Automotive Apps for iPhone & Android

Yes.

I had 15 bucks laying around, so I bought this app ($5) and a bluetooth OBD II scanner (~$10). After waiting for the scanner to come from China, I got it and tried it out today.

The Good: You can read and clear most codes. Accurate real time info on pretty much everything (RPM, temperature, speed, acceleration, etc.). Cheap compared to buying an actual code scanner. Maps and graphs show where you were, how fast you were going, highest RPM, highest speed, most G's pulled, etc.

The Bad: It didn't tell me anything about my airbag light (I didn't really expect it to). The bluetooth module can be a little bit finnicky, especially when you go to show it off to your friends.

I plan on trying out some acceleration runs and dialing everything in tomorrow as far as my car's profile (you have to enter the weight, displacement, how much gas you have, how big your tank is, etc). Overall if you have an android device I highly suggest this app. I plan on buying an android headunit over the summer to be used with this instead of my phone.

Best thing that app/scanner will do for you is display knock values. Everything outside of that is just novelty.

charlieRobinson wrote:

Best thing that app/scanner will do for you is display knock values. Everything outside of that is just novelty.

I like to monitor many parameters - STFT, LTFT, trans fluid temp and more. Not a novelty at all - quite useful data if you have begun modding. Trans fluid temp is never a 'novelty'. You want to know... you just don't know you want to yet.

I guess what I was trying to say, is, visualizing the knock sensor's values is most critical. At least to me, anyways.

Most of the stuff is admittedly a novelty. However there are some useful parameters you can monitor. Update on the app. The trip reset button causes the engine to bog down and the oil light to come on.

matt270avian wrote:

Most of the stuff is admittedly a novelty. However there are some useful parameters you can monitor. Update on the app. The trip reset button causes the engine to bog down and the oil light to come on.

LOL no it does not. The app is output only. It only displays parameters. It's not telling your engine or PCM to do anything. It's a one-way street, man.

The only thing my app can actually do is clear codes. It can not effect anything else like Charlie says. Everything else is just information being provided to the app.

^affect

Grammar Nazi

charlieRobinson wrote:

The app is output only. It only displays parameters. It's not telling your engine or PCM to do anything. It's a one-way street, man.

So the torque app can't clear codes?

It can. It cleared mine just fine. It's just the trip reset that wouldn't work.

Then it is definitely not a "one way street"... If it can send commands to clear codes, it can send anything it wants to the PCM. The question is what else did they program it to be able to send?

The torque app is only able to clear codes. Everything else is information it gives you. I have the Torque app and the PLX OBDII reader. I'm pretty sure I've used the trip reset and never had a problem. I can check it out when I go to lunch in an hour.

I checked mine during lunch and it doesn't do anything to the car. That trip on the program should not even be getting any information from the car anyway. It most likely uses your phones GPS.

Im wondering if theres an app that could read KR boost etc

highwaywarrior wrote:

Im wondering if theres an app that could read KR boost etc

There's an app for that.

Let me rephrase that before before people get all uppity and shit... I have a samsung galaxy tablet and an ipod touch, which torque app seems to be the best in your experiences

There's only 1 Torque app i'm aware of for Droid. Get that one. You are going to love it!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque&hl=en

That looks awesome thanks

Just a little warning for everyone out there;
Don't buy the cheap bluetooth adapters off of eBay. They can (and in my case will) cause issues. Personally my car would not start with the adapter inserted and would drive weirdly with it (flashing lights and juddering mainly). A quote from Torque's website.

Quote :

Generic bluetooth adapter from ebay, generally alright but some can suffer from build quality issues affecting reliability, and causing strange things to happen like engines refusing to start. Try to avoid if you can

Read more: http://torque-bhp.com/software/torque-android-obd2-adapters/

Only problem I had with the cheap ones was that it wouldn't give me much information. The PLX is so much better and worth the money.

I would, but for the price of the Kiwi I would rather just get an aeroforce.

i got lucky no probs out of mine

New info: Don't buy any adapter that claims to be an ELM327 Version 1.5. Version 1.5 doesn't actually exist, it's just a marketing ploy to get you to buy the "latest and greatest". Get a 1.3 if you're just going to use it for diagnostics or get a 1.4 if you plan to leave it permanently connected (1.4 has a smart power saving mode).