Ford VCM3: it is Fake. Ford not release VCM 2. It’s just China build and name it as VCM 3. Do not buy it. Is it true?
IMG: VCM3.
Review 1:
VCM 3 is the newest vcm, it replaces the vcm 2 but currently offers no more features
in the future it will be able to do cars that are currently not made that the vcm 2 will not be able to do mainly the electric cars
it is faster on all protocols but it will not do early fords before 2005? I think It is for use on GFDRS (or is it fjds) which is for 2018 onwards only cars
Not worth buying you might as well buy the VCMM2 lite for £300 more – we did.
Review 2:
The VCM3 in fact does all 1996 up ford/lincoln/mercury just like the VCM2 its fully backward compatible, but it is slightly faster with most cars, which is nice, eliminating diagnostic time, and has a built in capacitor for power storage for use when vehicle ignition is turned off and back on but module needs to still have power during these critical operations, unlike the VCM2, newer hardware, faster wifi, addition of buttons on front, it is supposed to be MUCH faster on new cars with new protocol and FDRS 2018 up. I have not had a chance to use it on a 2018 or newer car yet, but have been using it for months on the rest and can see a difference in speed so the upgrade was worth it to me.
At this time there is NO CLONE of genuine VCM3, there are diagnostic sellers selling some other grey rectangular box thing saying its a VCM IDS 3 its not the same thing at all. Just like a genuine VCM2 a VCM3 costs about $1500 new, not $150 or even $450.
oh and it also works with forescan.
Review 3:
UPDATE 16 AUG 2019:
Aftermarket J2534 pass-thru devices can use FJDS to modify MS-CAN and HS-CAN modules, so that means you don’t need to spend a lot of money for a VCM2 and IDS license to work on your Ford. FJDS licenses are much cheaper, same with the J2534 devices. FJDS works almost exactly like IDS, except it doesn’t have as many diagnostic functions.
Original Review:
I didn’t have any problems using this VCM2 with a Windows 10 64-bit laptop (Inspiron E1545 from 2011 with Core 2 Duo Processor and 4GB RAM). I ran it with IDS 114.03. I used VCI Manager to first update the firmware (it came with a September 2011 firmware) to the latest which was a 2018 firmware. The IDS, FJDS, and FDRS interfaces are very crude and poorly designed, so it can be a bit cumbersome to navigate if you’re not familiar with computing environments. I felt FORScan is faster and easier for resetting DTCs for HS-CAN and MS-CAN, and FORScan was easier to make edits to module as-built code. I’m sure IDS does this too but I haven’t figured it out yet, and IDS costs money for limited time licenses. The selling point of IDS would be some of the dealer-level diagnostics and the ability to update/reprogram modules with the latest calibration files.
What I have heard is that FDRS is replacing IDS, and FJDS replaced FMP. However, rumor was that SAE J2534 pass-thru devices with FJDS cannot reprogram MS-CAN Modules (non-emissions/engine related modules such as driver door or audio control), and only VCM2 with IDS can accomplish this – (NOTE: I proved this rumor to be wrong, aftermarket J2534 pass-thru devices with a FJDS license an reprogram MS-CAN modules).
Enjoy!
Personal speaking: the author recommend the working and reliable VCM2. Otherwise you want to try the new stuff.
