For Android Phones / Tablets - Bluetooh OBD2 Scanner / Code Reader

This is the best auto accessory going for anyone with any kind of Bluetooth enabled android device and a vehicle made after 1996. Overall, for the price of a very basic scanner from AutoZone or the like you can purchase this and Torque, which gives you a much more functional diagnostic tool. This scanning tool alone will do nothing for you ... you MUST have a Bluetooth enabled ANDROID (Phone/Tablet) or WINDOZE (Laptop/Slate?) device and a decent software package (none of which is included here). I recommend, and prefer, ANDROID. Most of the bad reviews I have read center software not the device. I have paired my device with my laptop (Windows 7), 2 android tablets and cellular phone with no issues. I have profiles for multiple vehicles in Torque and DashCommand, also with no problems. I tossed the CD that came with this as soon as I opened the packaging... it only contains "evaluation" versions of windows based software, and I do not think that it is fair to judge the functionality of this unit based on third party software anyway. The Head unit in my Truck actually has support for DashCommand installed so it is convenient, but I prefer Torque. PRO: 1. Pairs with all of my Android (2.4, 3.0 and 4.1) devices (only 1 can be active at a time) 2. Nearly no lag when configured properly 3. No problems with any of my vehicles (Nissan, GMC, AUDI) I have heard of issues with Ford, but I believe it is a software issue, not an issue with this ELM327 device. 4. With the right software can clear codes which trip the Check Engine/Service Engine Soon (CEL/SES) lights. (Will save you about $100 if you have a dealer or auto shop do it for you). Some states will not "Safety Check" a vehicle with the CEL/SES lit even if it is a BS error from a loose gas cap. 5. Continuous, close enough to be real-time, engine data can be displayed on demand while driving. (Torque can math your fuel efficiency, HP, and torque output from the engine data) Just be aware that some of the data used in the equation will come from the accelerometer in your android device and should be viewed with at least some skepticism. CON: 1. A bit larger than it appears it the pictures, If you intend to drive with this connected take a look at where your OBD2 connection is under your dash and be aware that this thing is going to need about 4 inches of clearance. 2. WILL DRAW POWER from your battery even when the engine is off ... do not leave it plugged in 24/7. I do not believe THIS model has any power saving features, there are others that do ... but I know THIS ONE works with everything I own. Regarding diagnostic codes: The Torque application has a database of diagnostic codes and will generally tell you, in relatively plain language, what the code means. Many cheap ($50 or less) scanners do not do this, you are simply presented a code which you then have to look up yourself. WARNING: If you are going to use this to clear CEL/SES lights make sure you keep a record of the codes you clear, and when you clear them. Most software packages include a utility to log error codes and save them before you clear them ... USE IT. If a code returns shortly after it has been cleared (even if it is once a week) it is a legitimate problem that needs attention. Also, having backups of any codes you clear can assist a mechanic trouble shoot any problems. DANGER : If your check engine light is CONTINUOUSLY FLASHING you should shut the engine off SOMETHING BAD HAS HAPPENED, read, but DO NOT clear the codes. At this point you should have your vehicle towed to a repair shop. If you backed up the codes you will have your own record to balance what a repair shop is going to tell you the problem is.

Amazing! It does Nearly everything I need it to. I have been researching an issue with it not displaying the Fuel trim values. It shows up green in the Torque app as an available sensored data but it stays flatlined without ever changing. 97 Ford Ranger 4.0 L Likes: I love the digital gauges it can provide. My truck does not have an RPM gauge so that is really handy. The code reading mode works great. I am using this to chase down a p0171 code...its been hard but without this tool i would have nothing to go on other than a shaky engine. The price is really low for a tool that can do so much. I highly recommend this tool, it has wealths of information in it and its so easy to use! Update: I have had issues as stated above with the fuel trims and O2 sensor data. I did contact the seller on this issue to see if they have heard anything, and that was their first time. Their concern was immediately supportive and wanted to replace the unit and examine it to make sure it met all of their HIGH QUALITY standards and immediately sent me a new unit and a return package to send the old back. So I did and that was followed with still having issues with the O2 and fuel trims so I assumed it was a limitation. I then stumbled into a forum post stating that Ford has "Ford Enhanced" diagnostics separate from standard OBD2 so I looked more on that and found that to be a possible avenue of research. SO I dug harder and then just a few days ago OBD Fusion on the app store came out with an update and I didnt think anything of it ( I tried a lot of different apps to see if I could make it work better and no results) BUT ODB fusion had updated to include FORD ENHANCED modes! This did cost $10.00 but heck i tried it out and then selected all that i wanted to measure and sure enough BAM the fuel trims were alive on the dials!! also they include a lot of fault checks and from there i was able to narrow it down to a contaminated 1st injector!!! I am troubleshooting fatigued so i wanted to let everyone know about this, because the next step i have been looking at taking was buying a $200 scanner that does live data for Fords when this works just as good i reckon. I would like to say I am just a average user and i am not affiliated with OBD Fusion in any way at all and I am not received anything to update this review. I only wanted to let others know, don't be rigid in any way when looking for answers, Toque is great but i got stuck in the mindset that Torque was gospel and my truck was more defective than I thought. And a huge shout out to the creators of this device and the support team. They are awesome!

I do quite a bit of work on my Jeep and wanted to pick up a OBDII reader to aid with diagnostics of any issues I would run in to. I settled on this one as it was highly rated and appeared to be the best bang for the buck. I made sure that it worked with both my vehicles as well as Torque on my phone and then it sat and sat. I did use it briefly when I first got it to play around with MPG and other readings but it has mostly just sat in my Jeep. Low and behold though I had to drive 8 hours down to Georgia and about 2 hours into my trip I see the engine light pop on and my thermostat shot up to 260+. I pull over on the side of the road to see radiator fluid all over the side of the Jeep. This happened at least one more time before I started to drive 55mph and monitor with this OBDII scanner. I watched my temp gauge like a hawk in Torque and made sure to take it easy the rest of the trip. Turns out it was most likely a bad radiator cap not keeping pressure in the system. I also was able to see that cylinder 3 is likely suffering from heat soak when I'm doing highway mileage and speeds. While it was not crucial to getting where I needed to go it did give me an ease of mind and made me feel better about the rest of the drive down there. I was also able to diagnose a problem that I would probably have been unaware of and will now be able to fix. I am giving it only 4 stars as it is pretty big and clunky. It also is in an always on state in the Jeep with no option to turn it off if I want to leave it plugged in. Other than those two minor issues which is probably on par with many of the other readers out there I have had absolutely no problems with this device and it has worked as expected every single time. The pairing with my phone was extremely easy and it is very very simple to use.

Works awesomely. Gotta say I love it, it works as it should and far beyond what I ever thought. Of course part of that is the app you use to display info to you, if you use a crap app then you get crap results. I use the torque lite, still debating on goin to pro version lite does all I need but may go pro just to support it. After doing quite a bit of research on these adapters to be sure I got what I wanted since you cant trust so many of the reviews mostly due to peoples ignorance of the product and its functions, I was able to find a top 10 obd2 scanner list. The list had both the handheld ones and these adapters. I already have a hand held one and it works perfectly fine but the adapter type interested me and I'm glad for making the choice to try it out. So much of the info is far more understandable and useable with this adapter and the torque app. watching everything function in real time as well as thanks to torque being able to put all the info you want to see on the same page makes life so much easier, diagnosing issues becomes much more accurate and quicker when you see it all function. Instead of seeing the code and what may cause it then going through the causes to find the correct one to fix, your able to see it all on your phone or whatever you use and pinpoint the issue like which O2 sensor when you have multiple culprits or that it actually is the cat making the O2 look bad. I chose this adapter because on the top 10 list when looking only at the adapters on it this one is the 3rd best adapter first 2 being a little to expensive for me especially not being sure at the time that I would get what I want out of it and the fourth best one only works on American built cars, since I work on many vehicles that one wasn't an option. All other adapters (no more on top ten list) I found were insufficient in many ways, main way was not working on many vehicles and it didn't seem like the manufacturers knew which ones it might work on. One major thing you must understand is that this adapter tells you whatever your car tells it and not all vehicles are programmed to send the same info through to the obd2 and you can see this yourself by plugging it into different vehicles for example my '08 jeep liberty doesn't send mass air flow rate info to obd2 so on torque app it says no data, however on my friends '08 Pontiac grand prix that info is sent through obd2 and so it shows on the display. If info you want doesn't show don't blame the adapter because it tells you all it can which is whatever car tells it. Other thing is this adapter is receiving info from your vehicles, it is not making its own calculations and figuring things out then sending it to your phone, it receives info from the ecu then adapts to be able to send said info to your device to be read by the app you use. So for those of you saying it sends wrong/incorrect info think again, if it were sending bad info that means the ecu has bad info which in turn means somethings wrong with your vehicle or its ecu. The app you use had a lot to do with the info you see because it is what allows you to see the info, so if the app doesn't support a display of whatever info you should be seeing than don't blame the adapter its still doing its job but the app you chose isn't. This is and obd2 device its not the same as one of those larger scan tools that look like a tablet kinda, those larger scan tools do different functions like opening and closing the abs system when you bleed brakes, obd2 deals with smog type things the larger scan tool deals with a whole other array of stuff. So things like oil pressure, which I seen someone whining about in a review here and on the torque app reviews, I have never seen or heard of obd2 readings that show oil pressure as far as I know it doesn't so complaining that this adapter or that the app doesn't show that info is ridiculous. If I'm wrong about that or anything else let me know but only if you know for a fact, cause I have no problem with being corrected, everyday is an opportunity waiting to learn something, yet ignorance doesn't help with advancement. Unless it has to do with grammar and punctuation, I've always hated them. Hope this has been useful to those still on the fence about this item, it is very useful specially if you know how to make use of the info it provides.

OK, so its supposed to work on any vehicle from 1996 and up. Which it did work wonderfully on my Saturn Vue and my GMC Savanna 2500. I even took it to where I get my cars worked on, and the owner thought it was one of the greatest things out there! It showed a complete run down of diagnostics, and showed everything was OK with the car. Until........ I plugged it into my 1996 Dodge Ram 2500, and it started talking, reading off fault codes, and wouldn't stop until I unplugged it. OK, I know my Dodge is old, but it runs good and plows snow like no tomorrow! So i put the BAFX code reader in the glovebox in the Van, and didn't think anything more about it because we were going on a trip the next day, and thought it would be nice to have. Halfway across Kansas, at a rest stop in the middle of no where, I saw it in the glovebox and decided to plug it in. Then, the engine would not start. So I unplugged it, and the engine did start back up, but a whole bunch of idiot lights on the dashboard would not turn off. So I stopped the engine and restarted it again, and then most of the lights went off that time, except for the "security" light. The Van was running fine, and I didn't want to chance it not starting the next time, so I drove off until the end of that days driving. I was kinda wary about shutting it off, but there was a Chevy dealer nearby, so I went ahead and turned it off. It started right back up, but the "security" light was still on. I was tired from a days driving, so said the heck with it and went inside to the hotel, got dinner and went to bed. The next morning, with the sun shining and the birds tweeting, (**&^$@@#%%!)! I went back out to the van, it started, this time with NO idiots lights!! Wonderful!! I said, and threw the BAFX scanner in the trash at a hotel in the middle of Kansas. Continued with my trip, and all went well for the rest of the trip!!! :-) So, last night I was thinking how thankful I was that the BAFX scan tool did not permanently mess up the van, and since it happened on the use right after I used it on the Pickup, that the pickup must have destroyed it somehow. SO, to make a long story come to an end, I (reluctantly) bought another, because I really liked the info I got from it before I used it in the old pickup. This time It will stay in the GMC Van ONLY, and see what happens. Ya know, if I had read my own review here, (this one I'm doing now) before I had bought the first one, I probably would not have bought it. If your someone just looking into it, to possibly purchase, I would say, "maybe". I did have the problem, although It COULD have been my trucks fault, but since I did already pay for the app for it I bought the scan tool again. But, if I hadn't have already bought the "Torque pro" app, I wouldn't be buying it. Quote me on this. "I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER IF THIS ONE MESSES UP!!" UPDATE 6-20-2013 I received the new one, and I cant get it to work. I finally got it to pair, but it wont read on my phone!!! Update 6-27-2013 After multiple paring and un pairing, and lots of time spent, I give up. It will pair, but it wont connect. I give up. BAFX Has never contacted me, and I cant find a way to contact them, so its going back. Never again. Dont waste your time on this. Update 6-21-2015 Ok, this review is kinda late, but BAFX did get with me and we got this thing working. It's really a great tool when paired with their app! I definitely recommend this! I use it all the time with my android tablet and have created a digital dashboard that's easier to read and has more options! It's really kinda fun! And since the tablet is on top of the dashboard it easier to read when traveling down the highway.

I bought this gizmo in an effort to get a greater handle on knowing what my vehicles are doing. I'm not a mechanic, a tuner, a musclehead or anything like that. I simply like to take a crack at DIY repairs, as I'm stubborn and cheap. I at least want to be able to take care of the basics, or be able to do research based on a code pull before taking action with a mechanic, etc etc. Going to your local auto part stores (which isn't exactly that close to where I live) was hardly convenient, and likewise, a recent situation made it all the more clear that I needed to start pulling my own codes. My van (2005 Saturn Relay 3 AWD) kept throwing an ABS error** (read below about my notes regarding ABS), but even with the error on, the act of turning the vehicle off and back on again would almost always clear the code. Now, imagine, driving to an auto parts store, you see the error light on, yet they instruct you to turn off your vehicle and put it in accessory mode -- only to find the scanner picks up nothing. Why? Because it just cleared via turning the vehicle off. Do this a bunch of times and you'll want to light things on fire. After some quick research, I settled on the BAFX adapter. The reviews were impossible to beat, so I ordered one. Much like the pattern of prior reviews, I'm quite happy with this thing. The bluetooth paired up to my Galaxy S4 with minimal effort and I was able to interface it with two apps -- I tried both Torque Pro and Car Gauge Pro. I like them both for different reasons. Torque Pro is a nice app, nice interface, but it does *not* (at the time of this writing) do ABS codes. Other reviews here made me think this BAFX adapter was incapable of pulling ABS codes, but in reality, it has less to do with the adapter than you think. It's more about the app/software designed to read and analyze these codes. The adapter itself will pass whatever information it can from the ECU to the software scanner in question. I ended up trying Car Gauge Pro and was able to pull the ABS error code on my van (again, 2005 Saturn Relay 3 AWD). It's a solid little unit, well built, and simply does the job. Pairing this device with an app such as Torque or Car Gauge is a great combination. At first when I unboxed this thing and tried it out, my ABS light was not lit, so I left the van run in the driveway with the phone paired up to the adapter. I came outside 10 minutes later. Guess what? Light was back on, so I hit scan code -- boom -- C0040. Now I know what I need to do. Didn't shut the van off or anything. It's hard to say how much success you'll have pulling ABS codes, as every vehicle is very different. Even excluding those codes and focusing strictly on engine codes for 'check engine' lights, this is still more than worth it. If nothing else I wanted to notate my experience with my particular vehicle, the app/software choice, and the BAFX adapter with the issue I was facing. It's a simple adapter. It does the job, and does the job well. It's one of those items I'll toss in the vehicle before we go on road trips, vacations, etc. Two years ago it would have bailed us out immensely with an abrupt engine problem we faced 600 miles from home, so I have a greater peace of mind just knowing that this small adapter which takes so little space is in the vehicle and I can just connect it to my phone, slap the scan button, and watch it work. Even if it doesn't come with the ability to magically fix the issue, I can at least apply the information it provides me and know in a very short amount of time what I'm up against. Not much else to say -- very happy with it. One regret worth mentioning about this product -- I should have picked one up ages ago.

Please read before taking these pictures into consideration. They demonstrate some faults and do not reflect the properly functioning aspects. The TL;DR (too long; didn't read) version of my review is that, in a nutshell, this product has enough functionality that, in my opinion, it is indeed worth the cost and, for most drivers, the diagnostic information would most likely be adequate. With that being said, just a couple of things.. This review is specific to my vehicle.. which is a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 2wd Quad Cab with 5.7L Hemi and 48RE transmission. I have no knowledge how ECU's of other vehicles would communicate with this device, so keep that in mind. The specifics.. -Bluetooth: Links well to my Galaxy S7. Does not link to my Pioneer AppRadio. Connection to my ECU was shaky at times, but if you look into the settings menu of this device, there are features that can be enabled and will help connectivity tremendously. -Diagnostics: This device was able to immediately identify an issue I already had knowledge of involving my EGR valve. More importantly, it identified this issue without the presence of a check engine light (it engages the light randomly). It also gave a vehicle specific translation for the error code that was more accurate than AutoZone's free diagnostics check. Their tests reflected the presence of a voltage reading TOO HIGH at the EGR valve. For most vehicles, this is accurate. For my vehicle, however, it means a voltage reading momentarily fell below 6v.. TOO LOW. This device recognized this, which allowed me to troubleshoot more specifically. -Real Time Gauges: This is where one of two stars fell off. A good portion of the gauges work fine, but quite a few do not. A few that work involve vacuum pressure, coolant and air intake temperatures, timing, 02 sensors, RPM, engine load, trip logging/gps and gas mileage, etc. A few that do not work (or alternate between a reading and "N/A") include Engine Torque, Horsepower, Air/Fuel ratio, catalytic temperature, exhaust readings and clocking times (0 to 60, 0 to 30, 30 to 60, 60 to 80, etc). I also noticed that max values for gauges are only marked (or only stay marked) if the screen containing these gauges is not minimized or moved from the foreground. If the screen is side swiped to display the next gauge page, or the home button is pushed, music app or GPS overlays.. this stops gauges from red marking max values until you return to the page and they are reclocked. There IS the option of creating a floating widget for one gauge, and one gauge only. This will overlay everything, no matter where your phone navigates.. including home and lock screen. I like this feature, however.. I did wish it was more customizable, in terms of overlay, and able to support more than one. -Code clearing: This device will not clear my error code, but also explains that my ECU is designed to clear codes automatically when its shut off and turned on. The presence of an error code after the truck is first started is due to its reading at that instant, and not from a previous error before the truck was restarted. This does make sense.. and temporarily clearing an emissions error without fixing the problem would not allow for me to pass an emissions test anyways. -Overall: A device that works at 100% functionality with the ECU, to offer ALL real time readings, will cost more money than this particular product. They range anywhere from from 20 bucks to a couple hundred, so to have it ALL.. you'll spend a minimum of triple the cost of this one. As I mentioned before, the readings should be sufficient for most. Hope this helps.

I was a little worried, seeing all the reviews from the other manufacturer of the same looking box. But figured I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. It works perfectly. Plugged it in, red light comes on, paired it with the phone and password "1234" and the Torque app on my Android phone started communicating with it immediately. It blinks a lot of lights when it's communicating. Although, I don't really see them as in my car the adapter is turned with the lights toward the door when it's closed. No big deal, it's probably better that way, no crazy blinking lights at night. The adapter does become a little warm after use, but not hot. I have not decided yet if I should leave it plugged in when I don't drive. The adapter stays on with one red light lit (obviously the OBDII port is active when the car is turned off for fault analysis etc...) but I'm not sure how much power the adapter is pulling when idle and I don't want to have a dead battery when I get in the car one morning. If anyone has any insight to that, please do leave a comment. I also have a HP Touchpad with Android on it, and Torque is even more fun when using that since it's a much bigger display and you can have more gauges on one screen. So if you have a Android tablet, give it a try. I was kind of disappointed that my 2012 Honda only displays about half the data which this adapter is able to show, but hey, it's still fun, and the one item I really wanted to see was MPG, and I got that. I also used it on another car which had the check engine light on. It read the codes out perfectly, and I like the feature in Torque that if you have internet access you can get more detailed info on the codes. For the price of under $30 including the app, you really can't beat this combo, I highly recommend it. Much cheaper than ScanGauge or similar items. I added a few pictures of the Scan Tool in my car with the Touchpad and Torque. Edit: I couldn't resist, I had to add a on/off switch to this adapter. See the pictures I uploaded for details. Doesn't take very long if you know how to solder. Works like a charm now and I don't have to worry about it draining my battery.