Which bluetooth dongle for AlfaOBD
- Thread starter JonnyT88
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Which bluetooth dongle for AlfaOBD
theoneandonly
Established member
I have a OBDlink SX usb adaptor supplied from Gendan with Mes. The addition of a Usb/micro extention to a phone (samsung j6) allows me to use Alfaobd.
Recently i aquired a Bluetooth Vgate-iCarPro £24 from ebay. Beware there are cheap (£10) copies that do not work. I have had This working with both Multecuscan and AlfaOBD . (only tried engine ECU so far)
Note there is an alternative for android that can access the Engine ECU only. It reads fiat PIDs on my 2017 Ducato (no codes on my van to confirm that it can read/erase). quite limited (but does the important oil reset) Not yet tried that, will wait until next oil change. from play store Monitor ECU for Fiat cars By Kapron-AP £12.
Recently i aquired a Bluetooth Vgate-iCarPro £24 from ebay. Beware there are cheap (£10) copies that do not work. I have had This working with both Multecuscan and AlfaOBD . (only tried engine ECU so far)
Note there is an alternative for android that can access the Engine ECU only. It reads fiat PIDs on my 2017 Ducato (no codes on my van to confirm that it can read/erase). quite limited (but does the important oil reset) Not yet tried that, will wait until next oil change. from play store Monitor ECU for Fiat cars By Kapron-AP £12.
theoneandonly
Established member
Tried the oil reset on the kapron ap.
It doesn't work.
Got a refund.
It doesn't work.
Got a refund.
I may be slightly biased and possibly have too much money but things people should be aware of with MES and probably Alpha OBD is that these guys have recommended the likes of Gendan and other suppliers because these suppliers supply kit/intefaces that actually works and also give support.
So, buying cheap(er) ELM and Bluetooth devices is very much a lottery. For some it works out OK but for the vast majority it turns out to be a real pain.
One has to bear in mind that the extra cost of the more expensive kit is still far cheaper than having to go to a Fiat/Alfa/other dealer for stuff you can do yourself with MES and AlphaOBD.
Additional word of warning.
PROXI alignment/custom coding and Key Coding are very sensitive and critical procedures and IMHO should never be done via Bluetooth OR with cheaper interfaces. If these processes hiccup for any reason than you could have a dead car on your hands.
I would always suggest for key coding that you do this outside of a Fiat/Alpha dealer (or in their car park with permission) so if things get seriously screwed up help is at hand.
So, buying cheap(er) ELM and Bluetooth devices is very much a lottery. For some it works out OK but for the vast majority it turns out to be a real pain.
One has to bear in mind that the extra cost of the more expensive kit is still far cheaper than having to go to a Fiat/Alfa/other dealer for stuff you can do yourself with MES and AlphaOBD.
Additional word of warning.
PROXI alignment/custom coding and Key Coding are very sensitive and critical procedures and IMHO should never be done via Bluetooth OR with cheaper interfaces. If these processes hiccup for any reason than you could have a dead car on your hands.
I would always suggest for key coding that you do this outside of a Fiat/Alpha dealer (or in their car park with permission) so if things get seriously screwed up help is at hand.
theoneandonly
Established member
s130 i agree generally with you post and in comparison to VCDS VAGCOM MES is cheap.. i wanted the right tool for the job and one i could leave in the van alll the time.
I find it amazing that someone could spend £K50 plus on a ducato MH and then moan about £100 for thr best hardware and software and are prepared to not correctly reset oil condition / service intervals.
People want the cheapest method they can use and the elm bt tools work with generic obd2, the problem is that they dont get the message that manufacturer specific codes is protected/ difficult to get at so there are hardware software hoops to jump, this means more cost. Sorry about the ramblings just an old fool.
I find it amazing that someone could spend £K50 plus on a ducato MH and then moan about £100 for thr best hardware and software and are prepared to not correctly reset oil condition / service intervals.
People want the cheapest method they can use and the elm bt tools work with generic obd2, the problem is that they dont get the message that manufacturer specific codes is protected/ difficult to get at so there are hardware software hoops to jump, this means more cost. Sorry about the ramblings just an old fool.
Not at all. I'm guilty in my past of opting for cheaper tools. Some have been fine others not so good. Possibly my worst was a cam sprocket wheel lock/lever. Bent like a banana once torque was applied.
What is a salient point here is that the MES Forum / Site recommends suppliers AND by far the largest forum thread is all about other cheap ELM interfaces not working and all the variety of interfaces and hacks to try and get them to work.
