- Joined
- Mar 12, 2006
- Messages
- 2,608
- Car
- Mini Cooper S, BMW M140i
Greetings, Citizens.
Firstly, I apologise for the VW-based content below; I know some members are touchy about this. But the OBDII reader worked with my Smart car so there may be some shared DNA with Mercedes OBD systems. Or not, as the case may be - but I offer this up for free. YMMV.
A couple of weeks back the check engine light came on in the Beetle. Bugger. But the car was running fine, so I put it down as "I'll get that looked at".
This morning, I managed to reset it myself, using nothing more than an old iPhone 4, an app I downloaded for free and an £8 OBDII reader I bought from eBay months back.
I thought this might be useful for others, it took a few attempts as the app seems a bit flaky (but it's free, so it'd be rude to complain) - here's how I managed it.
Firstly, the ODBII reader - one like this (there's lots of them on the 'bay, I think the thing to look for is the ELM327 chip):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WiFi-OBD2...l/253497201586
And the app (works from iOS v6, it says, I think the old iPhone I used is on something like 7.3.5):
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/iobd2/id528881858
This connects via wifi only on the iPhone (the android version can use Bluetooth as well).
The procedure took a few goes to get right. This is how I did it:
1. Plug the reader into the OBD port. A few of the LEDs flash.
2. Go to settings on the phone and connect the wifi, it's called OBD2 or something obvious.
3. Switch on the ignition, but don't start the car.
4. Launch the app, wait for the home screen to come up. You'll need to go into settings and tell the app what sort of car you're running. There were settings in there for the Bug so that was straightforward.
5. Start the car and wait for the app to search and find out what it's connected to. Messages at the top of home screen let you know what protocols it's trying, until it finds the right one. This can take a minute or so.
6. Once the app has figured out communication with the car, it will say something like "Connection successful" and the wifi icon at the top of the screen will go from red to blue. You're in.
7. You can then go into the "Dashboard" section of the app, you should be able to rev the engine and watch the digital rev counter go up and down. It's a bit sluggish, but hey.
8. Exit out of this and go into the "Diagnostic" section and select "Trouble code". Mine came up with something about the cat not working efficiently. Seems believable, the car's 16 years old. And, to my joy, it offers to reset the code. Go on, then. Then you have to switch off and restart the car. Hey presto, no more CEL! Result.
I'm sure the VW dealer would have been very happy to lighten my wallet for a considerable amount to perform the same function, but they're not getting their hands on my cash today. I've taken the car out for a run and so far the CEL hasn't made a re-appearance, so it looks like it's done the trick (for now, at least).
Hope this helps someone in the same position.
Cheers,
Gaz
Firstly, I apologise for the VW-based content below; I know some members are touchy about this. But the OBDII reader worked with my Smart car so there may be some shared DNA with Mercedes OBD systems. Or not, as the case may be - but I offer this up for free. YMMV.
A couple of weeks back the check engine light came on in the Beetle. Bugger. But the car was running fine, so I put it down as "I'll get that looked at".
This morning, I managed to reset it myself, using nothing more than an old iPhone 4, an app I downloaded for free and an £8 OBDII reader I bought from eBay months back.
I thought this might be useful for others, it took a few attempts as the app seems a bit flaky (but it's free, so it'd be rude to complain) - here's how I managed it.
Firstly, the ODBII reader - one like this (there's lots of them on the 'bay, I think the thing to look for is the ELM327 chip):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WiFi-OBD2...l/253497201586
And the app (works from iOS v6, it says, I think the old iPhone I used is on something like 7.3.5):
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/iobd2/id528881858
This connects via wifi only on the iPhone (the android version can use Bluetooth as well).
The procedure took a few goes to get right. This is how I did it:
1. Plug the reader into the OBD port. A few of the LEDs flash.
2. Go to settings on the phone and connect the wifi, it's called OBD2 or something obvious.
3. Switch on the ignition, but don't start the car.
4. Launch the app, wait for the home screen to come up. You'll need to go into settings and tell the app what sort of car you're running. There were settings in there for the Bug so that was straightforward.
5. Start the car and wait for the app to search and find out what it's connected to. Messages at the top of home screen let you know what protocols it's trying, until it finds the right one. This can take a minute or so.
6. Once the app has figured out communication with the car, it will say something like "Connection successful" and the wifi icon at the top of the screen will go from red to blue. You're in.
7. You can then go into the "Dashboard" section of the app, you should be able to rev the engine and watch the digital rev counter go up and down. It's a bit sluggish, but hey.
8. Exit out of this and go into the "Diagnostic" section and select "Trouble code". Mine came up with something about the cat not working efficiently. Seems believable, the car's 16 years old. And, to my joy, it offers to reset the code. Go on, then. Then you have to switch off and restart the car. Hey presto, no more CEL! Result.
I'm sure the VW dealer would have been very happy to lighten my wallet for a considerable amount to perform the same function, but they're not getting their hands on my cash today. I've taken the car out for a run and so far the CEL hasn't made a re-appearance, so it looks like it's done the trick (for now, at least).
Hope this helps someone in the same position.
Cheers,
Gaz
