Question: PCMtuner or CG FC-200? Which one is better? Having to choose between PCM tuner and FC200, what would you recommend?
obd2gate.com here gathers customer feedback and facts.
First of all, check a table comparison:
| Item | PCMTuner  | CG FC200  |
| Software Language | English and Chinese | English, French, Spanish, Polish, Turkish, Chinese |
| Dongle | USB Smart Dongle | No |
| Offline/online | Work offline, VR needs online. | It should work online and with a 12v power supply. |
| ECU Search | Search ECU by ECU number, car brand | Search ECU by bosch ECU number, car brand |
| Operation mode | Bench, boot, and OBD mode | bench, boot, and OBD mode |
| ECU types | Bosch, magneti marelli, continental or siemens | Bosch |
| Virtual reading | online access to VR files | No |
| Wiring diagram | Check the wiring in PCMTuner, online update wiring diagram | The device shows you the wiring diagram |
| Tuner account for dpf, egr, adblue off and remap | Yes | No |
| Read BMW ISN | No | Yes, read ISN, change ISN, and change VIN |
| Checksum | Yes | can calculate checksum online as long as the subscription is active |
| Activation | Yes, provide S/N to activate and register with the email | Yes, provide S/N to activate |
| License | 67 modules in 1 | Full license |
| Option solderless adapter | No | Yes, FC200 Optional adapter: No Need Disassembly Adapter for 6HP 8HP MSV90 N55 N20 B48 B58 B38 etc |
| Update & Subscription | PCMTuner free update online, No subscription, No annual fee, no monthly fee. PCM-Flash update by new dongle | 1 Year Free update, subscription is $199.99/ year |
| ECU list | PCMTuner ECU List | FC200 ECU List |
| Price | US$199.99 | US$659.99 |
Summary:
* FC200 has more protocol
* FC200 can only do checksum fix online, checksum won’t work if the subscription expires.
* FC-200 works only on Bosch ECUs, So for Magneti Marelli, Continetial or siemens PCMtuner is better
* If you want to use it for dpf,egr, adblue off and remap, PCMTuner is better
* FC200 only some BMW ECU can be done via OBD
* PCMTuner v1.21 cannot do BMW ECUs (EDC17xx etc)
In conclusion, depends on what is the main purpose of your buy. FC-200 could be useful for BMW ISN from Ecu or maybe for some Ecu cloning, but only some of them because most of MEDC17 needs adaption of OTP and password or IMMO transfer for successful cloning. If the main purpose is Chip tuning, PCMTuner is a better buy because it can calculate checksums and it is cheaper.
