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P3tool, great vdash alternative

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39K views 101 replies 42 participants last post by  b3ar  
#1 ·
Just wanted to mention a great tool for making car config edits for P3 cars called p3tools.. Unlike Vdash, p3tools does not have the ability send reprogrammed software, so no Ecu optimizations or custom TFT logos and colours. What it does excel at is allowing you to change any car configuration options easily and and as often as you like all for the cost of a single donation for his efforts..

You will still need to “crack” the cem to gain access to read and write the configuration changes, however unlike vdash, p3tools does not hide the cracked pin from you.. searching for the pin uses a similar method to vdash (brute force) and so can take a similar amount of time to achieve (mine took about 14 total hrs)

Once cracked, you will have access to make any config changes you want as often as you want..

i stumbled on this tool through a thread in the xc70/v70 forums and felt that he deserves a larger audience for his work.

you can read the original thread here

 
#3 ·
Just wanted to mention a great tool for making car config edits for P3 cars called p3tools.. Unlike Vdash, p3tools does not have the ability send reprogrammed software, so no Ecu optimizations or custom TFT logos and colours. What it does excel at is allowing you to change any car configuration options easily and and as often as you like all for the cost of a single donation for his efforts..

You will still need to “crack” the cem to gain access to read and write the configuration changes, however unlike vdash, p3tools does not hide the cracked pin from you.. searching for the pin uses a similar method to vdash (brute force) and so can take a similar amount of time to achieve (mine took about 14 total hrs)

Once cracked, you will have access to make any config changes you want as often as you want..

i stumbled on this tool through a thread in the xc70/v70 forums and felt that he deserves a larger audience for his work.

you can read the original thread here

Where can I find this software? Thanks!
 
#9 ·
Can you enable rolling the windows down via the remote?
I'd love to be able to do this, on my old Audi it took all of 5 minutes of coding with a $30 eBay cable. Was one of my favorite features though, open and close via remote was great. Only odd piece was that while you could close the sunroof, you could not open it.
 
#16 ·
Just to confirm, I was able to activate the auto window open and close feature from the keyfob using p3tools on my canadian xc60 with 6 button fob.. holding down the unlock button for about 3 seconds opens all the windows and holding down the lock button closes all the windows.
screen shot of the relevant p3tools option to activate :
Image


Also turned off my headlight washers ..easier to do through configuration than finding and pulling the correct fuse... Saves me a ton of washer fluid now..
 
#25 ·
Just to confirm, I was able to activate the auto window open and close feature from the keyfob using p3tools on my canadian xc60 with 6 button fob.
Downloaded the latest version of this tool earlier today (pXtools) and hope to get it up and running soon. The remote windows will likely be the first change I make, especially with warmer weather on the way.

I wonder, do you know if it is possible to make a configuration change to have the car unlock all doors when putting it in park? This would not be an issue if my keyless entry worked, but I cannot tell you the number of times I get out, go to one of the other doors and it is locked. Causing me to then have to walk back around to the drivers side and unlock the doors.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I've started fiddling with P3Tools. My objectives are to turn off seat belt warning (solved), change wheel circumference to get true speedometer reading (ongoing) and to turn off DRL to make the "0" position on the light switch turn off all lights (solved).

For the wheel circumference there's two parameters which can be changed. One is 'P#070 Tyre dimension' while the other is 'P#051 Tyre Circumference'. By entering the actual dimension and circumference I'm not getting anywhere near a true reading on the speedometer. I've tried several different combinations but I'm not getting quite there. The default setting was spot on for my summer wheels. P#070 was set to 235/65-17 (which was the same as the actual dimension) and P#051 was set to 2110mm (which is quite a bit less that the circumference of a 235/65-17 wheel). For my winter tyres I set P#070 to actual dimension (215/65-16) and I've reduced P#051 gradually from 2110 to 2080 without getting any noticable difference when I'm comparing the speedometer reading to my GPS. Anyone has any clue to why Volvo has two different parameters for what in reality does the same and how these parameters can be tweaked to get me a true speedometer reading?

Update: Tried changing P#051 to the lowest setting. DId notice an effect but speedometer reading is still higher than GPS reading. Question remains the same, does anyone has any clue to why Volvo has two different parameters for what in reality does the same and how these parameters can be tweaked to get me a true speedometer reading?
 
#23 ·
Tried that, didn't work. When I entered the actual tire circumference the speedometer showed a speed which was below the speed I got off of a GPS. I had to reduce the input on tire circumference by quite a bit before I got the speedometer to match the GPS. TBH I believe that the system is using P#070 for the odometer and P#051 for the speedometer, no other reason to have two inputs for the same thing. That way they can operate with a speedometer speed above actual (which most cars do) while they keep the odometer accurate. My speedometer is now accurate, haven't had a chance to test odometer.
 
#29 ·
I think what happens is it'll decide your PIN, then will require activation/purchase before you can make any changes. I believe it's a one time cost of $50 (maybe per vehicle).

You can choose the demo vehicle that's loaded, that then lets you view the types of config changes that are available. I was scrolling through earlier and thinking that a few of them might be neat to try. I think I read that the programmer is looking into custom TFT options, which would be awesome.

I'll likely set mine up to decode Saturday or Sunday night. Hoping to just leave it to go through the process, instead of stopping and resuming.
 
#30 ·
Thanks appreciated
sounds potentially very useful. Interested how you go & (aside from the related forums on here) you discover any useful user guide kind of info - primarily to avoid (me) doing something ‘damaging’ due to ignorance of process etc..
 
#31 ·
This website has a pretty good getting started / how to ... P3tool - Volvo Hacking Takes Its Next Big Step — NordCarolina

It's for the older p3tool which has now been replaced by the pXtool, but it's close enough that it still makes perfect sense.

Started the search for the PIN on mine just now, figured I'll plug it in this morning and see how far it gets. When I had to find the PIN for my Hilton tune I believe that took around 5 hours. Honestly, I'm most excited to get remote window functionality, I used that a ton with my old car.
 
#34 ·
Mine is a 15A charger, I was able to monitor it while trying to get the PIN unlocked so I could watch the charge levels. For the most part it stayed fully charged, so 10A might be OK.

Made the first change, pretty simple to do, now my windows and sunroof open and close with the remote. A lot of other things in there, I am not sure how many I will mess with as I am sure a number of them require modules. I am tempted to try the traffic sign recognition, although I suspect my car would need additional cameras in order for that to work.
 
#45 ·
Sunroof does not open
I wonder what the reasoning behind the sunroof not opening is, on my old Audi when I used VAG-COM to enable remote open/close of the windows it was the same, you could close the sunroof, but not open it.

Does anyone know if extra hardware is needed for traffic sign recognition? I was tempted to enable that, but I don't know what else would be required. I have an 2015, so does not have the updated Sensus, but I do have a camera module in the windshield. I suspect that there needs to be other hardware, or maybe a different camera, but not sure.
 
#52 ·
Also try this after updating car config (from the ERS TJ):
  1. Start the engine the normal way by pressing the start button (not by ERS)
  2. Turn off the engine.
  3. Lock the vehicle.
  4. Wait for about 5 minutes until the vehicle has gone to sleep-mode.
  5. Start the engine with the ERS according to the instruction below.
If the engine does not start, go back to step 3.

ERS will not function if:
- The vehicle is in transport mode.​
- The fuel level is low.​
- The vehicle battery voltage is low.​
- The engine coolant level is low.​
- A fault is detected by the engine management system.​
- The vehicle is not locked (all doors and the trunk/tailgate must be closed to lock the vehicle).​
- Two consecutive ERS starts have already been performed. If a 3rd ERS start is attempted the hazard warning flashers will flash for 30 seconds and a message will be displayed in the DIM.​
*- The remote battery is low. It is possible for a low remote battery to unlock the car but not to perform an ERS start.​

First time I tried it, it failed because the hood was not closed properly.

Second time, the fuel was low.

In both failed attempts, there was a warning message in the DIM.
 
#53 ·
Thank folks - just read these & about to go to bed I’ll try suggestions tomorrow & report back.
Cheers