[abirnale]

Quick note - I bought an ELM327 Bluetooth v2.1 based OBD reader for my SX4 Zxi VVT BS4 2011 model. I used the Bosch app and it worked perfect. All temperatures, trip data, FE, RPM, speed and torque etc was shown correct.

The only problem I see is - driving the car with this adapter inserted in port is difficult. Your right foot will sometimes touch the device and may displace or break the port or device!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by bblost

Should it immediately show the values for mileage etc or do I need to drive around a bit before that comes up?
Right now it says data not available.

It should display it immediately. By the way which are you using?

Originally Posted by abirnale

The only problem I see is - driving the car with this adapter inserted in port is difficult. Your right foot will sometimes touch the device and may displace or break the port or device!

Try the torque PRO app too. It works nicely and has good features.

You will have to cut the outer shell and retain the main chip with the connector pin so that the connector doesn't foul with your leg.

If I am not wrong DBHPian Sankar has done this DIY for his ELM 327. Will post the link if I get it.

Anurag.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

It should display it immediately. By the way which are you using?

I bought this:
http://www.ebay.in/itm/ws/eBayISAPI....E:L:OC:IN:3160

It came along with a CD that had the pro Torque in it.

The values came up within a few seconds of moving the car.

It showed the realtime fuel consumption and that kept toggling between 5 and 35 kmpl.

The average after a couple of kms was 12.7 kmpl.
I think its quite accurate as my own observation shows the same.

There are no error codes in my car.

I am happy I bought this.
Thanks to this thread that got me excited on this.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by bblost

It came along with a CD that had the pro Torque in it.

Does the CD have the full version of the Torque PRO App?

Originally Posted by bblost

The values came up within a few seconds of moving the car.

Good that the values displayed. The instantaneous mileage is a doubtful one as it takes details from your car's profile that you have set. The problem here is the values for Weight and the Fuel % remaining in the tank. These are the two main variables that are used for FE calculation. I do get near accurate values for Avg FE.

Originally Posted by bblost

It showed the real time fuel consumption and that kept toggling between 5 and 35 kmpl.

Chevrolet will be happy seeing a mileage figure of 35 kmpl. May be you'll get a extra free service!

Originally Posted by bblost

The average after a couple of kms was 12.7 kmpl.
I think its quite accurate as my own observation shows the same.

Originally Posted by bblost

There are no error codes in my car.

Good to know that. Keep checking this every week or every month.

Originally Posted by bblost

I am happy I bought this. Thanks to this thread that got me excited on this.

Nice to see the inspiration.

Cheers,
Anurag.

[deep_bang]

Hello all, does anyone know of a good app for windows phone that can connect through bt to elm327? I saw a few free ones but none of them seem really good.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

You will have to cut the outer shell and retain the main chip with the connector pin so that the connector doesn't foul with your leg.

Yes, but then it becomes more prone to longer feet movements - the chip can be broken more easier than thought. May be if i get that DIY, it will be more clear.

I am also thinking of uncoupling the car OBD port itself from its holder clip (its hold in a small aluminum/ steel kind of clip near steering below dashboard) and by attaching the ELM 327 unit to it, tie cables with a good plastic band onto the somewhere close to fuse box. That way it should be high/ away from A pedal and feet and even accidental movement should not cause anything to break. Now only thing I should check is, MASS won't cry foul.

Another thing I have to check - is there any phone that supports the Bluetooth connection with ELM live as well as let you connect on the Phone Bluetooth function of infotainment at a time. After all, can't carry too many devices all along always!

[bblost]

Can the dongle remain connected all the time?

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by bblost

Can the dongle remain connected all the time?

Yes, it should! According to my observation and discussions with vendor and customer references he gave so far, it can stay connected all the time and be used. Thats more preferred in my personal opinion too as you are getting real time data feed into your app all the time.

Again, I haven't heard anyone saying any side effects or negatives of doing so. My understanding (and correct if wrong), the device as long as used for one way data feed reading, should cause no damage to the car whatsoever. But if you frequently use reverse feed - to clear error codes or change any parameters (if app allows), it may cause instability at some point of time - purely because not all apps are certified by someone like Bosch or Manufacturer. Any bugs in the app, can cause wrong params to b set back on the car computer. Other than that, I don't see any issues!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Yes, but then it becomes more prone to longer feet movements - the chip can be broken more easier than thought. May be if i get that DIY, it will be more clear.

My dad has 2007 model SX4 but I don't find the OBD connector to foul with my leg. May be the height and seat adjustment makes a difference.

Originally Posted by abirnale

Another thing I have to check - is there any phone that supports the Bluetooth connection with ELM live as well as let you connect on the Phone Bluetooth function of infotainment at a time. After all, can't carry too many devices all along always!

Any Android mobile that has bluetooth will support but I'll have to see if two mobiles can be paired at the same time on one OBD.

Originally Posted by bblost

Can the dongle remain connected all the time?

You can keep it connected but the PIN No.: 16 is the 12V DC connector that is connected to the battery so it will keep using up a very small amount of electricity, NOT that it is an issue but if you use it regularly then it is OK but not using much you can connect and disconnect it. BUT be CAREFUL as if mishandled then the OBD 2 port will get damaged.

Originally Posted by abirnale

Yes, it should! According to my observation and discussions with vendor and customer references he gave so far, it can stay connected all the time and be used. Thats more preferred in my personal opinion too as you are getting real time data feed into your app all the time.

There is no damage as such but ther OBD connector will keep taking a little power from your battery.

Originally Posted by abirnale

Again, I haven't heard anyone saying any side effects or negatives of doing so. My understanding (and correct if wrong), the device as long as used for one way data feed reading, should cause no damage to the car whatsoever. But if you frequently use reverse feed - to clear error codes or change any parameters (if app allows), it may cause instability at some point of time - purely because not all apps are certified by someone like Bosch or Manufacturer.

No side effects if the car is used regularly as it would recharge the battery and not drain it when the port is linked and kept always. None of the app's (Torque Pro, Fun2Drive) that we use allow us to change parameters. We can only read data and check for error codes in the ECU. The Torque PRO app allows us to clear the error codes too.

Cheers,
Anurag.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by abirnale

The only problem I see is - driving the car with this adapter inserted in port is difficult. Your right foot will sometimes touch the device and may displace or break the port or device!

Get an extension cable like this and your problem is solved:
http://www.dhgate.com/product/dhgate...FfFz4godGikApg

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Another thing I have to check - is there any phone that supports the Bluetooth connection with ELM live as well as let you connect on the Phone Bluetooth function of infotainment at a time. After all, can't carry too many devices all along always!

Doesn't your current phone do this? OBD or the infotainment system may not allow 2 devices to connect but your phone should be able to connect to both, simultaneously.

Originally Posted by bblost

The values came up within a few seconds of moving the car.

It showed the realtime fuel consumption and that kept toggling between 5 and 35 kmpl.

The average after a couple of kms was 12.7 kmpl.
I think its quite accurate as my own observation shows the same.

There are no error codes in my car.

I am happy I bought this.
Thanks to this thread that got me excited on this.

The instantaneous FE goes crazy in my car too - scorpio, have seen it go upto 90! The average FE is more down to earth at 11.7kmpl.

Originally Posted by bblost

Can the dongle remain connected all the time?

I have left it connected. The phone detects it only after I turn the ignition key by a notch - where you music system etc come on.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

You can keep it connected but the PIN No.: 16 is the 12V DC connector that is connected to the battery so it will keep using up a very small amount of electricity, NOT that it is an issue but if you use it regularly then it is OK but not using much you can connect and disconnect it. BUT be CAREFUL as if mishandled then the OBD 2 port will get damaged.

Are you sure about the battery drain? The phone can't find the device unless I switch on the power, if it was getting some power all the time wouldn't it show up on the phone?

[bblost]

My phone can either pair up with the headunit bluetooth or the obd.

Is there any way to overcome this limitation. Its a Samsung Galaxy Y Duos.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Another thing I have to check - is there any phone that supports the Bluetooth connection with ELM live as well as let you connect on the Phone Bluetooth function of infotainment at a time. After all, can't carry too many devices all along always!

I've tried using the ELM327 dongle and my Jabra BT headset at the same time, and it worked. I use Torque App on my LGE-960 running Android 4.3

Originally Posted by bblost

Can the dongle remain connected all the time?

It shouldn't cause any trouble, but since it draws power from the vehicle battery, removing it when you park the car for a few hours or more is a good idea.

Clearing error codes using the App will not cause any problems with the ECU maps. The dongle and the Torque app use only some generic commands. For anything specific to be done, there are manufacturer-specific protocols and commands, which are not easily available on such third party products.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Are you sure about the battery drain? The phone can't find the device unless I switch on the power, if it was getting some power all the time wouldn't it show up on the phone?

The phone can't find the device because it's BT is not activated. Doesn't mean that the device is not drawing any power since the BT is not active. I'm sure you'd see one of the LEDs start glowing the moment you plug it in.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Doesn't your current phone do this? OBD or the infotainment system may not allow 2 devices to connect but your phone should be able to connect to both, simultaneously.

Sorry, I missed to state this clearly - I use an iPhone and used wife's Android phone for two days to test OBD device I recently bought. Before I switch to an android device (for lack of better OBD app on iPhone like fun2drive or torque Pro), I must ensure that the phone I plan to buy will connect to my infotainment unit for handsfree phone interface as well as OBD device at a time.

While I was testing the OBD device, my iPhone4S did not show up the ELM OBD II in the available bluetooth device list for pairing. So I thought it won't work with my iPhone4S running iOS7!

Originally Posted by bblost

My phone can either pair up with the headunit bluetooth or the obd.

Is there any way to overcome this limitation. Its a Samsung Galaxy Y Duos.

There you are! Hope there is a solution, else I will not give away my iPhone for this ELM tool!

QUICK EDIT - seems like while I posted, @Silversteed answered this question Verdict is, a capable android phone can serve two!

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by silversteed

The phone can't find the device because it's BT is not activated. Doesn't mean that the device is not drawing any power since the BT is not active. I'm sure you'd see one of the LEDs start glowing the moment you plug it in.

Hmm, possible. Though the adapter I have doesn't have any LEDs, so I can't be sure if its drawing power or not. Will have to find out. If it indeed draws some current, its better to remove it when parking overnight.

Originally Posted by abirnale

Sorry, I missed to state this clearly - I use an iPhone and used wife's Android phone for two days to test OBD device I recently bought. Before I switch to an android device (for lack of better OBD app on iPhone like fun2drive or torque Pro), I must ensure that the phone I plan to buy will connect to my infotainment unit for handsfree phone interface as well as OBD device at a time.

While I was testing the OBD device, my iPhone4S did not show up the ELM OBD II in the available bluetooth device list for pairing. So I thought it won't work with my iPhone4S running iOS7!

Oh ok, got it! BTW, are you planning to switch to android just for the obd app/display? If yes, then I would suggest get a tab, if you must - now that older nexus 7 is going for 9/10k! But ya, you gotta check first if it works with both!