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OBD reader

Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 4:32 pm
by PLH
Can any body recommend a reasonable OBD reader and software for a 2008 2ltr dci. I borrowed one from a mate, but it did not read any sensors, the software said "unsupported".

Re: OBD reader

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:53 pm
by joeishmather
I bought a bluetooth one from ebay it was only £6 and came with some very good software for on the laptop.
All in all a great purchase. I will put a link up if your interested?

Re: OBD reader

Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:15 am
by crisp
Sorry for gatecrashing your post PLH,
joeishmather I would be interested in a link for a reasonable obd reader. Do you know if it would be compatible with a 2004 megane 1.9 dci
Thanks in advance for any reply.

Re: OBD reader

Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:28 pm
by joeishmather
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/281093683302

What do you want it to do, these will allow you to read various fault codes and general data, as it states in the eBay listing. The software it comes with installed onto your laptop allows for best use but I also use it with an app called torque on my android phone :-)

Any questions let me know!

Re: OBD reader

Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:33 am
by AlexB
Yes, ELM327 devices are good. One can do data logging with them, then plot live data graphs for further analysis. Just be aware that Chinese often falsely advertise these products as being of a higher version than they are, which doesn't make much (if any) difference. The above link, for example, points at v1.5, which does not exist at all.

The readers with Bluetooth can be used with an Android mobile phone, the others require a PC.

These devices use the publicly available open communication protocol. One can use them, for example, without any specialist software, just type ATI commands in the terminal. There exist many programmes that manipulate these ATI commands automatically and efficiently. So, just change the programme if you need more buttons or functions. There are a few low-level signalling protocols out there (K-line, CAN bus, etc.), all of which are supported by ELM327.

There exist OBD readers which are not interfaced to a computer. There are more expensive, have a limited set of functions and may not support all signalling protocols.

Finally, there exist proprietary diagnostic "laptops", e.g. Renault Clip, which use special software to access the manufacturer-specific functions, i.e. airbags, ABS, aircon, etc.

Re: OBD reader

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:20 am
by crisp
Thanks for the replies guys.
I'm only after a simple code reader just to find any simple to fix faults and hopefully fix them.
Anything more technical I will av to take car to a garage and let them sort it.