L line support for flashing ECUs. This is fine for most people. You need a cable that supports active tests. Aliexpress even tells you this. They sell an "Original" cable which is known to support active tests. Then they also sell a "B Quality" cable which does not support active tests for half the price. I wonder why 1/2 price???

So there you go. Stop asking what cable to get. Ask the seller for firmware 2.0.4 or higher. Then you know you're getting a working cable.

This is AFAIK. I'm open to corrections. Just hoping to save people some time with crap cables.

nacke

Thank you for your effort, I was just wondering this issue. I was considering to buy cheapo version from Ebay, but maybe I'll pass it.

usando

This is the 2nd (correct) cable I ordered:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/prod...671740274.html

I ordered it specifically because they address the K-Line issue AND because they show the firmware version.

I asked 5 sellers on feebay about the firmware and only 1 of them knew. That one told me it was 1.4.1. They also said their cable supports K-Line which is blatantly false. I highly recommend avoiding feebay and Amazon unless the specifically tell you the firmware version. Lots of people have ordered on feebay and got the right cable. It's a gamble but better to ask. At least you can make a claim if they tell you something false.

nacke

Do you have idea where original Xhorse cable could be bought? I can find all sorts of generic web shops, but they seem shady.

usando

Unfortunately no. There are lots that sell "genuine" XHorse. They even have the case, etc. But there are so many fakes, it's impossible to tell what is real.

You're better off just asking about the firmware and buying the fake with the right firmware.

usando

This problem of bad fakes seems recent. I looked at forum postings from 3-4 years ago and they say their cables were fine. I'm guessing the bad fakers didn't know how to make the cable yet. Then they caught on but only had access to the old firmware.

CrysDark

Picked this up as well after the carista thing didn't do what I thought it would do. ...... thank you for the info!

RonSwanson

Have you guys been able to change the reverse beeping or the seat belt alarm with TechStream? I bought this cable awhile ago in order to be able to do this and also to program more key fobs, but I haven't needed to buy any new keys and couldn't find the alarm options in the program. It was annoying having to virtualbox win98 in order to use the x32 version of TechStream :|

usando

I had the dealer change the seat belt beep and reverse beep during my free inspection.

I did change the door lock to all doors unlock on driver side touch by myself using my "defective" cable and TechStream. I'm sure you can change the seat belt beep in the same set of options. It's in the "Customize" menu in TechStream. Even if you don't have the Kline protocol you can still connect to the customize menu. I'm guessing this works because you don't need to connect to any ECU or run any diagnostic to execute the Customize functions.

RonSwanson

I had asked them to change the beeps at the last service, but they "forgot"

CrysDark

Did you buy the one usando indicated or something else?

andys57

Looking at the website listed, I assume their cable does the things the "copy" will not i.e. "customizeable" features. Am I correct in this?

usando

it's not quite so simple. my "copy" cable could do the "Customize" function. some things can be done on the CAN protocol which my "copy" cable had. however, the "copy" can not do any diagnostics like check the ABS system because that uses the K-line protocol.

Bottom line: you risk not being able to change what you need if it does not support all protocols.

CrysDark

Usando

The cable you linked states support for Kline, does it not?

andys57

So the one shown (and you ordered) DOES support all of the protocols?