I would have preferred this to be a review of the Evoscan software but sadly it’s only a warning to Pajero owners who may be considering that software.

About a year ago I purchased Evoscan v2.8 together with an Openport 1.3 cable to use on our ’97 NK Pajero.  The software is claimed to work with “ALL Mitsubishi Vehicles with a 16pin OBDII connector, all Mitsubishis from 1994 onwards have one of these”.  That quote is taken from the web page at http://www.evoscan.com/#SupportedVehicles. That’s a pretty broad claim with absolutely no room for doubt in my opinion. The Openport cable is the one recommended for our model, which was confirmed via email prior to purchase.

With great hopes of being able to get more detailed information from the car than simple reading the error codes I eagerly installed the software on a laptop and connected it to the car via the cable. I then spend about an hour trying all combinations of settings and failed completely in getting the software to talk to the car. This leads to my first complaint – There is no documentation. Zero, nill, nada, not a wisp.

I contacted the manufacturer about this and indicated that unless they could help me in getting this to work I would have to assume the cable was faulty and intended to return it for a refund. I got back a useless reply stating that all cables are tested before dispatch and that I could find help on their web site. I don’t believe the first statement and the second is pure bullshit. There is nothing anywhere on their web site which even hints at helping Pajero owners to use their software.

As I never send back goods without first arranging to do so with the vendor I started sending emails indicating that I wanted a refund. None have ever been answered. I’m quite certain that had I sent back the cable without first coming to an agreement I would never have heard back, nor received a refund.

It’s now a year later, during which time I have made a number of attempts to locate information on getting Evoscan to work with the Pajero. All I have for my trouble is hours of reading of others in the same situation. While I have twice read that someone had succeeded in each case it was not recently or with their current model and they could not remember how it was achieved (maybe it was only in their imaginations). I have also not seen a single mention of someone managing to get a refund.

Tonight I noticed something I’m very sure wasn’t mentioned at the time I purchased the software and cable. On the web page http://www.evoscan.com/mitsubishi-subaru-nissan-toyota-mazda-holden-honda-gm-obd2-can-cables there is the following statement, which completely contradicts the one I quoted above:

Known incompatable vehicles (I’m working on making them work, they might all be using the same ecu)
- L200 (petrol and diesel)
- Pajero (petrol and diesel)
- 1992-95 Mitsubishi Evo I, II & III

In conclusion, if you are contemplating Evoscan for a Pajero either be prepared to throw your money away or hope you are one of the mythical few for who it supposedly worked. You have been warned.