Any experience with this company? One of their programs looks to have coverage in on road, off road, and ag. Good , fair, ugly?
Would help if there was a hardware/software name to go with the post
Check out diesellaptops.com, we have the truck kit. Works very well most of the time. We only have issues with the Paccar segment at times, and the latest update seems to have fixed it. It is not an automatic fix for trucks, but does what it claims. We use it on our Sterlings with Cat engines, Kenworths with Paccars, and medium trucks as well, like a GMC C5500 with an Isuzu. 99% of our use is troubleshooting codes etc. works as advertised.
Looking at the TEXA Truck and Off Highway Combo. Work on some of everything. We know no one using this companies products and just wanted some input. It looks like a good program but don't want to here it does not do Cummings older than 2010. You have to buy annual subscriptions to continue to do basic trouble shooting on brand X type answers after the purchase. Is this a good company that services the customer after the sale?
There's a guy on YouTube that uses Texa and has good things to say about their product and support. I watched a couple videos from them and it looks pretty good to me for the variety of coverage it offers.
When we have called their tech support guys for help, they have been able to help us every time. We haven't had our system very long, about 6 months, so far works as advertised.
Truck coverage is excellent, Ag is good, Off road is decent, I would still have Com/ET and EDL if you do deere
mikebramel: Thank you for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate the input from a customer not a salesman.
I have the texa heavy duty package. It does work well. Sometimes needs to be fooled to get full service options. Not as good as Insite or ET etc but as a generic, works on everything tool, I find it very good. I use it along side Insite, ET, and service advisor. Essentially, genuine for the big brands and generic for everything else.
What’s the “Com/Et” you’re referring to? I know what Edl portion is?
I would also like to know about the Com/ET and the EDL as well. I know Google exists, but to hear it from users is another thing.
Com3 is caterpillars hardware data link adapter, used with the ET (electronic technician software ) EDL is John Deere’s abrieviation for electronic data link. Again the hardware
any more reviews on texa ? I'm running et but would like to do more. Volvo, case, john Deere?
Reviews are pretty much split down the middle. I’ve heard it’s good on highway but the off highway is hit or miss. There is also a similar tool called jaltest and there is also a couple guys who can build a laptop that will hook up to almost everything and so far they have had the best reviews I’ve found. Depending on options the prices are all $8-11k for all of them I believe.
@rmllarue91 , Where are you in PA? I live in Stroudsburg. I work in Jersey. I have the Diesel laptop with the Texa highway and off highway package. I think it is a good system. I could try to answer any questions you may have.
I wrote this on another post in this forum. It was easier to copy and paste. -We have Diesel Laptops Inc. with their Texa communication box and software. Full on highway and off highway software packages. Full boat to get started was around 8k. It costs $1500 per year for updates and full product and tech support. Overall I am happy with the customer service and quality of the product. We have only had this system for 1 year and I have been using it since April 2019. Prior to this job I worked for a Mack Trucks dealer with full dealer level software. I worked for Ryder truck leasing before that and we had Noregon communication boxes and dealer level software for each brand. (i.e. ET for Cat, Insite for Cummins, DDEC for Detroit, etc.) Another company I worked for 10 years ago had the NexIQ with generic heavy truck software and the IH software package. I own a first generation SnapOn Modis and had a Solus pro and an original Brick back in the day. I don't really work on cars anymore so I just keep the Modis for my own stuff and try to use it when I can. What I have found is that if you have enough equipment to justify the factory/ dealer level software that's what will be the best. If you have a decent knowlege of how your equipment works and how the electronic systems work on them, the aftermarket scanners will be sufficient. The Texa is completely unique to my previous experience with diagnostic software. I took a couple of the tutorials offered with the software package and that helped me acclimate quickly. The parameter lists are extensive, the interface is easy to navigate and the information is accurate. As I said, the cost of admission is high, but if you use it often enough, it will pay for itself. I have offered its use (with me at the helm) to a few of our colleagues and have helped diagnose their issues. I would recommend the Diesel Laptops as a "Complete Diagnostic Platform" for on or off road equipment. IF you have any other questions, feel free to hit mt up.-
Ok so about the same as what I thought price wise it's a good chunk of money to not know what it's going to do.... Will it at least give codes and data stream for most brands? I'm from northeast pa joe. If u get a call for random fault do you trust it enough to travel 50 miles to find out. I don't do truck or ag just construction and forestry.
I’m in the same boat you are rm. I’ve got cummins insite but I have to pass up jobs weekly because I don’t have the right diagnostic tools. I think I’m going with the custom built laptop I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
Yes. I trust it. I think its a good value for trucks. I haven't used it for the off highway stuff yet. So far, having a tool that can be used across manufacturers has been good. I use it for Cummins and Mack regularly.
Yeah I'm just interested in equipment end thanks for input
Mike did you ever pull the trigger on the custom laptop? Are you satisfied with your purchase? Thanks-Joe
I haven’t pulled the trigger. I drag my feet and then something always comes up. At this point I’ll probably wait until first of next year.
Thanks for responding. After you do it, please let us know what you think about it.
Hey Mike are you still using texa ? Any additional thoughts on the system. I see the pirated laptops everywhere but by the time you buy all the factory com adapters it's a heavy investment into pirated equipment.
BUMP.... I had started looking at Diesel Laptops at the end of 2019. The sales guy whom I spoke with put me off. "It does everything GREAT!!" "YOU have to buy this!!" "Prices are going up at the end of the year!! You really need to buy now!!"..........that kind of crap. And like Mike, I drag my feet. I have Navistar, CAT ET, Insite. And I have AutoEnguinity for the pickups and my wife's car. This has been getting me by so far. I service and repair 6 different fire depts here in NH and I have 1 customer in particular that basically is a full time job. The construction customer has all CAT equipment and Mack dumps with MP engines. The dumps are 2016 to 2018 and have the OBDII plugs. I don't have that. The fire depts all have either Cummins or International with Allisons. One fire dept has a new Pete with Paccar.......that's still under warranty. I also have most of the ABS (Wabco, Meritor), Transmissions (Allison, Eaton....used Eaton once...that's it), and some other crap related to Fire trucks. Not really excited about the Texa annual subscription. I thought I heard about a spanish (Spain) company that makes diagnostic equipment without annual subscription. So has anyone pulled the trigger on the custom laptop or Texa??
The spanish company is Cojali and their product is Jaltest. Anyone have Jaltest?? How do they like it?? What have you used it on??
I know a guy with jaltest. Just like texa it’s good with the on highway stuff and hit or miss with the off highway.
Thanks Mike. I guess the Jaltest by Cojali is annual subscription based as well.........from what I just read. After the subscription runs out on Cojali/Jaltest your limited to basic functions. Is the Texa software the same way?? Are they all subscription based??
I have been studying this but never bought anything, yet. Texa will continue working indefinitely. Just no updates without subscription. Jaltest is annual subscription only. I am still trying to figure out how to homebrew or cross-train various comm adapters. I suspect they are all similar USB - RS232 - CANBUS protocol adapters but have not found anybody that dissected them to explain for sure.
Well.........I guess Texa is the way to go??? Not only do you need the special tool to fix it, now you need the special software so you can fix it with the special tool!! Hmmm.....a ' TOOL' with a tool !!
It certainly seems like Texa is the most common aftermarket tool from my research. There is a guy on Youtube, Warren at Butte Valley Equipment Repair or something like that, who has a Texa dealership. I have not called him as I am not ready to spend the money yet but I would think an independent like him might be a good source rather than a sales-oriented nationwide company.
Is that the western truck and tractor repair channel?
Yes
Funny..........I think I just started watching that just recently on U tube.
I really like the guy, figure out the root cause before throwing parts at it, be completely competent in what you do, work 12 hours a day, etc. The 12 hours is something I am trying to quit but I don't know how.
LOL!! Around 5 or 6 pm my wife will shoot me a text ".....Will you be home for dinner or are we (my wife and daughter) eating without you??.....hint, hint I had to make sure I wasn't working this weekend. Last weekend, as I headed out for a job; she said "I'm beginning to think you don't like spending time with your daughter and I." "Why's that dear??" ..........."Well, your working every weekend and not home....." How do you answer that one?? Better to be wanted and needed than shunned?? Better to have the phone ringing than ask why its not ringing?? What I want to say is "Gee dear, you kind of like it when the money's coming in, right?? Must work to make it rain!!" LOL Bob Marley, the comedian; says that the key to a long and successful marriage is to NEVER SAY THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND, always go with the second thing that comes to mind for a response!!
We all have to juggle the things in our own lives. My children have their own lives now. They have good work ethics. Did I really have to skip that family trip to the west coast or the one to the outer banks? Stayed for commitment to customers but where are they now? Most all of those customers are gone and so are the kids. As for 5 PM I usually worked 70+ hours back then. I never did some things well. Maybe try talking about it. Hmm: Thank I am talking to myself out loud today.
So I talked with Warren Rogers of said Western Truck and Tractor repair fame today. I had sent him a Fakebook message a few days ago but received no response. So while taking a break from the days frustrations, I started dialing. He is listed as a Texa dealer but the phone number listed is actually his wifes cell phone (I was kind of surprised when I received a females voicemail greeting). I left a message and proceeded to then google him. I ended up coming up with his cell phone, gave him a call, and low and behold; he was on a parts run so he had plenty of time to talk and answer my questions. OOhhh, he did say he got rid of/doesn't look at his Fakebook account anymore. So he's kind of like a sub dealer. He sells under another guys account. They only sell packages of Panasonic Tough books and the software of your choice. The Texa software and comm adapter work either via USB cable and wirelessly via Bluetooth. He really likes the Texa for both on highway and off highway equipment, you just can't flash ECM's with it. He did say that their are quite a few parameters your able to change and monitor with it. Say if you replaced a DPF and wanted to reset the soot level to 0, then you'd be able to do that. The package price for both on highway and off was around $8k is what he remembered. if your dealing with CAT, the standard 14 pin connector is included; but not the ?21? pin connector (its the new connector that came out in '16??.......all the current equipment uses it now....I have it). So the new connector for CAT equipment is extra. I did ask about purchasing just the software and comm adapter with pigtails ( I use Dell XFR laptops in the field and have laptop stands with docking ports in my trucks..........works out nice). He said the guy who puts the packages together doesn't like to do that.....too many hassles dealing with problems. When he sends out a package of laptop/Texa he at least knows its working when it goes out the door. Kinda don't blame him on that end. So with that $8k you also get 1 year of updates that come out every 3 months. After the year is up you can continue using the software without fear of it shutting off like InSite. Say you run Texa for 3 years without an update and you run into a new machine that you need the latest and greatest for, well then you'll be on the hook for 3 years of updates to get the latest and greatest for. AND NOW HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY, YOU ASK?? I forgot to ask him how much the updates were..........sorry. Really nice guy. Very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. He gave me his email and I was supposed to email him tonight, but I forgot the paper at the shop. When I email him, I'll ask him if I can post his email here. I asked about the number listed under his Texa dealer info and that's when he told me it was his wifes cell phone. She actually texted me back a few hours later with Warrens cellphone and shop number, which I thought was awesome of her to do (seems like to many times people just ignore you, even when you want to buy.........say a $25k welding machine from Miller......just saying ). I'll ask him who he's selling under.........kinda curious myself but strongly believe I'll be buying from Warren. Sorry if this is disjointed. I kept going back into sentences and adding paragraphs of other things I thought of. Hope this helps out those who stumble upon these posts years from now like I did. I'll post more after I email Mr. Warren Rogers.
Thanks. I’ll be interested to hear more details
Well, still no communications from Warren as of yet. I think we all know how busy you can get. Probably one of those "I need to respond but I don't have the time or energy right now..." I'm sure its on "THE LIST"!! lol Just figured I'd keep you guys appraised.......Have a good weekend!! Hey Mike..........bundle up out there!! Seems to be a bit chilly!! (10F at present!!)
It was 4 degrees with a stiff wind this morning. Luckily I’ve been working inside the last 2 days!
i worked inside yesterday too. Spent about an hour outside unloading a boom for a CAT 336 we just got. HOLY CRAP!! That wind was slicing right through you. Nothing like feeling your cheeks freezing up in that biting wind. The 336 we just got has a 65' long reach setup on it. This is replacing the 320 long reach that one of our idiot mensa club members decided to teach it the back stroke. (see my profile picture) This is the 3rd machine I've had to rescue from underwater. 2 'fell' off barges. One was abandoned to the depths, the other was in harbor dredging. I dove down and attached some long hydraulic lines to the travel motors and we used the hydraulic power pack to crawl it out onto the beach (My brother owned a dredging business.........those were his messes). The 336 has the 'ALL STOP' sign on it until I can replace a couple of hoses...........and the owner and the boys aren't happy. They want to go play with the NEW TOY!! LOL
Update........still haven't heard from Warren
Well..........I think I give up. I've sent Warren a few emails, no response. I'll go another direction and see how that works out.
That’s disappointing. I was looking forward to getting some first hand information
BUMP!! Ok..........I bit the bullet and ordered a DEMO kit from J Ball electronics for the TEXA software. So you put $1500 down as a deposit and you get charged another $200 for shipping. Total charge showing up on your Credit card is $1700. The $1500 is returned when you send the demo unit back. The TEXA software DEMO kit consists of Car, Bike, Truck, Off Highway, and Marine. So far I've only played with the Truck software. Ran into a few HARD glitches when the laptop showed up. I'll take some screen shots as progress through the TEXA heavy truck. So J Ball sent the kit out at the end of May. I got the kit and didn't open it up (the box it showed up in) until the first week of June. Was just too busy. I took the unit out and tried plugging into my Freightliner, Peterbilt, and International over the weekend. It wasn't connecting with any of them. Kept telling me communication was interupted. Thats the Pelican box it came in. Comes with a Nexiq comm adapter as well. So the laptop also comes with Insite on it.........a pirated version me thinks. I tried using their Nexiq connector and their Insite. I couldn't connect using Bluetooth to the Nexiq and had to use the USB cable. Insite didn't work and came up with some weird chinese character error message. I then went into the subscriptions and realized the subscriptions had run out May 31st..........but that shouldn't matter with TEXA from what I was told. HHhhhhmmmm, I'm thinking maybe I should start a whole new thread titled TEXA software. Diesel laptops is a bit ambiguous and has nothing to do with this anyway.
i bought a diesel diagnostic laptop from HeavyDiagnostics.com https://heavydiagnostics.com/products/diesel-diagnostic-laptop-cf31 , i should be getting in few days ill let you guys know if its better then my texa that i bought from diesel laptops several years ago.
Curious about the update on this. I'm ready to purchase a new kit.
I have been using it since i bought it and love it, i was able to increase hp on my cummins as well as change speed limiter on my detroits and volvo. i also used it on caterpillar off highway but i had to buy this cat com adapter since off highway requires it.
I am still struggling with mine but I am not of this digital age. 8800 JD corn chopper today could not work with it. Struggle to get it to work with an Android and had to use the customers I phone for internet service. It does not like Paccars and could not reset engine derate after electrical repairs. Had it towed to the dealer. Yes it has also done many things well as you mention.
If you need help with connecting your John Deere or anything else just send me a message, some years there’s a fuse you need to move. Also you can always scan through the Industrial Engines menu.
I bought a laptop from nofeediesel and it works so well! I used to pay so much in fees and now thank god I don't need to anymore. Here's the link to the website for if anyone if they're looking for one. https://nofeediesel.com/