BUDS2 Requirements

Few questions for all of you that have worked with BUDS2.

• Best License (Megatech?)
• Required hardware for a 2018 RTL.
• Best Place to purchase. Best price vs Legit License?

Thanks

Megatech is the do everything BUDS licence. Does you no good because you must have BUDS2. For your 2018. The do everything BUDS2 licence is called Mechatronic Expert. Megatech can be bought by itself for little money but Mechatronic is very pricy and will include Megatech for free. Just so you don't get caught buying the wrong thing.

BUDS and BUDS2 must be run on a windows computer. I bought a refurb from tigerdirect just for this. $300 CAD if I remember right. Don't remember the specs offhand. It's running Windows 10 and seems to work just fine.

As far as I know you cannot buy a licence from BRP. If someone other than a dealer has. I would like to hear about your experience. The only other supplier is PowerSports Diagnostic that I have ever seen. They have multiple websites and Amazon. With multiple deals. If there is another source someone knows about. I would like to hear about that as well.

I bought mine through Amazon and it came with a "All Dealer Licence" for one year. After the year was over I renewed to a Spyder/Ryker licence. The Mecharontic just does not seem to be worth the money for me. It may be for you.

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Originally Posted by billybovine

Megatech is the do everything BUDS licence. Does you no good because you must have BUDS2. For your 2018. The do everything BUDS2 licence is called Mechatronic Expert. Megatech can be bought by itself for little money but Mechatronic is very pricy and will include Megatech for free. Just so you don't get caught buying the wrong thing.

BUDS and BUDS2 must be run on a windows computer. I bought a refurb from tigerdirect just for this. $300 CAD if I remember right. Don't remember the specs offhand. It's running Windows 10 and seems to work just fine.

As far as I know you cannot buy a licence from BRP. If someone other than a dealer has. I would like to hear about your experience. The only other supplier is PowerSports Diagnostic that I have ever seen. They have multiple websites and Amazon. With multiple deals. If there is another source someone knows about. I would like to hear about that as well.

I bought mine through Amazon and it came with a "All Dealer Licence" for one year. After the year was over I renewed to a Spyder/Ryker licence. The Mecharontic just does not seem to be worth the money for me. It may be for you.

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Mr. billybovine,
This is exactly the kind of answers I am looking for. I would like to be able to do everything a dealer can do, up to and including disabling the DESS. So do I need the additional BRP 4-TEC Desspost unit? I think the BRP Power Interface unit might be a good idea. All in with a 5 year Mecharontic license it is $2156 U.S.D. Pricey!

I used power sport diagnostics and can get into the buds with the mega tech license. I dont like is the limited time for the licenses

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Originally Posted by h0gr1der

Mr. billybovine,
This is exactly the kind of answers I am looking for. I would like to be able to do everything a dealer can do, up to and including disabling the DESS. So do I need the additional BRP 4-TEC Desspost unit? I think the BRP Power Interface unit might be a good idea. All in with a 5 year Mecharontic license it is $2156 U.S.D. Pricey!

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So yes you will need a Mechatronic licence to disable the DESS. Don't see the point since you do not have a 2014 or 15. So it's not going to give you trouble.

The Desspost unit is for seadoos and older skidoos I think. Not needed at all for a Spyder.

I don't have the power interface unit. I do plug in my battery tender to keep the battery up while using BUDS.

There is another cable you will need to update the dash software. That's a usb cable with an A connector on both ends. One end to plug into the computer and the other to plug into the Spyder usb port. Available in electronic stores and Amazon of course. So that means you need 2 usb ports on the computer you are going to use. Which most will have.

To disable DESS you will require Megatech version of BUDS for 2017 and prior. Megatronic Expert version of BUDS2 for 2017 and newer.

Most dealers do not have this version. They have the all dealer versions.

Thanks for all the knowledgeable replies, I'm rethinking my requirements right now. My 2018 RTL is plagued with the parking brake issue, and a coolant leak. Been in the shop a week now, no word. I'm just wondering what will pop up next, and how best to resolve it.

Just a little info that might save you a bit...for my cars I have a Bosch diagnostic system and it also has expensive annual licences, I've got around this. I purchased a Dell 12" Laptop for general use but specifically for the Bosch software. The way the licence update is timed is by using the computer's internal clock, if the clock time is reset the software won't know the actual time. The way I work this is a bit of a pest but not overly so - I installed the Bosch software on windows and a dedicated hard drive and recorded the date and time on a label stuck onto the hard drive.
For general use of the computer I remove the Bosch drive and slide in the computer's original hard drive.

When I need the Bosch diagnostics I first change the computer clock to one minute after the last time I used the Bosch hard drive, shut down the computer and then switch the hard drive to the Bosch diagnostic one. When I restart the computer the Bosch software thinks it's just one minute after I last used it. When I've finished with the diagnostics I note the time, shut down the computer, remove the Bosch hard drive and record the time on the drive's label for future use and replace the original hard drive for general use. This gets repeated whenever I need diagnostics, which isn't too often so I've used just a couple of days of my licence during the past four years!

There may be a problem for this system if BUDS uses an internet connection because it could pick up the time from the internet. I've no experience of BUDS so perhaps someone who runs a BUDS software could enlighten us on that. :thumbup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spyderlass

Just a little info that might save you a bit...for my cars I have a Bosch diagnostic system and it also has expensive annual licences, I've got around this. I purchased a Dell 12" Laptop for general use but specifically for the Bosch software. The way the licence update is timed is by using the computer's internal clock, if the clock time is reset the software won't know the actual time. The way I work this is a bit of a pest but not overly so - I installed the Bosch software on windows and a dedicated hard drive and recorded the date and time on a label stuck onto the hard drive.
For general use of the computer I remove the Bosch drive and slide in the computer's original hard drive.

When I need the Bosch diagnostics I first change the computer clock to one minute after the last time I used the Bosch hard drive, shut down the computer and then switch the hard drive to the Bosch diagnostic one. When I restart the computer the Bosch software thinks it's just one minute after I last used it. When I've finished with the diagnostics I note the time, shut down the computer, remove the Bosch hard drive and record the time on the drive's label for future use and replace the original hard drive for general use. This gets repeated whenever I need diagnostics, which isn't too often so I've used just a couple of days of my licence during the past four years!

There may be a problem for this system if BUDS uses an internet connection because it could pick up the time from the internet. I've no experience of BUDS so perhaps someone who runs a BUDS software could enlighten us on that. :thumbup:

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I love your sneeky mind.

We bought our BUDS license from powersportsdiagnostics.com but their website is no longer active. Our BUDS2 came from powersports-diag.com, they are in Europe and it is difficult to get a hold of them during the day. I have had a lot of issues with the drivers and I highly recommend using a computer that has nothing else on it.

But I think you’re wasting your money buying it since your Spyder is under warranty. I also think that you should file a complaint on www.nhtsa.gov for the parking brake issue.

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Originally Posted by SpyderAnn01

We bought our BUDS license from powersportsdiagnostics.com but their website is no longer active. Our BUDS2 came from powersports-diag.com, they are in Europe and it is difficult to get a hold of them during the day. I have had a lot of issues with the drivers and I highly recommend using a computer that has nothing else on it.

But I think you’re wasting your money buying it since your Spyder is under warranty. I also think that you should file a complaint on www.nhtsa.gov for the parking brake issue.

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h0gr1der, I'm on board with SpyderAnn. Let the dealer worry about it while it is under warranty. Now I don't want to insult you, but I do have the ask the question; if you do get a BUDS system, do you have the technical expertise to do the final trouble shooting and repair? I have been repairing computer controlled machinery my whole life and can say for sure that the BUDS software will point you in the right direction, but does not give you a definitive answer. It is designed to align parameters for the different system components and to be a trouble shooting aid. I've been using BUDS for several years.

I did get mine from powersports-diag.com. Like SpyderAnn did. Thought I got it from that other site I posted.

I just downloaded the latest drivers etc.

You can download the service manual and other things on there site. But all of it does not pertain to the Spyder. But a wide range of Polaris/BRP products.