Downgear

I have been wanting to get some sort of scan tool for a while now however I am not sure which route to take. From those that have experience with both, is it worth getting a dedicated unit or are the smart phone apps just functional?

I am looking at an external tool such as:


Innova Scantool



The program Dash command for Iphone also looks quite good.


Dash Command


What is the general consensus? I am not so much looking for a "toy" as much as something that is actually going to help me. The interface on the phone app is obviously better however I need function to solve actual problems, should they arrise.

_brandon

I have a bluetooth obdII reader for my android and it works great. I've cleared so many codes with it, not just on my car but others aswell

takeshi

There's really no difference in pulling and clearing codes (make sure the app you're looking at includes those features -- I'm not familiar with Dash Commander specifically) either way. The dedicated device you're looking at only seems to pull the codes and you'd still have to look up the details as far as I can tell from a quick look at the provided link.

Some people have had problems with certain BT dongles such as the ELM327's. That said, a lot of people also haven't had problems. Consensus really doesn't mean much. You need to select the solution that seems to suit you best -- same as any other "Which is best?" question on any topic.

mattstryfe

199.00?

Assuming DashCommand is similar to the Torque App (Andriod); I think this is a no brainer. FYI (can't get to the app store from work), Torque was supposed to be working on an IOS version of their App.

Total cost will be under 50$, offer far more tools, and far more practical imo.

Here's another thread with similar questions and comments.

phonedrn8

just ordered the innova 3160b for $200.00 for multi vech, you can do everything with it

RedCelica

Im looking for something for my Samsung S3 too....

Was looking at this, but there seems to be cheaper options out there

http://www.scantool.net/scan-tools/s...bdlink-mx.html