Choosing an adapter, finding the port, reading the sensors, clearing a code at the right time, preparing for an inspection or a used-car purchase.
OBD2 guides
Your ELM327 connects to the phone but not to the car? Ignition, protocol, clone, BLE, Android 12 permission: 10 causes to check, one after the other, in order.
OBD2 guides
Clearing codes the day before the roadworthiness test leaves three traces in the car: emissions checks not ready, distance since clearing, permanent codes.
OBD2 guides
Bluetooth, BLE or Wi‑Fi? An €8 clone or a €40 model? A practical guide to choosing an OBD2 adapter for Android and DiagAuto AI, without bad surprises.
OBD2 guides
You clear the code and it stays or comes back? Pending, confirmed, stored, permanent: what each status means and how to make the code go away for good.
OBD2 guides
Light off, no codes: is the car healthy, or was its memory just wiped? Three signs you can read at the OBD2 port, and what the port cannot tell you about it.
OBD2 guides
The OBD2 port is always in the cabin, within a metre of the steering wheel, often behind a cover. Common spots on Peugeot, Renault, VW, BMW, Toyota, Ford…
OBD2 guides
v1.5, v2.1, PIC18F25K80, dual board: what these labels are worth on an ELM327, what the ATZ command returns, and the test to run as soon as it arrives.
OBD2 guides
Clearing an OBD2 fault code fixes nothing, but it is a valuable diagnostic tool if done at the right time. What clearing does, what it loses, and when not to.
OBD2 guides
Disconnecting the battery often does not clear the check engine light, and when it goes off, the fault remains. Permanent codes, checks reset, settings lost.
OBD2 guides
Temperature, fuel trims, air flow, intake pressure, O2 sensors… the 10 live readings that tell you more than a fault code, with their normal values explained.
OBD2 guides
Engine light on means a re-test. 10 minutes with an OBD2 adapter before your appointment can avoid it. What the inspector checks, and the mistakes to avoid.
OBD2 guides
Check engine light back on after clearing? The freeze frame tells you under what conditions the fault appeared. Two cases explained in detail: P0299 and P0128.
OBD2 guides
In 10 minutes with an OBD2 adapter, spot fault codes, recently cleared codes or unfinished emissions checks. The pre-purchase scan checklist for a used car.
OBD2 guides
Is your car OBD2? The year it became mandatory in each country, the five protocols, the tricky models and how to check before you buy an OBD2 adapter.
OBD2 guides
An OBD2 adapter reads the engine, but the ABS, airbag or A/C? What the standard requires, what depends on the make and the adapter, and how to find out.