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I experimented with OBD-II devices for a while, paired with a phone app like Torque, and I found that the lower-level information (e.g. data about any particula

by jawns 9y ago

I experimented with OBD-II devices for a while, paired with a phone app like Torque, and I found that the lower-level information (e.g. data about any particular air sensor) just wasn't interesting or useful to me. And other useful info (e.g. speed) I can get from my dash or other sources. Where these devices come in extremely handy, however, is by allowing you to look up the opaque fault codes that your car's computer produces when something goes wrong. For $10-$20 off eBay or similar online stores, you can get a device that will tell you, for instance, when you have a cylinder misfire without having to go to a mechanic. (You may have to go to a mechanic to get it fixed, but at least you'll have a rough idea what needs fixing.)

ocdtrekkie 9y ago
Some mechanics charge you $120 literally just to plug in their OBD2 adapter and read the code, so yeah, even if it saves you one diagnostic fee, it's a bargain. Note that Hotz is claiming his readers will do a lot more than the conventional ones you've seen before. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen.
- blackguardx 9y ago
  Most auto parts stores will read the codes for you for free. Some will even loan you tools to fix your car. They are in the business of selling parts and are happy to sell you whatever part you need to fix the problem.
  - icantdrive55 9y ago
    Those are just basic data readers. It's hit, or miss whether they will go into the Power train computer, ABS, or even the entertainment system. It this guys dongle can get into pripriority systems, and read all power train, ABS sensors; I'll buy it. You can get pretty good OB2 readers from China. They supposedly get into proprietary systems(don't know how they do it), but are better than paying for a dealership tool, or a Snap-on subscription.
  - cr0sh 9y ago
    The nice thing about Torque and an OBD-II dongle is the fact that it can help you diagnose those "random" issues that only happen occasionally. You set up Torque into logging mode, clear your codes, turn on the GPS and mapping, and drive away. When your car does "that thing" take a note of the time, then when you get home, go back thru the logs around that time mark, and take a look at all the sensor data, plus any thrown codes. If you know your car, and understand what is going on, it can help you to narrow down the diagnosis. While a regular code reader (or getting the codes read) will help you by giving you the codes, being able to get the codes, timestamped in a log along with sensor data can go much farther in telling you where a particular problem lies. While there are other code readers out there that will do this logging and tracking too, they typically cost hundreds or thousands of dollars - well out of the price range of most home mechanics. There are many other things that Torque can do or be used for (for instance, virtual gauges are a nice feature - you can set up an Android tablet with a cluster of them giving you much more feedback than you can get from your regular dash instrument cluster, and it's cheaper and easier than setting up a bunch of physical gauges on a stock vehicle).
palmerit 9y ago
if all you care about is rpm's and high level stuff, I absolutely agree. a $10 bluetooth dongle is more the sufficient. However, data about any particular sensor becomes significantly more intersting if you look at the bigger picture comma.ai is presenting. with their openpilot platform (ie, the actual self driving code/product) it needs to know what those sensors are reporting. ie, is the radar reporting an object in front of you? panda+cabana allows joe user to identify (and report back to the project) what they are seeing on the CAN bus.. so it can be catalogged and added to the database for all the thousands of different vehicle makes/models on the road.
- meh2frdf 9y ago
  Hmmm not seen many cars with radar?

by jawns 9y ago

ocdtrekkie 9y ago

Some mechanics charge you $120 literally just to plug in their OBD2 adapter and read the code, so yeah, even if it saves you one diagnostic fee, it's a bargain. Note that Hotz is claiming his readers will do a lot more than the conventional ones you've seen before. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen.

blackguardx 9y ago
Most auto parts stores will read the codes for you for free. Some will even loan you tools to fix your car. They are in the business of selling parts and are happy to sell you whatever part you need to fix the problem.
- icantdrive55 9y ago
  Those are just basic data readers. It's hit, or miss whether they will go into the Power train computer, ABS, or even the entertainment system. It this guys dongle can get into pripriority systems, and read all power train, ABS sensors; I'll buy it. You can get pretty good OB2 readers from China. They supposedly get into proprietary systems(don't know how they do it), but are better than paying for a dealership tool, or a Snap-on subscription.
- cr0sh 9y ago
  The nice thing about Torque and an OBD-II dongle is the fact that it can help you diagnose those "random" issues that only happen occasionally. You set up Torque into logging mode, clear your codes, turn on the GPS and mapping, and drive away. When your car does "that thing" take a note of the time, then when you get home, go back thru the logs around that time mark, and take a look at all the sensor data, plus any thrown codes. If you know your car, and understand what is going on, it can help you to narrow down the diagnosis. While a regular code reader (or getting the codes read) will help you by giving you the codes, being able to get the codes, timestamped in a log along with sensor data can go much farther in telling you where a particular problem lies. While there are other code readers out there that will do this logging and tracking too, they typically cost hundreds or thousands of dollars - well out of the price range of most home mechanics. There are many other things that Torque can do or be used for (for instance, virtual gauges are a nice feature - you can set up an Android tablet with a cluster of them giving you much more feedback than you can get from your regular dash instrument cluster, and it's cheaper and easier than setting up a bunch of physical gauges on a stock vehicle).

palmerit 9y ago

if all you care about is rpm's and high level stuff, I absolutely agree. a $10 bluetooth dongle is more the sufficient. However, data about any particular sensor becomes significantly more intersting if you look at the bigger picture comma.ai is presenting. with their openpilot platform (ie, the actual self driving code/product) it needs to know what those sensors are reporting. ie, is the radar reporting an object in front of you? panda+cabana allows joe user to identify (and report back to the project) what they are seeing on the CAN bus.. so it can be catalogged and added to the database for all the thousands of different vehicle makes/models on the road.

meh2frdf 9y ago
Hmmm not seen many cars with radar?