OBDII Bluetooth Car Diagnostic - €6.40 DX.com

Shiraz 4.99

Mine arrived about a week ago.
I had a a warning light on my 2003 Focus for about a month.
It flashed up P0420 which is a fault with the Cat or the sensors.
I like the way it gives a description too of the fault & not just the code.
Cancelled the light & it's stayed off the past week so fingers crossed.

To think that garages used charge 50 quid to "put it on the computer", christ we were ripped off.

What else can this Torque really do that's handy. ?

The_B_Man

I bought Torque Pro today. The free version didn't pick up an error code that the Pro version did.
Unless of course the error code appeared since the weekend.

When I was looking at clearing it, it gave me a message saying that some cars need the engine turned off before it will clear the code, and others require u turn the engine on straight after clearing the code.


I'm actually looking for some time now to play with it and see what it can actually do. Like it had the speedo etc but sure I can see them right in front of me in the dash. I suppose for 6 euro we cant really expect much.



BTW, is it OK to leave these things plugged in the whole time? Is there any danger of running the battery down?

brevity

Found some for iPhone but I don't know if they are any good as my OBDII is at my parents place

Engine Link - OBD II vehicle monitoring and diagnosis
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/engine-link-obd-ii-vehicle/id591557194?mt=8
$5.99

DashCommand - OBD-II gauge dashboards, scan tool, and vehicle diagnostics
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dashcommand-obd-ii-gauge-dashboards/id321293183?mt=8
$9.99

JohnCleary

d31b0y wrote: »

I have an E46 2002 myself. I hope the problem isn't the bluetooth ODB device that we got off ebay being crummy. Can anyone confirm if the one from ebay works for fault codes?

Are you having the same issue as me? ie. won't read codes?

Zascar wrote: »

Can it clear fault codes?

Nope, didn't clear codes


BTW tried with engine running and not-running. When not-running, I had ignition in 'on' position, as you would normally when doing a diagnostic

Capt'n Midnight

The_B_Man wrote: »

BTW, is it OK to leave these things plugged in the whole time? Is there any danger of running the battery down?

TBH I'd be more worried that the whole world and it's mother knows the default bluetooth pin.

d31b0y

JohnCleary wrote: »

Are you having the same issue as me? ie. won't read codes?

I'm still waiting for delivery. Hopefully sometime this week. Will let you know.

BillJ

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

TBH I'd be more worried that the whole world and it's mother knows the default bluetooth pin.

Can you explain what the issue is here? genuinely dont know whats the issue

Zascar

People might hack into your car and make it drive away by itself in the middle of the night...

Capt'n Midnight

Zascar wrote: »

People might hack into your car and make it drive away by itself in the middle of the night...

http://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Plugins

The Remote plugin for Torque Pro allows you to activate several accessories from your car remotely. You can turn on the head lights, sound the horn and lock/unlock doors without touching your car keys.

Zascar

Well, close enough!

imitation

Whats the deal with that level of control (turn on lights, etc) though OBD, is it possible with every car, or just newer models with more electronics ?

jimgoose

Zascar wrote: »

Can it clear fault codes?

No. The hardware is merely a dongle that allows Bluetooth connections to the vehicle's diagnostic and systems bus. Directives to clear fault codes (known in the trade as Diagnostic Trouble Codes or DTCs) come from some sort of software application, such as Torque, TouchScan, or AutoIngenuity. I also have a cheap-and-cheerful Memoscan U480 handheld that covers the basics quite well, including clearing DTCs and turning off the MIL.

BillJ wrote: »

Can you explain what the issue is here? genuinely dont know whats the issue

Well, passing Russian hackers looking for WiFi hotspots could, in theory at least, connect to your car's CANBus and finagle the fuel trims, Lambda sensor settings, etc. Remote enough risk, but it is wiser I suppose to minimise how much you leave the adapter plugged in. I'm told some newer BMWs have a bug in the system whereby the car's security can be bypassed or disabled by someone with a connection to the OBD.

imitation wrote: »

Whats the deal with that level of control (turn on lights, etc) though OBD, is it possible with every car, or just newer models with more electronics ?

Core powertrain OBD-II is available via most applications, including free ones like Torque. High-falutin' stuff for specialized control modules, and fancy functionality like turning on lights etc. is available, if it's available, via expensive proprietary software/equipment from the manufacturer.

Wikipedia has a decent enough overview of OBD here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-board_diagnostics

Has anyone had any issues with these not working fully as OBD2?

I have one of these but my software says it cannot connect to the CAN bus?

(Vauxhall Astra G Coupé)

Anyone have similar issues and could recommend one of the other budget options in it's place?

jimgoose

Deleted User wrote: »

Has anyone had any issues with these not working fully as OBD2?

I have one of these but my software says it cannot connect to the CAN bus?

(Vauxhall Astra G Coupé)

Anyone have similar issues and could recommend one of the other budget options in it's place?

Have you paired the Bluetooth adapter with the computer? You need to do this first, and then possibly configure your software with the right COM port, etc.

jimgoose

jimgoose wrote: »

Have you paired the Bluetooth adapter with the computer? You need to do this first, and then possibly configure your software with the right COM port, etc.

Paired no problem, I can get Live info, but really only the most basic of details from the car.

No fault codes, no access to anything that would be considered OBD2.

Software (can't remember it's name) sees the bluetooth device as an OBD1 source only.

jimgoose

Deleted User wrote: »

Paired no problem, I can get Live info, but really only the most basic of details from the car.

No fault codes, no access to anything that would be considered OBD2.

Software (can't remember it's name) sees the bluetooth device as an OBD1 source only.

What year is the car?

jimgoose

jimgoose wrote: »

What year is the car?

2001, should be OBD2 right?

I think I've just gotten a dud adapter (some of the cheaper ones not properly put together - see images here http://www.amazon.co.uk/BAFX-Products-Bluetooth-diagnostics-compatible/dp/B005NLQAHS/)

jimgoose

Deleted User wrote: »

2001, should be OBD2 right?...

Possibly. OBD-II became mandatory for petrol vehicles in the EU in 2001. I find that American-influenced yokes like Fords, Jags of a certain age, etc. support OBD-II before that, and it is possible that GM fitted those things with some sort of mutant OBD 1.5 thing around that time. Try it out on a newer car if possible.

tigershould

hi, i have a 2002 BMW MINI and the airbag light keeps lighting every few weeks / months and i go to the garage and they just reset.

will this device allow for airbag lights to be reset ?

thanks in advance

jimgoose

tigershould wrote: »

hi, i have a 2002 BMW MINI and the airbag light keeps lighting every few weeks / months and i go to the garage and they just reset.

will this device allow for airbag lights to be reset ?

thanks in advance

The SRS system is outside of core powertrain and tends to be a manufacturer-specific proprietary module. The Bluetooth device will certainly allow this, but it depends on the software that is "talking" to it. I would suspect that this would need BMW diagnostic software.

Capt'n Midnight

jimgoose wrote: »

Core powertrain OBD-II is available via most applications, including free ones like Torque. High-falutin' stuff for specialized control modules, and fancy functionality like turning on lights etc. is available, if it's available, via expensive proprietary software/equipment from the manufacturer.

You wouldn't want to be paranoid.

http://www.itworld.com/security/139794/with-hacking-music-can-take-control-your-car

they say they've identified a handful of ways a hacker could break into a car, including attacks over the car's Bluetooth and cellular network systems, or through malicious software in the diagnostic tools used in automotive repair shops.

But their most interesting attack focused on the car stereo. By adding extra code to a digital music file, they were able to turn a song burned to CD into a Trojan horse. When played on the car's stereo, this song could alter the firmware of the car's stereo system, giving attackers an entry point to change other components on the car. This type of attack could be spread on file-sharing networks without arousing suspicion, they believe. "It's hard to think of something more innocuous than a song," said Stefan Savage, a professor at the University of California.

Zascar

Ehhhhh https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72859/Misc/obd2.jpg
I hope there is the ribht port somewhere else as this is clearly not going to work.
Audi TT Mk1, any ideas?

zapata

Zascar wrote: »

Ehhhhh https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72859/Misc/obd2.jpg
I hope there is the ribht port somewhere else as this is clearly not going to work.
Audi TT Mk1, any ideas?

That looks like a serial adapter left in place by someone else who forgot to disconnect it. Give a wiggle and see will it release to reveal the obd2 socket.

Zascar

zapata wrote: »

That looks like a serial adapter left in place by someone else who forgot to disconnect it. Give a wiggle and see will it release to reveal the obd2 socket.

Haha you are right!! Thanks :)I think I know who this belongs to. They probably wondered where it had gone to...

imitation

Mine arrived today, worked like a charm, car didn't explode like I was initially fearing! Now I need to go read up a bit on the meaning of various variables

god's toy

My 3 OBD2's came today! Very happy, connected first time and worked perfect after, need more time with the Torque app to fully configure (paid version is loads better, worth it)


Thanks OP!

Clareman

I got 1 during the week and the Torque Pro, very very addictive, nearly went over numerous walls keeping and eye on the dials, can anyone give any tips/cheats/best practises on how best to set it up?

billy few mates

Not sure you should be using it while driving.....

Clareman

billy few mates wrote: »

Not sure you should be using it while driving.....

Very good point, it's windscreen mounted and I turn it on before I move off and don't go at it while driving.

kingstevii

Whats the bluetooth password for these?