ODB bluetooth scanner

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sceh

Active Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
225
Car
w123 240TD
Can anyone recommend an ODB scanner which has an Android app and bluetooth connection but which is Mercedes specific?
thanks
 
I use the kiwi from PLX Devices.
KIWI
Pricey I agree but after going through 3 cheap Chinese ones from ebay I invested.
Torque is a free app works well on my Samsung tablet, pretty sure they do a mobile version.
Its worked on 3 different 350zs without a hitch.
I have yet to try it on the Benz but will report back as soon as I have.

edit : read your post properly now (sorry not Mercedes specific, oops)
 
Mercedes Me would be the only Mercedes specific one.

Personally I have use a standard ELM327 bluetooth adapter and Torque Pro app for a number of years now across many cars including my Mercedes.
 
Mercedes Me would be the only Mercedes specific one.

Personally I have use a standard ELM327 bluetooth adapter and Torque Pro app for a number of years now across many cars including my Mercedes.

Me too, though not for a while now.
 
I use Troque for standard ODBII diagnostics (with generic ELM327 Bluetooth adapter of eBay):
https://torque-bhp.com/

And I also use Carly for Mercedes for OBDII plus MB-Specific diagnostics (using the developers Bluetooth dedicated adapter):

Carly for Mercedes - The Most Powerful Mercedes Solution
and either:
Android Bluetooth Adapter for Mercedes Adapter and Retrofits DEPRECATED/UNUSED
or
Android Bluetooth GEN 2 Adapter for Mercedes Adapter and Retrofits Mercedes Android

Both Apps above are available for Android from the Google Play store, and worked fine on Samsung Galaxy S5/S6/S8 (did not test it with S7 but I can see no reason why it wouldn't work)
 
Carly Push:

Carly_Push.png
 
So looking at this and various other posts across various forums, the following seems to be the logic:

1) for generic use as an Android user, get a ELM327 Bluetooth adaptor of eBay and use something like Torque or DashCommand with it from your phone/tablet
2) for more specific MB use and code support, use Carly

For my CLS55, push is listed as not supported from the Carly page, so it would appear there is no advantage to the Gen 2 adaptor (unless an off button and firmware updates are critical ..). I can't see a price for the Carly Pro app once you've tried the Lite version, so useful to know if anyone can clarify? Otherwise ~EUR30 for the device.

Generic route, they all look more or less the same for not a lot of money:
HH Bluetooth Car OBD2 ELM327 V2.1 Torque Android OBD Engine Fault Code Scan Tool | eBay
ELM327 V2.1 OBD2 II Bluetooth Car Scanner Android Torque Auto DTCs Scan Tool | eBay
Wireless Bluetooth ELM327 OBD2 Car Scanner Android Torque OBD Scan Tool New | eBay

Any personal recommendations with them? For £4 and a free demo app, seems an easy option. I guess Carly becomes useful more for fault diagnostics rather than fancy graphs and dials!? Can you use Carly adaptors with just Carly app or with the other apps such as Torque too?
 
I have a standard ELM327 adapter that I use with Torque, and a Carly adapter (the old Gen1) that I use with the Carly full (paid for) software.

I don't think the adapters are interchangeable, but you can have both connected at the same time using an OBDII splitter cable (it works perfectly).

From what I read iCarsoft MBII is better than Carly, but then it's not Bluetooth/App based - so seems like at current Carly is the only MB-Specific mobile phone app.
 
Great stuff guys but I have to use my wife's phone every time as my iPhone does not scan the ELM327 Bluetooth scanner since moving away from Android!!!

Anyone recommend the best way to connect using an iphone?
 
Buy a new ELM327 scanner? They are very cheap.
 
Buy a new ELM327 scanner? They are very cheap.
I'm just about to bin one - got me a flat battery in five days, at least I suspect it was the culprit - nothing else is different ...
Had a Garmin ecoRoute OBD bluetooth adapter for years, in this and previous car - never any problem ... but then again, it cost nearly £70, as opposed to under a fiver for the ELM327.
 
I have the Mercedes Me Adapter and an ODBII scanner permanently connected (via ODBII splitter cable), and never had battery issues. I guess you need to buy a good one, though it's difficult to tell in advance....
 
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Absolutely! The Garmin ecoRoute is an OBD scanner, it shows all kinds of stuff on the satnav, including very accurate mpg, and a vast choice of additional gauges. I have it hard-wired and hidden inside the cover under the instrument cluster - never ever any problem. This little piece of ... errm, technology (the ELM327) I got from ebay for £3.99 I think ... I would have to re-think the secondary OBD scanner now (for the newly fitted head unit), maybe even see, if it can communicate with the existing Garmin one.
 
So many options! ;) Anyone used any of the 3 eBay examples I posted specifically? Just looking for dud avoidance at this stage. Oh, and nothing that draws so much as a pico-nad of juice from the ever precarious CLS55 battery when the ignition is off!!! :eek:;)
 
The cheapo unit I had from eBay, was a slim-line blue one, not one of those you linked above, so can't comment I'm afraid.
 
So many options! ;) Anyone used any of the 3 eBay examples I posted specifically? Just looking for dud avoidance at this stage. Oh, and nothing that draws so much as a pico-nad of juice from the ever precarious CLS55 battery when the ignition is off!!! :eek:;)

I have one like the first link but not bought from that ebay seller. I've used it once with torque lite to read and clear a code and it worked fine. The power light comes on even with the ignition off so there must be a small current draw.
 

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