PIWIS III or Launch X431 for Porsche Coding?

What’s your take on Porsche Coding – PIWIS vs Launch x431?

 

Launch X431:

Price range: (CRP919E/CRP919 $370- $800-$1K+ tablets)

Easy to use, more often due to easy to use.

Language in X431 for coding is English. It is easier for English speakers.

Launch is fine if you have multiple different cars.

After your free period is over (one or two years) the yearly updates cost is expensive.

The X431 tool lacks some basic functionality. Example, the X431 can not read the DME data for total engine operational hours.

 

PIWIS: 

Price: grey market tool $599 hardware + $99 dual system SSD

A PIWIS will do everything the X431 will do, and more. But the coding is all in the Engineering menu, and is in German. Not insuperable, but a pain none-the-less.

For example: when swap Macan headlights from BiXenon to LEDs, headlight commissioning and module coding can only be done with PIWIS. When replace the air suspension compressor and rear suspension air bag, you can refill and recalibrate with PIWIS… would not trust X431 for that.

If you screw up coding with X431 and can’t go back, PIWIS module auto coding will fix it.

Safely stowed for the horsepower that X431 can’t provide.

PIWIS language is set to German when coding and hence more difficult if German is not a known language.

Launch doesn’t do what you need on Porsche 992 but depending on your needs.

It boils down to what you want or need to do. PIWIS is cheaper, updates are probably not needed and if you have a spare PC with Win10 the price is a fraction of Launch tablets.

 

In sum:

PIWIS will probably have more abilities than you will ever need, and do a few things that X431 will not.

X431 will still do all the basic maintenance functions that you will need, and then some.  X431 will also work on other makes, so if you also have need to do maintenance functions on other cars, X431 will work on them too.

Keep both Launch X431 and PIWIS. If don’t have budget for x431 tablets, get a CRP919 series instead. It has the same software and can do all the same stuff as tablet.