Massive Autel MD802 Update Available

If you have an older Autel MD802 and haven't updated it within the last few months you might want to give it a go, when I ran an update just a while ago there was a new system update along with 114 individual model updates (including MB and Sprinter.) Actually it seems like just about every model has an update. This is by far the largest update I've ever seen, larger than the initial update after purchase in fact.

Mine is still updating (so large it looks like it will take another hour or so) and I'll check and see what might be different. My guess is that the updates only expand support to newer vehicles (previously my 2013 Subaru wasn't fully supported and probably will be now), but we'll see.

Keep us updated!

I can't really tell any difference with the Sprinter program, it is probably as mentioned above in that the update merely adds support to more current models rather than any functionality difference for existing models.

Was this on update on your original subscription........or did you pay for another year ?

This was on my original subscription. I originally purchased the unit in August of last year so I guess I have updates until August of this year.

Re: Massive Autel MD802 Update Available - MORE INFO

An update on this topic, I have noticed that there apparently is a regression error in latest Chrysler v6.01 software module in that meaningless units are now displayed for most live data PIDs, for example rpm is displayed with the unit Deg/C, coolant/oil/IAT temperatures are displayed with a value of microliters/ms, Exhaust gas pressure is displayed with Deg/Ang, etc. IOW the units indicated make no sense for the PIDs being displayed, and the data value itself also appears to be meaningless. This is important for owners of Dodge-era Sprinters (and possibly others) because the Chrysler module adds PID data beyond that available in the 'Sprinter' section.

I opened a ticket with Autel and they said that they would attempt to confirm, and if there was a bug (there is that it would be resolved in the next update. I noted that this made the Chrysler module largely unusable and that since my subscription was near an end I may not ever get the next update without significant expense, and asked that they extend my software update expiration date. Their answer was essentially, 'no, tough luck, if you don't like it then go back to an earlier version.' Nice.

I hadn't realize that I could revert to an earlier version with the Autel Update software but sure enough you can, and I went back to the prior version (v3.00) and the problem disappeared. So that is where I will stay I guess, I couldn't really tell any difference between the two versions anyway, as above the update probably only covered newer models than we have.

Has anyone else with a Dodge-era model updated their MD802 to Chrysler v6.01 and have you seen the same issue?


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I have an MD802 that (after not needed to use it for a year) says "authorization required". Apparently the message you get when the software thinks it is not on the correct unit (copied). Autel has not responded as the the problem BUT .....

In searching the Autel site some users complain that some features that used to work where removed in later software updates. Apparently due to some law suits from Ford and others. So, depending on your situation, an update may not be a good idea.

Ron

Autel owners: Is there any way to back up the device so that you can access different versions offline? For example, is there an SD card, and can you copy files, such that you can keep an older version on the old SD card and a newer version on the new SD card?

I am about to get one of these units, but if Autel is removing features from new releases due to lawsuits, I wonder why they aren't pulling older versions too. If so, you'd want to have both versions. I would be concerned about the older (useful) versions being pulled.

Also, can you have several versions loaded at once, and select between them, offline, from the device? (The iCarSoft unit permits these things, but doesn't have the wide vehicle coverage that the Autel has.)

You can backup the SD card contents just like any other media (the filesystem is standard FAT32) but I'm not aware of any way to swap versions manually, you need to use the Autel update program for that. With regard to Autel removing features, I've seen the rumor propagated on the Internet but I have never heard of any details or specifics, nor any other hard backup for the claim so I tend to take it with a grain of salt. As noted the fact that older versions of software are freely available from Autel would tend to argue against the idea.


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The update for mine was going to cost $100, I didnt bother with the update, Ill save the $100 to put towards another unit at a later date.

Re: Massive Autel MD802 Update Available - MORE INFO

smiller said:

An update on this topic, I have noticed that there apparently is a regression error in latest Chrysler v6.01 software module in that meaningless units are now displayed for most live data PIDs, for example rpm is displayed with the unit Deg/C, coolant/oil/IAT temperatures are displayed with a value of microliters/ms, Exhaust gas pressure is displayed with Deg/Ang, etc. IOW the units indicated make no sense for the PIDs being displayed, and the data value itself also appears to be meaningless. This is important for owners of Dodge-era Sprinters (and possibly others) because the Chrysler module adds PID data beyond that available in the 'Sprinter' section.

snip....

I hadn't realize that I could revert to an earlier version with the Autel Update software but sure enough you can, and I went back to the prior version (v3.00) and the problem disappeared. So that is where I will stay I guess, I couldn't really tell any difference between the two versions anyway, as above the update probably only covered newer models than we have.

Has anyone else with a Dodge-era model updated their MD802 to Chrysler v6.01 and have you seen the same issue?

Click to expand...

I finally had a chance to check this out with the 6.01 version on my 2007 Sprinter.

Yes, the units for the PIDs I checked are all incorrect, but the data values seemed OK for what I could check and verify: Engine speed, various temperatures, wheel speed & direction & a couple of others.

What PIDs did you notice are different between the MB & Dodge Sprinter versions of the S/W?

As part of a post I plan to make as an 'Intro.' to using the MD802, I did Auto Scans for both the Chrysler & MB Sprinter selections. It appears that the Chrysler Auto scan picked up the ESP module, while the MB Auto scan did not, but I'll have to double-check this. All other modules were the same. Have you noticed anything similar?

Re: Massive Autel MD802 Update Available - MORE INFO

bcislander said:

I finally had a chance to check this out with the 6.01 version on my 2007 Sprinter.

Yes, the units for the PIDs I checked are all incorrect, but the data values seemed OK for what I could check and verify: Engine speed, various temperatures, wheel speed & direction & a couple of others.

Click to expand...

Thanks for checking. I will check again to verify whether the data values are correct, as I recall they (rpm, coolant temp, etc.) were not rational but perhaps I was in error. I expect that both our units would behave identically so if you are sure that the values are correct I'm going to guess you're right and that maybe I was looking at the wrong line or something.

I don't have a comprehensive list in front of me but there do seem to be some modules covered under the Chrysler section that are not under the Sprinter, or cases where the module supported by the Chrysler section has additional PIDs, or even vice versa. I've noticed this in the ECU, ESP, and ABS sections, and there are probably more. Sometimes I go back and forth between them, using both the Chrysler and Sprinter modules depending on which has better coverage for what I'm doing. It's an odd behavior, probably caused by the equally odd situation of the Sprinter being sold under multiple brand names (with each brand's software module being developed separately by Autel, thus the differences.)

For all its warts the MD802 is probably the best thing going in terms of cost vs. coverage (I don't know anything that comes close to the functionality level and number of models covered for a only few hundred dollars) but there definitely are some peculiarities. That's pretty much endemic to any of the low-buck options though.

Anyway, thanks again for checking and confirming the bug. You (or anyone else experiencing the problem, which I expect will be everyone who tries it) might want to open a ticket with Autel to make sure they 'get the memo.' Given that the Chrysler section covers so many makes and models I imagine they will be releasing an update sooner rather than later.


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Re: Massive Autel MD802 Update Available - MORE INFO

smiller said:

snip....

Anyway, thanks again for checking and confirming the bug. You (or anyone else experiencing the problem, which I expect will be everyone who tries it) might want to open a ticket with Autel to make sure they 'get the memo.' Given that the Chrysler section covers so many makes and models I imagine they will be releasing an update sooner rather than later.


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Click to expand...

Thanks for drawing this fault to our attention. It's likely I wouldn't have noticed it for quite some time. I will open a ticket with Autel, the more the merrier!!

BTW, I had copied the Autel SD card contents, (after the first update, IIRC) to my Hard Drive. I just copied those files to another SD card.

The Autel Update S/W had no problem recognising the copied card & offering to update the S/W to the latest versions, which I declined. So, it would appear that you could have one SD card with the latest, if somewhat faulty, updates while having another card with the v3.00 versions. I haven't had a chance to try the copied SD card on my Sprinter to verify that it works correctly. Stay tuned!

OK, the duplicate SD Card with Chrysler v3.00 works fine.

Trouble 'ticket' sent to Autel, with pics of 2 Live Data screens with incorrect units.