Im starting this thread to see what type of code readers/programs are being used and proven to work for your OBD1 vehicle or OBD2 vehicle because it would be nice to know where to start looking through the sea of crap that doesn't work.
Im looking for info on just about anything you use that doesn't require a bank loan to purchase lol.
Hardware.
1. hand held scanners.
2. Corded USB to OBD or Bluetooth/Wireless connections for pc or phone.
Software.
1. PC.
2. Cellphone/Tablet Appts.
Post up where you purchased yours from also it might help weed out some of the cloan equipment from China out there flooding the market.
I did just purchase a what im hoping is a real ELM327 chipped Bluetooth but from what i gather its a crap shoot ordering one of these almost anywhere but we shall see.
Budget was a constraint for mine so I got a low profile Bluetooth ELM327 from Amazon for about $17 and, since I already had a blackberry phone Laplogger (the Lite version will read and clear DTCs for free, the paid version adds live logging at $10) was the software of choice.
I ordered a ELM 327 reader similar to the one you bought Crash, still waiting for it to come in through the mail from China. I'm still trying to figure out what software I should use since the iPhone is pretty finicky when it comes to what bluetooth devices it wants to sync with. I might just end up using a software with my laptop.
The problem is that the iPhone itself won't pick up the device, supposedly. I might just pick up a used android phone for ~$50 or so and us it as a OBD scanner.
Look into one of the Android phones sold by carriers like Virgin Mobile if you're going to just use it as a Code reader. Those phones are cheap new and even cheaper used. Cricket and others come to mind.
Bought this last year from Newegg. I figured since they were selling it they would stand behind it for warranty, etc. Works fine on my two LH Vehicles and the LX vehicle interfaced to my Motorola Atrix Android phone. Cost a whopping $16.99 with free shipping and no tax.
It was sold & shipped by a 3rd party which Newegg seems to be doing more of. A quick search of ELM327 on Newegg now shows several of these from $13.35 and up with free shipping.
Works fine with the free Torque app on my Android phone.
Look into one of the Android phones sold by carriers like Virgin Mobile if you're going to just use it as a Code reader. Those phones are cheap new and even cheaper used. Cricket and others come to mind.
Thanks Ron, I'll definitely have to do some shopping around to figure out the best way to go. A quick check on Kijiji(eBay version of Craigslist) found me a few possible candidates.
There ARE Elm327 units for the iPhone but they have to be wifi, Apple locked out the Bluetooth SPP (Serial Port Profile) which is why the bluetooth units won't work on them. It's not a limitation of the apps but a lockout by apple that's the problem. Unfortunately it's cheaper to buy a cheap Android tablet than it is to pay for the difference between the Bluetooth and Wifi ELM327 units.
I use the Torque app with a Bluetooth adapter. I'm still trying to figure out how to log and export data without needing a 3G connection on the phone I'm using.
Welll the seller screwed me and sent me one of the chines pieces of **** that will not connect no matter what i do or what software im using and it dont even look like the pic.
They all come from China, you just picked a seller from the states. They are known to have a high DOA rate, I'm sure the seller will send you a new one no problem.
I got the reader in the mail last week. It took a bit of fiddling around but I got it to work via Bluetooth on my laptop. Sadly, it doesn't work with my iPhone but that wasn't a huge shock. When I get a few spare bucks I'll pick up a used Android phone and install Torque on it and use that as my scanner. It's too cold and too awkward to be driving around with a laptop on my knee so I'm put the unit aside for now.
It's a software that came with the reader, I don't remember the name off the top of my head. It's not the easiest of software's to understand so I'm going to look at picking up an android phone to have Torque on it. I used the reader on a '08 Chevy Express Van and it worked pretty good. It read and cleared the code. However, it wouldn't pick up the airbag light that was on.
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