A far out app idea...

[JohnBo]

I just told him about it. But I think it's such an awesome idea that I went to Amazon and bought the adapter, hopefully getting here by the end of the month, then I'll be buying the app as well (testing it first of course with the free app). If you haven't seen or used it before, I'll let you know what I think about it.

What I bought: Amazon.com: ELM327 BLUETOOTH OBDII OBD2 DIAGNOSTIC SCANNER VAG-COM CAN ELM 327 SCANTOOL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAR CODE READER: Electronics

I just looked at this amazon page again and realized some stuff I find interesting. At first glance, I see the pic with 2 views of the device and a giant (ELM327) chip in the foreground, and along with the long, all caps title think it's some foreign guy's lame marketing. Also this

Product Description
View live engine data on your Android phone - Connect to your vehicle ECU Fully customisable dashboard screens - Design your own layouts and custom dials, use your own themes Retrieve Fault Codes (DTCs) and clear Check Engine lights - View fault descriptions using the built-in databases Upload live data to your webserver or the torque web viewer in realtime Check the performance of your vehicle with BHP / Torque / 0-60 & Quarter Mile widgets

reads more like a description of the torque app than this adapter. I also clicked on another XiTech product, a OBD2-USB interface:
Amazon.com: XiTech XR7 OBD-II PC Based Advanced CAN Bus Scan Tool: Automotive
The pic shows a device that says XiTech on it, but there's no sign of ELM327 anywhere in the pic or title, or whole page for that matter. Reading the comments this seems to be a clone, and after some google searching I see that ELM327s are OBD-serial chips that run up to $30 or more still these days, and there's been a bunch of chinese outfits selling cheaply made devices that use a cheaper clone chip. So now I understand the reservation in buying a less expensive OBD i/f.

Also on Amazon I noticed that what appears to be the same BT device is sold by another partner for 4 bucks less:
Amazon.com: Bluetooth ELM 327 Scanner OBDII PC Car Diagnostic: Electronics
So with also free shipping and almost no risk from amazon I think I'll try buying 1 soon.

this is pretty sweet. it would definitely be cool to have, but i have no idea how to go about installing that adapter. i might look into this though

It's probably easier than it sounds. Example:

You are looking for something to plug this device into:

Of course, if you don't find it after looking for a min or 2, I'd suggest you google your vehicle's model name and OBD for hints on where to look.

 

[bazar6]

I honestly didn't look down there. But this definitely isn't the highest end / most reliable pieces of hardware to use, especially if you're a mechanic and have to rely on this stuff being 100% correct. For something as simple as giving you an advanced HUD, and some deeper engine diagnostics, this definitely fits what I need it for.

I threw my phone in to the car dock and mounted it on the windshield, just above my gauge cluster. Almost feels like a rice burner out of The Fast and the Furious or something lol. But it does what it says. Just uses a ton of battery. I was fully charged getting in to the car. Plugged in the charger before even connecting the two, and left it charging for the ride home, and it still lost battery life, as well as running my phone CPU to 125degrees.

And I got mine from clicking on the little link that says "2 new", listed at $39.99, cuz it's thru someone else other than amazon. Amazon.com: Used and New: ELM327 BLUETOOTH OBDII OBD2 DIAGNOSTIC SCANNER VAG-COM CAN ELM 327 SCANTOOL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAR CODE READER > Right side: "Price at a glance"

 

[JohnBo]

I honestly didn't look down there. But this definitely isn't the highest end / most reliable pieces of hardware to use, especially if you're a mechanic and have to rely on this stuff being 100% correct. For something as simple as giving you an advanced HUD, and some deeper engine diagnostics, this definitely fits what I need it for.

I threw my phone in to the car dock and mounted it on the windshield, just above my gauge cluster. Almost feels like a rice burner out of The Fast and the Furious or something lol. But it does what it says. Just uses a ton of battery. I was fully charged getting in to the car. Plugged in the charger before even connecting the two, and left it charging for the ride home, and it still lost battery life, as well as running my phone CPU to 125degrees.

And I got mine from clicking on the little link that says "2 new", listed at $39.99, cuz it's thru someone else other than amazon. Amazon.com: Used and New: ELM327 BLUETOOTH OBDII OBD2 DIAGNOSTIC SCANNER VAG-COM CAN ELM 327 SCANTOOL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAR CODE READER > Right side: "Price at a glance"

You have reliability issues with the OBD-bt? Uh-oh. How often does it fail on you? Does it seem more flaky than other bt devices - they certainly do seem to have issues now and then in general.

That's interesting that Torque is so taxing to the phone. I'd guess it couldn't be worse than several classes of apps, like say a nav - gps in use, 3g in heavy use, also BT if using a headset or whatever, and intensive processing and display.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing your experiences

 

[bazar6]

You have reliability issues with the OBD-bt? Uh-oh. How often does it fail on you? Does it seem more flaky than other bt devices - they certainly do seem to have issues now and then in general.

That's interesting that Torque is so taxing to the phone. I'd guess it couldn't be worse than several classes of apps, like say a nav - gps in use, 3g in heavy use, also BT if using a headset or whatever, and intensive processing and display.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing your experiences

No no no.. I haven't had any problems with it. Its just, to me, something of this quality (not the highest) and price (the absolute lowest, unless you get something from China off eBay) wouldn't last for long; but so far I've been proven wrong, because it's been great with no issues. The higher end pieces that do the same thing cost upwards of $100. I don't need to throw that kind of money just to get some stats about my engine, I'm not a mechanic, I just need something simple and it works. But I've also only had it for a few days and used it only a few times; so I can't say its going to last forever either.

The battery part is because it requires to have GPS on to compare speeds and show altitude, as well as constantly sending info over Bluetooth. And of course having 3G, which I'm sure is syncing constantly with email (gmail and exchange) and texts and all that. But definitely the double process of bluetooth info from the car, as well as GPS info, makes it work harder. You can go without GPS, you just have to rely on the cars speed, and not GPS.

I'm going to take a video of it this weekend to show my buddy, I'll post it on here too so you can see how it gets used by me.

 

[veloracer]

I've been playing with this app for a little while now. It's very informative but some of the features of Torque I just haven't gotten figured out yet.

I can't seem to export the PIDs that I specified to be the ones I want to log.

I also am looking for an enhanced PID that would allow me to track my oil pressure. This one is more for my car manufacturer more than anything.

It does tax the battery, but I have Droid hooked up to a power source so it's not a big deal.

I'll update anything that I find would be worth knowing.

 

[BGMC]

What is the pairing code everyone used? Everywhere I've read, it's supposed to be 0000 or 1234, but neither of those codes are working to pair my adapter for some reason. The adapter did not come with an instruction sheet and the CD (which I've heard is useless anyway) does not work. What's worse is google is of no help because people who are having any issues, seems to be in the connection part, no one else seems to have pairing issues. Rather frustrating...

Using the ebay ELM 327 v1.4 and Android 2.1

 

[bearfromobx]

Sounds like the program reads the generic OBD2 information. I hope the program is flexible enough to read and determine more than than, since each auto manufacturer uses specialized software to decode the proprietary segments of the output. Good luck and let us know what you find.

Bear

 

[BGMC]

Just an update... for those having trouble pairing their adapter to their phone due to "incorrect pin" where 0000 and 1234 don't work, I've found 6789 does.

 

[b12b]

Wondering if anyone knows of an app that will connect through the obdII and allow you to do any performance programming similar to units on the market like the diablo.

 

[mking25]

elms327

I just got the torque app and a elm327, all for under 40.00$. I was having the same problem as "BGMC". The cd I got with the scantool was damaged or something, it wouldn't play. I couldnt figure out the bluetooth passcode. 6789 worked, no more problems. Thanks BGMC.

 

[BGMC]

I just got the torque app and a elm327, all for under 40.00$. I was having the same problem as "BGMC". The cd I got with the scantool was damaged or something, it wouldn't play. I couldnt figure out the bluetooth passcode. 6789 worked, no more problems. Thanks BGMC.

Glad I could help. Better that the CD didn't work I think, mine didn't either. I don't think I would trust the software though.

 

[gakman]

mking25 - You are a lifesaver! - I couldn't read the baby CD that came with it and there was no immediate help online.

YES - 6789 Worked for this device.

I have a minor code on my 2007 Lincoln and I can't wait to show my buddies this app.

Of course, I'm going to let them think I just downloaded the app and it just works.

THANKS A TON!

 

[longboardskier]

I also just got the bluetooth adapter on Amazon along with Torque and it's been working great! I was having some trouble with my MAF sensor, so this was helpful in being able to clean the sensor, clear the codes using Torque, and seeing if the code came back. Worked like a charm!

I find I like having the phone mounted right above my steering wheel with the real-time speed data displaying too. Don't have to take my eyes off the road, just glance down really fast.