Bluetooth OBD2 Scanners
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,788
Likes: 646
From: Emmett, ID, USA
2007 GL450
Bluetooth OBD2 Scanners
When I got my first CEL, I decided to invest in an OBD scanner. I bought a handheld (dedicated) unit, which saved me lots of grief, but since then bluetooth OBD2 readers have become available, and actually have a lot more utility. You can couple them with the GPS and accelerometer in your phone to do lap time and performance analysis, plus they read all kinds of stuff from the ECU. They aren't up to the level of STAR, but what I've seen is pretty impressive.
I ordered one unit from Amazon. It's pricier than the rest, but I figured, go with the "Most Popular" crowd. Unfortunately, mine did not work; I don't know whether this was because it was a customer return that did not get QC'd. But in any event, I didn't like it because it sticks down. The MB OBD port points vertically, so it's a bit awkward to have a two inch long block of plastic sticking straight down.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered this instead, because it has a much smaller vertical profile:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A1GLTOK8L9INK7
There seem to be a bunch of different makers slapping their labels on the same blue plastic unit. However, they are all just a few $ apart in price, so heck with it.
Supposedly if you want to use certain Windows tools to monitor the scanner, you have to have an ELM327 based unit. That does not seem to matter for the Android apps such as Torque.
I'll report back after I get it hooked up; I just wanted to warn the rest of the x164 crowd about the physical orientation of the OBD port. If most all the MB models have the same vertical port, maybe this thread should be moved to a more general section.
I put my handheld unit up on Ebay; if you want it, send me a PM for the listing.
I ordered one unit from Amazon. It's pricier than the rest, but I figured, go with the "Most Popular" crowd. Unfortunately, mine did not work; I don't know whether this was because it was a customer return that did not get QC'd. But in any event, I didn't like it because it sticks down. The MB OBD port points vertically, so it's a bit awkward to have a two inch long block of plastic sticking straight down.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered this instead, because it has a much smaller vertical profile:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A1GLTOK8L9INK7
There seem to be a bunch of different makers slapping their labels on the same blue plastic unit. However, they are all just a few $ apart in price, so heck with it.
Supposedly if you want to use certain Windows tools to monitor the scanner, you have to have an ELM327 based unit. That does not seem to matter for the Android apps such as Torque.
I'll report back after I get it hooked up; I just wanted to warn the rest of the x164 crowd about the physical orientation of the OBD port. If most all the MB models have the same vertical port, maybe this thread should be moved to a more general section.
I put my handheld unit up on Ebay; if you want it, send me a PM for the listing.
Last edited by eric_in_sd; Oct 13, 2015 at 07:13 PM.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,788
Likes: 646
From: Emmett, ID, USA
2007 GL450
Finally got it up and running. No challenges, just my laziness.
I bought
and it's terrific. Very low profile. Pairs with my android phone no problem.
Using Torque Lite. No problems. Set up is a little counter intuitive: You have to manually instruct it which OBD device to talk to, even when there is only one paired with the phone. Oh well.
Works great. Highly recommended.
I bought
and it's terrific. Very low profile. Pairs with my android phone no problem.
Using Torque Lite. No problems. Set up is a little counter intuitive: You have to manually instruct it which OBD device to talk to, even when there is only one paired with the phone. Oh well.
Works great. Highly recommended.
