so I decided to go the cheaper route than the ultra gauge.... I bought the ELM 327 OBDII bluetooth adapter and the torque app for android.

21.82 for adapter shipped priority
4.99 torque app on android market

total of about 27 dollars and I am tickled to death. cleared my CEL p1193. this app tracks everything you could ask for and has a navigation feature built in for gps enabled devices. I have been worrying about temps since I have been battling with a leaky expansion tank so now I can keep track and log my temps. Only negative thing I have to say about the app is it is a slight delay with things like rpm. but for me who really wants it for the code reading/clearing ability and to track mpg's as well as engine temp this is amazing.. I will probably break down and get the ultra gauge at some point but for now this is awesome... I told you guys I would report back finding so here they are.. I will continue to update as I discover more about the app and its capabilities as well as limitations... Im sure the adapter is probably the weak part of the equation... Torque app surpassed all my expectations so far....

 

Does it report battery voltage?

 

It does!!!

 

I got a generic adapter and this app as well for my VW, though I haven't really played with it since I don't drive the VW much. Any tips/tricks for setting up useful displays?

 

Well, now that you can read MPG and other things, you could experiment like those cheap chip companies that insert a resistor in line with the IAT sensor, to fool the ECU about temperature of incoming air. The stock unit varies from 23000 ohms at -30 C to 290 ohms at 80 C. So you could insert a variable resistor, watch mpg while crusing, and fine tune. Who knows, might save some mpg.

Specs for sensor:

• NTC type sensor
• Retards ignition timing above 55°C (131°F)
• Range = 23k-W at -30 °C (-22°F) to 290W at 80°C (176°F)

• Located in air cleaner housing

 

well on the realtime information screen....(assuming you have a touch screen phone) you can swipe to another page from the default gauges.. once you do this you simply hit the menu button then add display... you can then go through the list and decide which readouts you want.. Personally I have my coolant temp, realtime MPG, average long term MPG, RPMS, but that is the beauty of this app you can make your display have whatever you want.. you can track you average 0-60mph time if you want !!!!!!!!!!

 

I've been using the same system for about a year. It's a much better option than the dedicated OBD II reader with codes only and the Torque software on Android just gets better and better. The logging capability is amazing for looking back over a trip and analysing the full readings of the OBD and troubleshooting.

Well recommended for everyone on this forum !

 

I purchased a bluetooth OBD2 reader just like that one a while back from EBay as well. It worked great at first but then after quite a bit of use one some different cars I learned there were many it did not support. After doing some research I was able to locate a seller here in the states that has them for just under $30 but it gets much much better reviews than those EBAY cheapies and so far has worked on EVERY car I have tested it on If you run into problem with that one I would suggest getting the one from here: http://bafxpro.com/Elm327-type-Bluetooth-OBD2-Scan-Tool-For-Android-or-laptops-2.htm

 

Any fancy gadgets for OBD1 systems?

 

I bought the same bluetooth hardware and it works with a free program for Windows that I downloaded called ODB2crazy, but I lack all those advanced features Torque has. Anybody know of a reasonably priced software package for Windows XP/7.