Recommend A Good/cheap Code Checker/obd Meter

[billy12345]

hi guys,

can you please recommend me a good code checker/obd meter or whatever you call it. I'm looking for one which is popular and if possible can be updated too. I don't mind connecting it to a laptop if it means more updates and support.

Also if possible, one which can have different plugs for different manufacturers would be great.

thanks

[Sam29]

hi guys,

can you please recommend me a good code checker/obd meter or whatever you call it. I'm looking for one which is popular and if possible can be updated too. I don't mind connecting it to a laptop if it means more updates and support.

Also if possible, one which can have different plugs for different manufacturers would be great.

thanks

If your laptop has built in bluetooth (BT) then get the one with bluetooth support and good thing will be that you can connect it with your phone and that makes it handy.

[billy12345]

i've got a bluetooth dongle that i use to connect my laptop to my mobile phone..is that any good?

Also i would be most grateful if someone could recommend a couple of manufacturer names of these devices and any accessories they think i'd need as i don't know what i'm looking for.

[timson]

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1311&_nkw=elm+327&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Iv'e got an Elm 327 and for the money is quite good, a bit limited.

[billy12345]

thanks very much timson,

thats a very cheap one, lol. I'm looking to pay upto £100 if its really good. I need a tool which can have updateable firmware/software.

[B3rtie]

Gendan Automotive - based in Wales and make a variety of units specifically for different makes or general checkers.

[Sam29]

thanks very much timson,

thats a very cheap one, lol. I'm looking to pay upto £100 if its really good. I need a tool which can have updateable firmware/software.

Well it all depends what you are after.

If you need all the basic readings and something to remove the codes, then go for ELM device with bluetooth.

So you can hook it with your laptop or phone.

The plus point is that you can use different softwares on your laptop and different interface.

However if you buy the unit with works on its own then you cant play a lot although that may give you bit of additional help.

Now the ball is in your court.

[billy12345]

@b3rtie - thanks very much, but can you recommend a model to me?

@sam - its mainly to read codes and reset any issues...prefer to buy a unit which connects to laptop, allowing more functionality. Also can cheap readers actually give you "reasonably detailed info" or is it very basic codes?

Can you recommend a model to me to buy?

Lastly with is my vehicle obdII compliant?

[Sam29]

@b3rtie - thanks very much, but can you recommend a model to me?

@sam - its mainly to read codes and reset any issues...prefer to buy a unit which connects to laptop, allowing more functionality. Also can cheap readers actually give you "reasonably detailed info" or is it very basic codes?

Can you recommend a model to me to buy?

Lastly with is my vehicle obdII compliant?

Search ELM327 on eBay. I think six months ago version 1.4 was out. See which one if out now. It should read and sort out the fault codes if you have one.

Cheers.

[B3rtie]

@b3rtie - thanks very much, but can you recommend a model to me?

@sam - its mainly to read codes and reset any issues...prefer to buy a unit which connects to laptop, allowing more functionality. Also can cheap readers actually give you "reasonably detailed info" or is it very basic codes?

Can you recommend a model to me to buy?

Lastly with is my vehicle OBDII compliant?

The box states the model as an EOBD Diagnostic Interface Multi-Protocol (no idea what that is) USB version

The software is Engine Check V 2.51 EOBD/OBDII Scan Tool

I think the unit and software together cost about £115-125

I have used it with a citroen (2001 Model year) and my Avensis (2002 Model year) both have the same port type in the dash - has worked well with both. The complexity of information fed back depends on the amount of data which the manufacturer builds into their ECU (E.G. the Citroen gives back less data than the Toyota). This model does not allow the user to modify or 'flash' the ECU to increase performance of the vehicle. It has allowed me to look up (via the web) the check light code and diagnose faults on two occasions. It is also able to switch off the light and run a report on the engine status. I will try provide some screan shots of the data which can be read off during checking - like oxygen sensor data/voltage, graphs, engine temp and RPM, fuel system status etc - However some of this I do not understand and this has to have been supported by the manufacturer when they developed the ECU features so some cars do not give full analysis.

Edit:

Screen shots here: http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_ENG327P.html, http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_STN327.html

[Sam29]

@b3rtie - thanks very much, but can you recommend a model to me?

@sam - its mainly to read codes and reset any issues...prefer to buy a unit which connects to laptop, allowing more functionality. Also can cheap readers actually give you "reasonably detailed info" or is it very basic codes?

Can you recommend a model to me to buy?

Lastly with is my vehicle OBDII compliant?

The box states the model as an EOBD Diagnostic Interface Multi-Protocol (no idea what that is) USB version

The software is Engine Check V 2.51 EOBD/OBDII Scan Tool

I think the unit and software together cost about £115-125

I have used it with a citroen (2001 Model year) and my Avensis (2002 Model year) both have the same port type in the dash - has worked well with both. The complexity of information fed back depends on the amount of data which the manufacturer builds into their ECU (E.G. the Citroen gives back less data than the Toyota). This model does not allow the user to modify or 'flash' the ECU to increase performance of the vehicle. It has allowed me to look up (via the web) the check light code and diagnose faults on two occasions. It is also able to switch off the light and run a report on the engine status. I will try provide some screan shots of the data which can be read off during checking - like oxygen sensor data/voltage, graphs, engine temp and RPM, fuel system status etc - However some of this I do not understand and this has to have been supported by the manufacturer when they developed the ECU features so some cars do not give full analysis.

Edit:

Screen shots here: http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_ENG327P.html, http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_STN327.html

Very good tool and thanks to you who posted. No offence, but if you can do all this for £25, do you really need to spend 115-125?

I have ELM327 and I hook it with my laptop, netbook, Maemo and Android phone. Beauty is when you have your phone, and any of your colleague ask you to check their car, take out your phone, hook it to ELM with bluetooth and get the codes / reset them.....

Awsome!

[junebug1701]

hi guys,

can you please recommend me a good code checker/obd meter or whatever you call it. I'm looking for one which is popular and if possible can be updated too. I don't mind connecting it to a laptop if it means more updates and support.

Also if possible, one which can have different plugs for different manufacturers would be great.

thanks

Billy, I just recently bought one of the ELM327 bluetooth units from Amazon.com. I use it with my Toshiba laptop and it works a treat. You get far more information than with a regular scan tool. If you have an Android phone there is an app called Torque that works very well with it. Read my review with lots of pictures here:

Review Of Elm327 Wireless Obdii Code Scanner

[mintalkin]

one of the best handhelds for the money.

http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_GCR25.html

[billy12345]

@ Sam - thanks for the recommendation. I really like this, but i need to clarify a couple of things as there are so many versions on eBay.

1. Do all the elm327 have bluetooth?

2. Are they CAN protocol compliant?

3. On eBay, sellers use all sorts of titles, so how can i tell from so many which is the latest model?

@ B3rtie - thanks again mate, but i'd be paying a premium price for something which is a simple handheld scanner and has no better functionality than an Elm327, right?

@ junbug1701 - thanks for the info. How did you find out what the current version is?

@ mintalkin - why is that? does it do any extra functions that a Elm327 can't do?

thanks everyone

PS: Is this the latest version?:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Latest--OBD-2-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reader/dp/B004WC5944/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310289783&sr=8-4

[junebug1701]

@ junbug1701 - thanks for the info. How did you find out what the current version is?

@ mintalkin - why is that? does it do any extra functions that a Elm327 can't do?

thanks everyone

PS: Is this the latest version?:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Latest--OBD-2-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reader/dp/B004WC5944/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310289783&sr=8-4

NO! Stay away from that version. It's a Chinese clone that mimics the ELM chip. The latest version of the ELM 327 is v1.4a. That's the one I have.

[billy12345]

@ junbug1701 - thanks for the info. How did you find out what the current version is?

@ mintalkin - why is that? does it do any extra functions that a Elm327 can't do?

thanks everyone

PS: Is this the latest version?:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Latest--OBD-2-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reader/dp/B004WC5944/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310289783&sr=8-4

NO! Stay away from that version. It's a Chinese clone that mimics the ELM chip. The latest version of the ELM 327 is v1.4a. That's the one I have.

Thanks for informing me. I've just had a look at www.elmelectronics.com website and it states:-

There is no ELM327 v1.4a !

Some clone makers have introduced what they call a 'v1.4a',

but we have never made one, and do not plan to make one.

According to them the latest version is 1.4b

have a look here:- http://elmelectronics.com/obdic.html#ELM327

[Sam29]

@ Sam - thanks for the recommendation. I really like this, but i need to clarify a couple of things as there are so many versions on ebay.

1. Do all the elm327 have bluetooth?

2. Are they CAN protocol compliant?

3. On ebay, sellers use all sorts of titles, so how can i tell from so many which is the latest model?

1- Not all of them have BT, you may get some with USB. SO go for BT one.

2- No

3- You checked it yourself. Get one from UK and it should be alrite.

[billy12345]

thanks for letting me know Sam29. I'm sure that to avoid problems, you have to have a "CAN" compliant obd. Can anyone confirm if this is the case pls?

[billy12345]

Really :censor:

Thanks to all that helped me here, i decided to order the Elm 327 from eBay. The seller has messed me about for the last few weeks and i still haven't received it, so i've cancelled the transaction and left him back bad feedback today.

Now the problem is that i have chosen a different seller (warehouse-diagnostics) and he not only has several different types of Elm 327, but also says in his ad that the elm won't work with 16 pin connectors.

Could someone kindly tell me which Elm 327 they recommend from his items list on eBay as they all look very similar to me other than the pricing.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?rt=nc&LH_BIN=1&_sc=1&_sop=2&_ssn=warehouse-diagnostics&_trksid=p3911.c0.m301

Also could someone please confirm what type of connector my vehicle has by looking at the photo below and tell me if this is ok with the chosen elm item:-

Thanks very much

PS: I'm desperate as i had the EML come on two days ago

[timson]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-BASED-CAR-DIAGNOSTIC-SCANNER-CODE-READER-RESET-OBD2-/200559589924?pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2eb2487a24

[billy12345]

thanks very much Timson.

I've bought it, so just have to wait for delivery. Whilst I await, could you or anyone else pls tell me:-

1. In the previous post photo, is that what an obd2 connector looks like?

EDIT: I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! That purchase i've made on eBay is to a normal usb version of the Elm 327 and not the bluetooth version. Although i'm gonna try to change the purchase if the seller agrees, is that gonna be a problem software wise as i don't really need to use a phone on it?

[junebug1701]

thanks very much Timson.

I've bought it, so just have to wait for delivery. Whilst I await, could you or anyone else pls tell me:-

1. In the previous post photo, is that what an obd2 connector looks like?

EDIT: I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! That purchase i've made on ebay is to a normal usb version of the Elm 327 and not the bluetooth version. Although i'm gonna try to change the purchase if the seller agrees, is that gonna be a problem software wise as i don't really need to use a phone on it?

Billy, your OBDII connector looks just like mine:

It's hard to tell from your picture which connector holes have pins fitted. For CAN bus the connector must have pins 4, 5, 6, 14, and 16.

It looks like the software they are sending you is Digimoto which is a nice package. I only hope it's the full package and not a limited trial version:

[billy12345]

thanks junebug...

doesn't your connector look different than mine?

here is another shot:-

Also whats the difference between the usb2 and the bluetooth version?

[billy12345]

Just to update, the guy i purchased the elm off has been kind enough to refund me the paypal money.

I've now seen this one here:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120696700750

This guys says that it will work on all diesel vehicles from jan 2004 onwards and my vehicle is registered 02/01/2004. I've emailed him to ensure this is safe, otherwise its full steam ahead.

Oh what software is the one he's showing?

[junebug1701]

Billy, your connector looks almost exactly like mine--they are totally compatible. The difference between USB and bluetooth is that BT doesn't need a cable. That eBay code reader looks exactly like mine, and I have the same USB dongle which I bought for less than 3 dollars. If your laptop has BT, you won't need it. As for what software comes with it, it's hard to say from the pictures--I don't recognize it.