Android OBD II Scan Tool
Android phone users that are looking for a basic way to find out why your vehicle’s engine light is on without the cost of taking it to a mechanic may well want to check out the Xitech Elm327 bluetooth OBD II scan tool. The Elm327 is a no-frills diagnostic scanner with an entry-level price and enables you to search and solve engine warning light problems on your own by downloading the detection software through the Android market.
Here we look into seeing if the Elm327 bluetooth scan tool is a neat Android OBD II scanner or if your money is best spent with a dedicated diagnostic reader by giving a summary of actual customer reviews.
Go straight to see full specs on the Xitech Elm327 Bluetooth auto scanner…
Elm327 Bluetooth OBD II Scanner
At the time of writing this review roundup, a total of 55 customers had left a review for the Elm327 bluetooth auto scanner. The device was rated 4.3 out of 5 by those reviewers giving an overall satisfaction score of 85%. The rating breakdown is below:
5 stars – 33
4 stars – 14
3 stars – 3
2 stars – 2
1 star – 3
As you can see the majority of Elm327 customers were pleased with their purchase sighting the price, speed of diagnosis and the amount of savings that the unit brings as the main attractions. Many reviewers mentioned that the Elm327 bluetooth OBD II scanner is easy to set up, simple to use and quick to solve engine codes as these people testify:
“I am an automotive technician and on most cars I am able to plug in the XR7, fire up the Torque App and have codes read in under 1 minute!”
“I hooked up to my ’98 Volvo using Torque on my Moto Droid (D1) and it worked flawlessly…”
“In one device I will have a scan-tool, documentation, ability to look up and order parts from my local parts store, etc…”
“The device itself is easy to use. You just plug it in. If the red light is on that means it’s powered and plugged in. If the yellow lights are also blinking that means you’re communicating via bluetooth and you’re all set…”
“This Bluetooth interface plugged in and connected quickly to my EVO. It delivered trouble codes and allowed for clearing. Used on a 2002 Ford Explorer. Top notch, highly recommend…”
Other customers mention that the Elm327 is a true plug-n-play device for OBDII and CAN diagnostics and it seems as easy to use, if not easier, than a dedicated scan tool according to the user reviews.
Not all reviews were as positive as the above however, so let’s see why the Elm327 lost some points off some users.
Firstly one person had an issue with the bluetooth setting:
“The one drawback is the unit has a fixed bluetooth security code that doesn’t appear to be resettable…”
Another customer was less than pleased with the instructions that were packaged with the unit:
“This is a great little product however the documentation is lacking (if you can’t handle ‘playing’ with electronics and software to get it working – find an alternative product)…”
While a few of others had issues actually getting the product to run smoothly:
“Works fine. speed is slow though…”
“While the thing does connect with my EVO4g running 2.2, it drops its connection a lot, about over 10-20 sec then takes a few to reconnect…”
“This and Torque on Android isn’t a very reliable connection for me…”
Luckily comments like the above are in the minority and overall the Xitech Elm327 Bluetooth scanner seems to work as intended and has a low price tag to boot. Most reviewers of the Elm327 bluetooth tool agree that the device is a worthy money-saving gadget, some wishing they had bought it long before they did!
“I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without one!”
Customer Rating:
4.3 out of 5 stars – Click here for the latest rating, user reviews and discount…
Xitech Elm327 Bluetooth Features
- 1 Yr XiTech factory warranty & support.
- Just plug it into tour OBD II port.
- Download Torque for your Andriod device, link – and go!
- Bonus includes exclusive XiTech driver and software demo disc for PC.
[The quotes used above are from real users of the Xitech Elm327 Bluetooth code reader - Source]