Released in the mid-2000s, the BMW Scanner 1.4 was designed for a specific golden era of BMW production: roughly 1994 to 2006 (E36, E38, E39, E46, E53, E83 chassis). Unlike generic OBD-II scanners that only read engine and transmission codes, the PA Soft 1.4 was a "low-level" scanner. It consists of a simple, black USB-to-20-pin (or OBD-II) interface cable paired with a software suite that runs natively on Windows XP and 7.
Furthermore, its software is frozen in time. It does not receive updates, meaning it has no support for BMW models beyond the E-series (roughly 2006). On vehicles with CAN-bus architecture (E90, E60), the 1.4 is notoriously finicky, often failing to connect or corrupting its own database. Additionally, the original hardware is discontinued; most units on the market today are Chinese clones with varying build quality and driver compatibility issues.
However, for owners of newer BMWs (E90 generation and beyond), the tool is obsolete. It has been replaced by more robust, faster, and safer software like INPA (for free) or commercial apps like Carly and Bimmercode, which offer wireless connectivity and active support.
