MTS 4000-4100 Issues

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