Quote Originally Posted by schmenke View Post
Thanks airshifter. That's the part I didn't quite understand. Is this some kind of dongle that needs to be plugged into the ODB port? :cornfused:
Yes, you plug an adapter into the OBD port. In the case of Apple phones I think all apps that I know of use Wifi for some reason, while Android devices use Bluetooth. This way you have the ability to read and in some cases take snapshots of live data without cables. Some of the apps have a lot of features, and you can reset and read codes, see live data outputs such as engine temp, timing, ect. Support varies car to car but on some you can see data that isn't usually displayed even in gauge form on the car, like transmission fluid temperature.

For the low cost of the adapter and software (often the advanced version software is a few bucks while the basic is free) it's worth it the first time you use it to read or reset a code. If you had some type of phone dock in the car, you could also use it to display data while on the go. Lots of possibilities.

Just do a little digging on the software and adapter. Some software has support forums and lots of users, so they did up all kinds of tricks that might not even be documented, as well as resolve bugs with certain cars. The adapters for the most part work, but some are just easier to deal with. A little searching will often find that you can buy a very cheap adapter and have it still function as well as the ones costing $100.

The one I used had a grand total for adapter, shipping and software of under $20, and it worked great.



I'm actually surprised in a motorsports forums that we don't have more people that use such things and turn their own wrenches. I actually usually LIKE working on our cars. Even when it's a needed repair rather than just regular maintenance I get satisfaction out of knowing I'm saving a chunk of money while doing something I enjoy.