WTB: Thinkpad T30 thread drift moved from marketplace

[Norway Pad]

Some BMW diagnostic also seemed to make use of the T30 back in the days. But I actually don't know if it refused to work on any other laptop, or if the T30 was the choice just because it was a sturdy laptop and well suited for use in a workshop. Some years back you could buy this software on eBay from China (Pirated, of course, as this was expensive BMW software), and it came installed on a T30 laptop. I think that also utilized a virtual machine, like Bill's Mercedes software.

I still run basic diagnostics for my old BMW on a T30, but with the introduction of more resource intensive software, and decent USB -> OBD2 adapters, I plan to install that on the Frankenpad. Btw. for entertainment and some basic diagnostics, all you need today is a ELM327 OBD2 Bluetooth adapter, and the Torque Pro app on you Android smart phone.

Ouch, this was a total derail. Good luck with the purchase of a T30 or T23, I love my T30 and T2x units.

[BillMorrow]

not a problem with thread drift..
the mercedes star diag does everything but give a massage with the proposed solutions to the issue at hand..
my gosh, what changes from "tuning" my 1953 cadillac convertible (paid $200 for it in about 1956) with a screw driver, 3/8 box wrench and an ear for a smooth idle..
now we all drive (until the iranians pop an EMP above the USA) a computer network with drive by wire everything..!

i have one of those OBD2 ELM adapters and i use a thinkpad tablet 1 running android to talk to the ELM thing.. works quite well but just can't go into the detail for an aged mercedes SL55 which will bankrupt the hands off owner..
this is why a $120k car can be had for very little $$ 8 to 12 years and 80k to 140k miles on..
its still a very nice driving car for the cost of some microcar that will fold up like a crushed coke can if it his anything larger than a dragonfly.. or a dragonfly hits IT..

my philosophy has always been self sufficiency because when it hits the fan you are all you can count on..
i don't want to drag this thread further off so i'll quit now..

[Norway Pad]

*Thread drift approved by admin - One more from me*

Your philosophy on cars seem to match mine pretty well. I like the older BMW 5-series; big, safe and comfortable, but like your Mercedes, they had some pretty advanced electronics for their time. So unless you can fix stuff on your own, they can be pretty expensive to own. My daily driver 5-series has 256 000 miles on it at the moment, but instead of ditching it, it has turned into an experiment to see how many miles it can actually run before something major breaks. The random electrical gremlin is usually located with the diagnosis software, amongst other an error in the instrument cluster that made the reverse lights and the clock on the stereo stop working. Not exactly the part you first suspect..

And wow, yes, how things have developed. Looking back on my first car, it did after all have electronic ignition, but that was it. It sure required some experience and feel to get the carburettor and it's auto choke set up properly. So no matter how charming such a task might be on an old hobby car, it wasn't quite as charming when your daily commute was depending on it. So I was happy when I bought my first car with fuel injection.