Everything we have is computer-based and that even includes our
cars. But unlike a smartphone, who knows the first thing to do when a
light goes on to scream out that there’s a problem with the vehicle we
rely on for getting around? Considering how much it costs just to drive
into a garage for a mechanic to take a peek — why isn’t there an app for
that? There is — but only because of OBDII, which is a port on the car
for reading its guts by the professionals. Only now I can do it too,
thanks to BlueDriver.
OBDII Turns The Key
The OBDII port is usually beneath the steering wheel and there it is
just below and to the right inside of a cut off of my Mazda 3 (it’s been
put on all cars since 1996, fyi). The BlueDriver’s got a socket at one
end and fits right onto the OBDII port, I must have done it right
because a blue LED on the BlueDriver started blinking, indicating that
its Bluetooth was being powered up. This being the first time I used it,
I then went to my iPhone and synced to Bluetooth like it was a speaker.
Start It Up
I followed this by starting the engine and then tapped the free app
downloaded earlier. This is where it got good. The BlueDriver app
starting “reading” the car — performing diagnostics on it and displaying
the results for me to review. And in moments it displayed my car’s VIN
number and other general info about it, so I knew it knew what car it
was looking at.
This was followed by my doing some checking to see if any trouble
codes would be displayed — fortunately I got an “all clear.” But if
something had showed up, I could have used the app to tell me what the
code meant. Actually the app even included the manual and videos to make
BlueDriver easy to use (one even showed how to attach to the OBDII
port, maybe I should have checked this first before rushing ahead). No
problem if I had had an Android phone instead of an iPhone, since
there’s an app for Google’s OS too.
What To Look For
The app provided data and a look as to info on such things as a Smog
Readiness Check, Mode 6, Freeze Frame data and Repair reports. There’s
live gauges/graphs to view, plus the ability to save the data to
Dropbox. Some of this stuff I just didn’t get first time around, but
compared to feeling powerless when a car light on the dashboard goes off
and a trip to the shop is gonna mean lots of $$$, I’m willing to learn
and think about that ounce of prevention cliche for real.
BlueDriver can be pulled out once the engine’s off and kept until
it’s needed at another time. That means it isn’t locked into being used
for just one car. Plus it’s small enough to sit in one of the cup
holders. A bit of a learning curve to use it effectively, sure. But the
results are worth it, even if it’s just knowing that the mechanic isn’t
blowing smoke when he starts spouting off codes and rattling off
repairs. I’d pay a one-time fee of $99.95 for never getting glazed over
like a too-warm doughnut that someone bit into. Getting BlueDriver took
care of that.
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