# Android application "Torque" to read fault codes and more?



## Appaz (Oct 30, 2009)

Hi guys,

Just found something interesting on android market:
App "Torque" by Ian Hawkins.
Description says:


> See what your car is doing in realtime, get fault codes, car performance, sensor data and more!
> Torque is a vehicle / car performance / diagnostics tool that uses an OBD II Bluetooth adapter to connect to your OBD2 engine management / ECU.
> It can use the GPS to provide tracker logs with engine logging so you can see what you were doing at any point in time
> It can also show and reset a DTC / fault code like a scantool.


Overall thoughts?
I am wondering, would this work with 2004 V10?
What should I buy as a connector and how should I connect this stuff if it is possible?

Detailed information and download is here.
Youtube review is here.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Usually, generic applications such as this will provide the fault code only (e.g. "17024"), and not a plain-text explanation of what the fault actually is.

I have not done any research into this application (I did not follow your links), however, before you buy, I suggest you find out if the application provides plain-text explanations of what the fault codes are. Otherwise, it will be of little value.

Michael


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## Passat2001_5lover (Dec 11, 2001)

*iPhone Ap possible?*

I hope this works, and they make an AP for the iPhone. It sounds great: bluetooth (wireless) to my iPhone.

I do not have a PC laptop any more, instead, I have a MacBook Pro.


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## Appaz (Oct 30, 2009)

As far as I understand from app description, it has some massive database with fault code descriptions and user can have an explanation of every fault code an ECU passes to this application.
Will contact developer and ask about Phaetons, are they covered or not.

Thanks.

Anybody knows what exactly should I buy to get this thing connected? OBD2 connector, this sound like some random "asdfgh" to me...


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Appaz said:


> Anybody knows what exactly should I buy to get this thing connected? OBD2 connector, this sound like some random "asdfgh" to me...


What you need to make the Torque app work, is discussed right *HERE*.
Those were my preferred hardware choices at the time (and still are).

Willem


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

I just couldn't resist buying the KIWI PLX Bluetooth module. Some first impressions after using it a couple of hours:

*Installation*:
Very easy. Just plug it in, fire ignition and find it with the phone in the Bluetooth device manager. It connects within a couple of seconds.

*Torque installation*.
I had installed it before buying the Bluetooth module and had no problems starting the app (Android phone). I also had purchased the PRO version and installed the Torque scan plugin, and ran through all the settings menu prior to first use of the adapter, so this may have helped to get started without any problems.

The main menu shows a couple of applications:

*Realtime Information.*
This opens up an awesome set of dials, including, acceleration, rpm, throttle, speed, vacuum and coolant temperature. Dials can be added or deleted, where you have a choice of about 70 different measured parameters, like generated horsepower, several temperatures, O2 sensor data, fuel trim bank sensors, fuel level and various pressures, exhaust temperature etc.
One nice feature is that you can easily compare the real speed of the car versus the odometer indication. 

*Check OBDII fault codes*
The scan runs fairly quickly. The device just needs 20 seconds to make a "full" scan but the output is somewhat disappointing: "No DTC's found". I'm beginning to wonder whether it really scanned all modules, because normally I find at least one error. 
The output of the OBD scan cycle kind of demonstrate the real power of the classical VCDS diagnostic tool here. Where a diagnostic log file contains all details of all installed controllers, the Torque application doesn't even give a tiny clue of what type of electronics has been installed.
So there is no module coding capability either, something you definitely would need when you want to exchange control modules or do retrofits by yourself.

*Map View*
This works flawlessly and is very nice too. It shows the driving route you have been following after starting Torque. Could be interesting when you suspect specific faults in your car. A feature which is also present in the Ross-Tech software.

*Torquescan*
This is the example plugin. It contains a "PID scanner", which takes a long time to complete. After completion, it just gives just two pages of information and mainly about the ECU and not of any other control unit. An example is given *HERE*

I didn't try graphing. It can make graphs of a lot of different information, produced by the ECU.
*Adapter Status*
Various information is given here, mainly about the adapter and its connection. 
Other presented information is given about the amount of controllers, but basically whether there is just one or more, that's all. Ironically, it says that the vehicle manufacturer is "unknown". The VIN code is not present, but my vehicle has a calibration ID all right. So I guess there are some things to improve here.

My conclusion is that it is a pretty nice tool to see some information which you normally wouldn't have access too, in particular all information about the ECU. But it cannot (yet) make a full listing of all installed controller modules.
So if you want a gimmick, the Torque application with the Kiwi Bluetooth OBD adapter is just perfect. It is also nice to present real life data from the ECU, much easier than with the VCDS software. But for real diagnostic work, it is better to start saving for the VCDS cable with diagnostic software. 

Willem


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

+1, Torque is pretty good, especially for the $20 it cost me for the dongle.

Alap is also worth a try once you have the dongle, although it's more of a gimmick really and requires fairly sophisticated video processing software to produce the on-board video with head-up display overlays.


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

Only $20 ???? I couldn't find one for less than € 100!


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

WillemBal said:


> Only $20 ???? I couldn't find one for less than € 100!


Ebay. I think it was $22.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mini...QptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools#ht_4680wt_941


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

invisiblewave said:


> Ebay. I think it was $22.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mini...QptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools#ht_4680wt_941


It was the review on the Torque website which kept me from buying it:

"_Generic bluetooth adapter from ebay, generally alright but some can suffer from build quality issues affecting reliability, and causing strange things to happen like *engines refusing to start*. *Try to avoid if you can*_"

Any "strange" things happened since you got it?


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## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

LOL. Works fine on mine. Not sure how it could possibly cause the engine to refuse to start.


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## joeyvdubGLI (Jan 12, 2006)

Resurrection please..  

I have the OBDLink Bluetooth Scan Tool, I know for a fact I have fault codes (more than I want), Torque has not pulled 1 yet, any ideas or just stomp it? :laugh:


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

joeyvdubGLI said:


> I have the OBDLink Bluetooth Scan Tool, I know for a fact I have fault codes (more than I want), Torque has not pulled 1 yet, any ideas or just stomp it? :laugh:


 I think it is a pretty useless device to do diagnostics. For a start, it doesn't find the VIN. Second, I'm almost certain that it isn't able to address any other controller than the ECU. There is a wealth of information available about all ECU sensors, i.e. RPM, O2 sensors, throttle position etc., but all data is lagging up to a second or so. 
It never found a single DTC even though I was sure I had one, even in the ECU. It reports poorly about the readiness codes; the display reverts to "no data available" intermittently and the correct information is flashing up during some milliseconds, so it is hard to read. 
It also once inadvertently reset my ECU, resulting in resetting of readiness codes. The extra's are nice though. Logged trip data can be plotted on the device and visualized afterwards on PC Google Earth along with detailed data how fast you drove at each spot. 
For diagnostics, there isn't any better thing than the VCDS and VAS tools. 
I suspect that the Bluetooth device is plagued by latency issues, making it virtually impossible to turn it into a proper diagnostic tool, no matter how well the Torque app is improved by the development team. I'm sorry to say so... I used to be hopeful. 
Willem


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## joeyvdubGLI (Jan 12, 2006)

WillemBal said:


> I think it is a pretty useless device to do diagnostics. For a start, it doesn't find the VIN. Second, I'm almost certain that it isn't able to address any other controller than the ECU. There is a wealth of information available about all ECU sensors, i.e. RPM, O2 sensors, throttle position etc., but all data is lagging up to a second or so.
> It never found a single DTC even though I was sure I had one, even in the ECU. It reports poorly about the readiness codes; the display reverts to "no data available" intermittently and the correct information is flashing up during some milliseconds, so it is hard to read.
> It also once inadvertently reset my ECU, resulting in resetting of readiness codes. The extra's are nice though. Logged trip data can be plotted on the device and visualized afterwards on PC Google Earth along with detailed data how fast you drove at each spot.
> For diagnostics, there isn't any better thing than the VCDS and VAS tools.
> ...


 Putting my boots on now... 
I can agree with pretty much everything you just said.. but if it's working for some people and not others then what's going on?


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

joeyvdubGLI said:


> Putting my boots on now...
> I can agree with pretty much everything you just said.. but if it's working for some people and not others then what's going on?


 Hi Joey, 
I've been looking for reviews and what I noticed it this: 


No one made a comparison with a conventional diagnostic tool, which are too available at reasonable prices, i.e. the one made by Ross-Tech. When you have ever used the VCDS (formerly VAG-COM) and you compare them side by side, then the conventional tool will outperform Torque by far. 

All reviews say that it is "cool". I agree that is cool to see all those dials on the dash, telling you dozens of temperatures and pressure of various components. But it becomes pretty boring after 10 minutes already.  

No review discussed details of specific controllers in the car. For us DIY Phaeton enthusiasts, this is an essential requirement for a diagnostic tool. 

 

The advertisements of this product says that it can reset the DTC/CEL fault code *LIKE* a scantool. What this says is that it can extinguish the CEL for you, but it is not saying that it *IS* a scantool. 

It does provide a lot of information about sensor results, but these are not going to help us Phaeton owners to diagnose any problems. This sensor data may be helpful for those who tune their cars, but Phaeton owners rarely do this, if at all. What we really need is a tool, listing all controllers with details about firmware & hardware, and reported errors. Examples of such reports can be found here: 
*VAG-COM-Controller-Lists-from-Phaetons*. 

Conclusion: Cool app, possibly helpful for tuning an engine and to extinguish the CEL. Probably most successful for those who are selling it. 

Willem


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## joeyvdubGLI (Jan 12, 2006)

WillemBal said:


> Hi Joey,
> 
> 
> I've been looking for reviews and what I noticed it this:
> ...


 Oh I agreed 100% .. I know it's not as good as VCDS, I wanted that mobile, quick solution of simply pulling a code and logging in the event that I don't have my laptop with me... SO MUCH FOR THAT! I just wanted hoping there would be and update (firmware or software) that could correct this stuff or something, guess not... back to the carputer drawing board.


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