Bosch MTS 4000
/ 4100
The Bosch (Formerly Vetronix)
MTS
4000 / 4100 NVH Analyzer
has the following limitations.
- Expensive: $1500 - 4500.00 depending upon
source AND your software expires in less than two years after purchase.
Does this mean the tool will quit working? Do you have to pay again to
continue using the tool you have already purchased?
- Since vehicle information is obtained over a J-1962
compliant OBD II DLC Connector, it will only work on some 1996 and newer vehicles.
Some Controller Area Network (CAN) equipped vehicles seem to be unsupported at this time although the
tool claims to support ISO 15765 communication.
- If the tool does not recognize the vehicle
you are working on, you have to manually enter the Vehicle Number (VIN)
through a long painful process using the arrow keys. If it still does
not work, you have to enter the communications menu and select the type of
vehicle communications protocol the vehicle uses (assuming a technician
knows this information). There are currently 12 communication
protocols to choose from, none of them worked on my 1999 Lexus RX300 or my
2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. It did work on my 1999 Dodge Durango, but
its calculation of my tire's diameter was off by 1.5 inches more than the
tire's actual diameter.
- POSSIBLY INCORRECT
CALCULATIONS: The MTS 4000 / 4100
diagnostic procedure bases all of its calculations on tire size, axle ratio, and
vehicle speed information obtained over a J-1962 compliant OBD II DLC
Connector. The user has the ability to override the axle ratio and tire
size, but not vehicle speed.
- Tire size calculations to diameter seem to
be incorrect, a manual override is needed to insure proper diameter
calculations. This has NO IMPACT on the inaccuracy of the vehicle's
speed sensor, it will still be incorrect with any tire/brand/series/size
other than the tire the vehicle came with out of the factory.
- A replacement tire,
even if it is the same
size tire from the
same manufacturer, can, and probably will have a
different static loaded radius.
- The installation of
oversize tires or undersize tires affects the accuracy of the vehicle speed
sensor.
- If the vehicle speed is
incorrect, the calculations of propshaft speed (when not read from the data
stream) and tire speed will also be incorrect which can lead
to misdiagnosis.
- The MTS 4000 / 4100 does not accurately calculate rear propshaft speed on
Crossover SUV's.
Crossover SUVs (Small SUVs that get better fuel economy than large SUVs) have different front and rear axle gear ratios
and a power transfer unit.
Crossover SUVs, the hottest selling vehicle line for families in 2008, are not supported at this time.
- Displays "No Match Found" when it cannot figure out
which component is responsible for the vibration. This leaves the technician
with nowhere to go. With Vibrate 5.0, the technician can visually see
which items are overlapping on the
Vibration Worksheet, and
make an educated decision as which way to proceed. An overlap issue is
usually easily solved because one component is a
vehicle speed related vibration,
while the other one is an engine speed
related vibration. An example of this is on the example
Vibration Worksheet.
Notice that the P3 and the
E4 lines are very close together. P3 is a
vehicle speed related vibration, and E4 is an engine speed related vibration.
- Very limited help available for technicians to diagnose and
repair the source of the vibration. The CD-ROM that comes with the tool
is totally useless for anything other than turning on the tool and using its
functions. It has NO information on vibration diagnosis and repair,
Vibrate 5.0 does. Both the MTS 4000/4100 and the Vibrate 5.0 software
program are needed for accurate vibration diagnosis and
repair.

This page was last modified
Thursday, March 05, 2009 09:02:31 PM
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