# elm327 scanner question



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I use http://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products...ie=UTF8&qid=1434924503&sr=8-2&keywords=elm327. I had a little problem getting it to sync the first time but after that no issues at all. Don't forget to pair the adapter with your phone before trying to use it. I use Torque Lite.


----------



## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

He bought them chineese 1 s ..... BAFX is what you want for trouble free operation ..


----------



## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

The BAFX one obermd linked works perfectly for me as well.


----------



## Cruzin' 6th Gear (Mar 12, 2014)

I'm using the cheap one. Bought it expecting it not to work but after I got past the initial setup it worked fine. Is this the one you have? I'm using it with Torque Pro.
http://www.amazon.com/Version-Bluet...ie=UTF8&qid=1434937593&sr=8-5&keywords=elm327


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I use the same one as Obermd, no issues.


EDIT: I should add if it sticks out to much for you(I've kick mine a few times getting out of the car), you can unclip the OBDII port from the bottom of dash and ziptie the OBDII port and dongle up and out of the way under the dash.


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

I am using this one

Vgate Icar 2 Mini ELM327 OBD2 OBDII Bluetooth Adapter Scanner Torque Android | eBay

Has a power switch on it so can leave it plugged in all the time. I only buy from US sellers, they will send you out another one if if doesn't work, but it worked the first time and still works.

Also had zero success with Chinese sellers. Paid the $4.95 for Torque Pro, well worth it, also shows hidden codes.

I switched from a Motorola to a Samsung phone, my Motorola did not like the free ride I gave it in my washing machine. Went to my google site, and downloaded Torque Pro for free, only paid the $4.95 once.

How does it work? It works great, at least for me, not guessing when the CEL comes on and know exactly the problem Only had to pair my phone once.


----------



## ace2123 (Jan 17, 2015)

brian v said:


> He bought them chineese 1 s ..... BAFX is what you want for trouble free operation ..


I bought the BAFX one also... but it's also made in China


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

This is what Torque has to say on this subject, in general when looking for software, you have to find the hardware to run it.

https://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Bluetooth_Adapters

200 bucks is kind of steep, and they all are made in China. Three ways to hook it up, USB, Bluethooth, now WiFi. Ha, when I first got my Samsung Galaxy S4 smart phone my Motorola USB cable, identical was sitting next to my computer. Computer couldn't even find it, switched to the Samsung, worked instantly. Who in the heck knows what's going on?

Seem to have a bunch of WiFi junk, none of them have problems hooking up with the internet, but talking to each other can drive me nuts. So elected to stick with Bluetooth, smart phone is paired with seven different devices and works just fine.

What can I say good about the Vgate iCar? It came in an Apple type of box, to nice to toss in the trashcan with full colored instructions, and 22 bucks wasn't a bad price.

Some else I noted about it, but not tested yet. with ignition and the iCar on, phone off, if I tap on the brake pedal, ABS pump seems to be running for a second, each tap, hit it ten times, ran for a second each time. Maybe I can use this to bleed my brakes.

All we can do is to share experiences. Grew up in an era when we had standardization, they sure kicked this out the door. And how can you use USB when the adapter doesn't even have a USB port? So we are left to play and play with it.

See Torque did add the vGate WiFi unit to their list, but not the bluetooth, said it gets warm, but nothing about whether it works or not. Could work with one cell phone, but not another, who knows?


----------



## corvairbob (Dec 17, 2012)

thanks but i don't have the phone. i have 2 laptops 2 tablets 2 chromebooks. no smarts phones. i don't use a phone can't hear with them. so i would like to find one of these that will work with what i have. and as it turned out the tablets would not down load the torque pro and run it. they kept saying i do not have a device. and they both are android tablets. i asked torque about that and they did not give ma any answer you had better luck there. like i said i could not get the blue tooth to connect to the tablets it would connect to the chromebook but not the laptops. my laptops run windows xp and 7 one each the tablets are uniden and polorid both android . so ow i have been searchinf for a program first and then asking the authors if it runs on any of the devices ihave. before i bouy it. or if they have demo's to try most don't and if they did will not say? by the way i did get a refund from the china units one i had to smash and send a picture of it smashed. now i leaning towards the usb connected one but that is why i asked the question. so now i will look into the units mentioned and ask the sites about there products. thanks


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

On an android device, you go go google play store and buy the torque app. If you don't want to give a credit card number go to Walmart and buy a google play card, $15 is the smallest you can buy. 

I use the torque app on my Nexus 7 tablet with the above mentioned bluetooth dongle and the torque app without issue. Make sure you go into your tablet setting and enable the bluetooth connection also.


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

There is also a torque lite that's a scaled back version of the overall torque app. Torque lite is free and that's what I use.


----------



## corvairbob (Dec 17, 2012)

well i tried the obd 2007 software that they said would work and nothing. i'm thinking my scan tool is a junk one from china. and the bluetooth one i had failed to work on those tablets. that one may have been a junk one as well. but now i'm gun shy at getting one. being that next one may fail me as well. i was thinking of a usb connection so at least i will have a solid connection to the laptops. then if it fails i will just give up and bet a regular scanner that will clear codes and that is all. i was kind of hoping to find software that would let me look at the abs and transmission codes as well. the forscan will do that but for the ford rangers. some here talk about the bfax but that is bluetooth and i did not see any software with it. at this point i would want to get a device that comes with software too.


----------



## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I'm guessing your tablets don't have a Bluetooth connection.


----------



## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

I bought a couple of cheapies on-line, they would sometimes work.

Spent the money on one from Scantool (http://scantool.net/), it works, all the time, with 'phones and Android tablets and winders peecees.


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Purchased a relatively 50 buck 7" tablet for my 3 year old grandson for last Christmas, so he didn't have to fight with his older sister to use their parents ipad. Could install Torque Pro on it, has both WiFi and bluetooth. Since I already paid for it, was a free download, it worked, is an android as google calls it.

But took it off and downloaded a bunch of kid games on it.

Guess I could also try my wife's ipad 4, but have to go to Apple and pay another $4.95 for it, have just about all the same stuff as google.

To the best of my knowledge, they call these apps, anything you can download on a smart phone, can also download on a tablet. But to have code explanations with a tablet, have to be within WiFi range, can't do this on the road, least not yet, but see the newer vehicles have this. Smart phones can source bluetooth, WiFi, and data where this cost an arm and a leg to pay for. Where a tablet can only source WiFi and bluetooth.

A smartphone will work if within cell phone range, but you pay for this but also need an electronic microscope to read the screen. Where you get a large picture with a tablet, but no data.

We are on a family share data plan limited to 10 GB per month, our daughter gets 9.9 GB, wife about a 1 MB, but I am only entitled to use 1 KB per month, so I have to make sure I am within WiFi range.


----------



## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Hey guys BAFX makes a wifi scanner also !


----------



## corvairbob (Dec 17, 2012)

thanks but my tablets do have bluetooth. i'm just thinking i got taken on both the devices. then i got ahold of obd2007 and the trial version of the program from the maker or a salesman last night and he sent me the software and the key and the scanner failed so i think that scanner is junk. i will just get the scanner and software from him and then i should have a complete unit that works.. thanks


----------



## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

Nick D
Sounds like you need to cut the daughter off at about 9 GB ... so you and your wife can share that last gig of data. I have a shared data plan with 30 GB of data shared by 5 people using 7 devices. My still living at home, jobless, leaching off us, 20-year old step-son regularly use 20+ gig of the shared plan ... and if he can't pay for it (which is hard to do without a job) he gets cut off after 8 gigs of data use. I figure if I'm the one paying for it, I'll get to have the capability to use my fair share from the bucket-o-data.


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

All I had to do was to get on the internet with my cell phone company, and limit their usage. They don't tell you this stuff, have to search for it.

Hit us for 15 bucks if we go one byte over, but no refunds if we are 6GB under, but did cut our bill by 40 bucks a month due to competition.


----------



## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

Anyone able to get trans temps with your apps with bafx?


----------

