Why a “Lock kit” is nearly always the wrong choice for a dead CEM or ECM or BCM or lost/broken keys

(Well nearly always……) So, you’ve got a dead CEM or ECM, bcm or you have lost or damaged your keys , and it seems the only way forward is to get a “lock kit” off eBay and that will cure all the issues. STOP ! NO! it just makes the situation worse, OK maybe the… Continue reading Why a “Lock kit” is nearly always the wrong choice for a dead CEM or ECM or BCM or lost/broken keys

Do ETM’s need coding?

Magenti Marelli Electronic Throttle Modules are not to be confused with BOSCH Throttle Bodies. they are entirely different and not cross compatible. BOSCH TB’s do not need coding. Simply plug and play. However MM ETM’s do need coding. I had heard anecdotal evidence that they will “Self Code” if left with the ignition on for… Continue reading Do ETM’s need coding?

Key Coding (P1,P2,P3 + SPA / CMA)

Including all keys lost situations **** Different regions use different frequency Keys…EU keys will not work on Japanese imports for instance , Always check what frequency you require before purchase!!! ***** Note – Vdash currently cannot program P1 or P3 Keyless entry keys.  That is Vida / Specialist Only.  There are key experts in this world… Continue reading Key Coding (P1,P2,P3 + SPA / CMA)

DPF Musings (Mostly P3)

My friend Nathan Rich posted some really useful stuff about DPF’s and regens over on the Volvo V70 & XC70 P3 owners club facebook page. There have been a few times reading other posts i thought, man, more people could do with reading that post……I’ll ask Nathan if i can put it on the blog,… Continue reading DPF Musings (Mostly P3)

Boot&Go! Vs Thumb Drive

A few months ago a chap popped up in the Vida groups selling a USB thumb drive version of Boot&Go! Having been in I.T. all my life I thought, thats a bad idea…..but I also thought hey, you know maybe the new TLC based flash drives are actually OK for this sort of thing, lets… Continue reading Boot&Go! Vs Thumb Drive

Where has my Dice Gone Now ?

It’s time to move Vida to running in Edge – Permanently There is still a work around to make Vida launch in Internet explorer (see here), but really there is little point in it. That glitch will probably get “fixed” so, might as well make the EDGE experience as simple as possible. Until recently, IE… Continue reading Where has my Dice Gone Now ?

CEM / ECM pin decoding update

Modunlock’s (www.modunlock.com) latest public firmware release now includes T6 ECM pin decoding! Modunlock’s CEM pin decoder can securely decode P1 / P2 / P3 CEM pins without the use of a laptop or DiCE or internet connection .

Quick guide to using VIDA 2014D

This is a very quick guide to using VID2014D. But I think it covers some of the most important but often overlooked aspects for fault diagnosis with VIDA2014D.

Re-Patching Vida

At various times , Vida 2014d will for reasons unknown, decide it needs to be re-patched. Follow these steps to fix it.

Vida 2015 No longer allows DiCE for SPA platform software downloads :-(

It seems that all J2534 type devices (Such as DiCE) are being blocked from software downloads to SPA platform cars. It makes sense really. A “total upgrade” can be over 1GB in size which on a j2534 would could literally take 24hrs and its very likely to fail. Even With VOE cables, updating 35 module… Continue reading Vida 2015 No longer allows DiCE for SPA platform software downloads 🙁

Why can’t I click on modules in Vida ? (TLDR ? Just Right click instead)

On high resolution screens Windows tends to set the screen DPI to 150%. When the DPI is set to 150% for reasons probably only known to the Gods themselves , you have to RIGHT CLICK on modules in Vehicle communication or Network in order to select them. If you change the Display resolution to 100%… Continue reading Why can’t I click on modules in Vida ? (TLDR ? Just Right click instead)

Running Vida 2014D / 2015A in EDGE bowser

If you have received the windows 10 update 21H1 that makes Internet Explorer unavailable and forces Edge browser on you or you have upgraded to W11 , there are 3 ways forward . Follow this guide to enable IE mode for Vida on Edge browser

Windows 10 Feature update 21H1 disables Internet Explorer and breaks Vida – this is how to Block it

If 21H1 is installed, Vida will launch in Edge instead of Internet Explorer. By Default, Edge will not load the DiCE module. It’s ok. You can tweak Edge to allow it. See this Post Or you can stop Windows installing this feature update (and unfortunately and subsequent Feature updates) by making a slight registry tweak… Continue reading Windows 10 Feature update 21H1 disables Internet Explorer and breaks Vida – this is how to Block it

Vida 2014d / 2015a – P3 support up to 2018 – how to update Vida yourself

Zjev over on Sweedspeed had done a great job of adding Vin support to Vida 2014d for newer p3/p4 models (No SPA platform support and no V60CC yet) But it was still somewhat of a difficult job to modify the SQL database for your average Joe…….so I thought how can it be made easier…… hey… Continue reading Vida 2014d / 2015a – P3 support up to 2018 – how to update Vida yourself

Changing the Language in Vida 2014d WITHOUT re-installing (….sometimes)

Some time ago a bloke made a program called SET FK Language, then he disappeared with all the links to it. Luckily I (and others) kept a copy. This isnt an easy thing to do…but here are the instructions such as they are.. To switch between two (or more) languages you need to change the… Continue reading Changing the Language in Vida 2014d WITHOUT re-installing (….sometimes)

Is your DiCE Really Dead ?

The Red firmware light on a DiCE is not a usually a good sign, sometimes they just want a reboot, sometimes they dont like the USB port, sometimes the firmware has become corrupt, and sometimes they have not been flashed correctly from the factory. Providing the DiCE still shows in device manager or Dice Diagnostic… Continue reading Is your DiCE Really Dead ?

Start stop disable with VDASH

What better way to test a new batch of DiCE than with a start stop disable on a precious 2017 V60 polestar (2.0). Need a quick easy way to get your CEM pin code, Check out Mod Unlock – The portable hand held CEM pin decoder

Volvo P2 petrol fuel pumps (Focusing on R / 2.4 T5)

That is the main pump return and it needs to go into the swirl pot

Volvo P2 petrol fuel pumps (Focusing on R / 2.4 T5) though 99% of this is accurate for single pump setups in terms of operation. The P2r / T5 fuel pump setup is really interesting.  It’s return-less but has a return.  The lift pump is on the opposite side to where the lifting is done. … Continue reading Volvo P2 petrol fuel pumps (Focusing on R / 2.4 T5)

Data Logging with Vida 2014D – It’s a bit shit, but it’s usually the best we got :-(

Vida can show 5 Items in its graph view, or 10 items on the data view. So i prefer the data view. You can get more done in a shorter time. But in order to be able to review it we need to use screen recorder like Screenpresso (download from here) . You also need… Continue reading Data Logging with Vida 2014D – It’s a bit shit, but it’s usually the best we got 🙁

HALP MA DICE IS GON!

Quite often a change in Internet Explorer Security settings stop the DiCE functionality in Vida. It’ sometimes caused by windows updates (for .net framework) but not always. It has a very quick fix, a fix that has actually been on the Vida Installation Dvd since day 1. So if ever you are confronted with this… Continue reading HALP MA DICE IS GON!

In Vida what is “Initial State” , “Unselected CSC” , “Delivery” and why should I care ?

I was aksed , “What is The difference between Initial State, Unselected CSC and Delivery when fault finding in Vida?” Well… Initial State is a list of codes from the modules and they are stored in VIDA, if VIDA is not used correctly Initial State can be totally misleading. This is why most people ask… Continue reading In Vida what is “Initial State” , “Unselected CSC” , “Delivery” and why should I care ?