OBD Scanner for Trail Kit

[HenryJ]

I am using a cheap $14 ELM 327 bluetooth OBD2 link and Torque on my cell phone. Small , simple and handy to have along.

 

[seanz0rz]

i can second the ELM 327 and Torque, but make sure you get a good bluetooth unit. alot of them will not work with every vehicle.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NLQAHS/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2T1_ST1_dp_1

i have another code reader that was much more expensive. it works better for doing all the other vehicles, instead of where this one lives in my truck.

 

[Beowulf]

I don't think Torque has an iOS version.

Also, I have heard the Elm has issues paring with the iPhone. Hopefully this is not the case. Can someone confirm?

 

[Anak]

Well, it has been over a year now. Is there anything new and exciting on the market?

How about a recommendation on a stand alone unit that reads/clears codes and has descriptions? Nothing else fancy needed.....yet.

Same question.

I am looking for a scanner to carry in the tool kit, not really one to run as a full time trip computer/gauge supplement.

It needs to be its own stand alone tool (not dependent on a phone or separate computer) and it needs to provide some interpretation of the code. It would be nice if it could handle both OBD I & II.

It is not going to be used with just one vehicle. A couple of the likely candidates are OBD I.

I don't have a problem with the price tag of the ScanGuage 2, but it appears that it will not do OBD I. Does it require setting up for the specific vehicle on which it is going to be used? Or is it smart enough to recognize what the vehicle is and provide feedback immediately?

 

[comptiger5000]

Having something that will do OBDI is going to get bulky to carry, as different vehicles will need different cables. And you're usually looking at a much higher $$$ setup to do it (OBDI was much less standardized than OBDII). The upside is, a lot of the more $$$ scanners that could do this will also support the more manufacturer specific OBDII stuff, rather than just the generic stuff (which is usually good enough for on-the-road diagnostics).

 

[Beowulf]

Just last week I ended up getting an ElM327 unit and use Dashcommand. Seems to work fine for both the Jeep and the Volvo. It is a wifi unit and using an iphone 4.

 

[IdaSHO]

That seems to be the ticket with IOS

Elm 327 WIFI + dashcommand