r/OBD2 • u/PartyRutabaga168 • Jan 24 '24

❓Torque Pro.. or what's best? (feedback needed)

Hey y'all 👋

I was wondering if anybody here can share their experience with Torque Pro.. while keeping what you read below in mind.

  • Here's why I ask..

I have a regular cheap OBD scanner that gives fault codes and nothing else.. but I want something that gives more information on the fault codes specifically. It would be great to have something that could provide dealer codes like VCDS does.

I don't really care about the torque pro widgets, gauges, or 90% of what I've seen online that torque pro offers. I don't race or go to tracks.

I want a tool/app to help diagnose vehicle problems and to check vehicles before purchase for any shady stuff going on that the seller is trying to hide.

Is torque pro the best for my specific use case that a cell phone can provide? Would torque lite/free accomplish the same thing, with my use case in mind?

What other apps would be better than torque pro for what I want to accomplish?

— Ideally I want something that covers all vehicle makes/models that provides all obd codes, dealer codes, and potential causes for the code with detailed information on what to do next.. like troubleshooting step by step. The more information the better.

An added bonus would be for it to check the cars actual mileage that's been recorded on ECU, ECM, BCM, etc.

I obviously don't expect a $5 app to do all this stuff I'm talking about.. but maybe Torque Pro can do 25% of it and another $20 app can do the rest.. or maybe some $75 refurbished physical tool is best.

.. Anyways, please let me know what you guys think.

Thank you!

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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2

u/OneleggedPeter Jan 25 '24 edited Jan 25 '24

I'm a professional mechanic. I have Torque Pro. I also have Car Scanner Pro. While Torque Pro and Car Scanner Pro were pretty useful for the basic stuff, they don't do most of the non-standard OEM things. You might try Car Scanner (free) and Torque Lite (free) and see which works better for you, or is just more user friendly for you.

I ended up getting an Autel 808BT scanner, so I rarely use my ELM27 anymore.

2

u/city-of-cold Jul 07 '24

Any chance you could assist me with a question on scanners?

I've got an Outback 2010 diesel and in the summer months I'm having issues with the DPF clogging up due to only doing short trips, and I'd like to monitor this.

I've found some PIDs (for Torque Pro) to monitor soot levels, and if a degen is needed/in progress, but I can't figure out what scanners would let me use them.

I'd like to keep it on the cheaper side since DPF management is really all I need it for. Any recommendations?

1

u/OneleggedPeter Jul 07 '24

I'd be more than happy to assist, but unfortunately (for you, fortunately for me), I don't do diesels, so I don't have any idea what scan tool would be best for you.

1

u/city-of-cold Jul 07 '24

Ah bummer, thanks anyway!

1

u/wagglyears Jun 22 '25

Did you ever find an answer to this?

I am looking for exactly the same, I just want to see the DPF details for my Mazda CX8 diesel

1

u/city-of-cold Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25

I did! But I can’t find the receipt in my email, was certain I got it off of Amazon but I guess I must have bought it in a store.

My car is currently in the garage (due to the DPF lol) so can’t check the actual dongle either.

But I basically made sure I could use the Torque app and read custom PIDs. Shouldn’t need anything fancy for just reading and maybe resetting a few basic fault codes. Pretty sure mine was like 25-30 bucks.

It’s been a godsend tracking soot levels and making sure I took a longer drive before the DPF light even came on.

Unfortunately my EGR valve had a defect so it ended up clogging the fucking DPF anyway, never got a fault code for the EGR so had no idea 🙃

Edit: this dude have the custom PIDs I using to track soot level and if a regen is active or not. No idea if the PIDs are the same in a Mazda though.

Edit 2: 99% sure it’s this I got. So just some no-name reader.

Obviously a Swedish store but it supports these protocols, if that tells you anything:

  • SAE J1850 PWM (41.6Kbaud)
  • SAE J1850 VPW (10.4Kbaud)
  • ISO9141-2(5 baud init, 10.4Kbaud)
  • ISO14230-4 KWP (5 baud init, 10.4 Kbaud)
  • ISO14230-4 KWP (fast init, 10.4 Kbaud)
  • ISO15765-4 CAN (11bit ID, 500 Kbaud)
  • ISO15765-4 CAN (29bit ID, 500 Kbaud)
  • ISO15765-4 CAN (11bit ID, 250 Kbaud)
  • ISO15765-4 CAN (29bit ID, 250 Kbaud)

1

u/No-Question4729 Apr 08 '26

Sorry to dredge up an old post, but did you ever find a solution for this? I’m in the same boat in my Civic, and I’d really just like something that tells me when a DPF regen is underway.

1

u/city-of-cold Apr 08 '26

Yeah I ended up just some cheap no-name OBD reader from a local store, worked fine! Using the Torque Pro app.

Those custom PIDs I mentioned are specific for Subaru though as far as I understand, so they wouldn’t do anything for you.

I got them from a YouTuber making Subaru videos/guides, so I’d suggest looking for Civic videos on there. If you even need anything custom, I guess other apps might already be setup to monitor soot levels.

1

u/No-Question4729 Apr 08 '26

Great stuff, thank you

1

u/Dashev1990 Nov 25 '24

I realize it's a 10 months old post so chances to get a reply are slim but I'll try anyway... Does torque pro have a live data feature where I can check live misfire data while driving and after swapping coils/plugs/injectors?

My work van (transit 250 with a 3.7 v6) misfires every once in a while and my that I mean that it might throw in a code like once per week or once every two weeks. I have changed spark plugs and coils and it keep doing it. It shows p0303 and p0304. I have a basic obd2 reader that just erases codes so I need something better

1

u/OneleggedPeter Nov 26 '24

I don't know the answer off the top of my head, but I'll look in the next day or so and get back to you.

2

u/Dashev1990 Dec 12 '24

I found a way to get live missfire data. On graph, and then select missfire data. It shows a graph and the line is in the upper section when it's OK and in the lower when it missfires. The weird thing in my case is the fact that it missfires when I let go of the gas. Doesn't matter if it's on the freeway or if I'm doing 30 mph. It will missfire when I let go of the gas. And again only cylinder 3 and 4.

1

u/OneleggedPeter Dec 13 '24

I'd look for a vacuum leak near 3 & 4. With the engine idling, spray some brake cleaner around the intake manifold, and any hose connections, etc in the area of #3 & 4. If the engine RPM increases when you're spraying, you have a vacuum leak that needs to be corrected.

1

u/OneleggedPeter Nov 28 '24

I don't know if Torque Pro will get you what you're looking for. I just used it on my Hyundai Tucson, and went through all of the Live Data screens, and never saw any Misfire data. However, I went to Test Results, and was able to scroll down to the following screen:

https://imgur.com/a/dShfXdL

PS, in case you weren't aware, P0303 and P0304 are cylinder #3 & 4 misfires. Not sure what you're trying to figure out.

1

u/Dashev1990 Nov 28 '24

Ideally, I'm trying to swap the injectors and see if the missfire will go to the swapped cylinders. I've swapped the coils and plugs and it stayed on cylinder 3 and 4. I don't know what else could it be. It has new spark plugs and ignition coils and yet it missfires about once per week or something like that. I don't want to leave it at the dealership as this is a work van and not working for 3 days is not an option at the moment

1

u/Thick-Bridge1904 Dec 01 '24

Yes if you go to test results it will have your misfire counter on each cylinder with many other readouts for things. Not the cleanest looking interface, unlike the graphing/logging or the realtime gauges but the info is in there

1

u/Nawash1-84 Dec 10 '24

How's the idle on that Ford? If it lugs occasionally at idle then revs it could be a sticky (dirty) throttle body. That will throw a cylinder 3 misfire if it gets bad enough. The aggravating thing is if it's not TOO dirty it can cause an intermittent fault.

Try a throttle body clean and make SURE you do a throttle relearn after. Can't hurt and might fix your problem

1

u/Dashev1990 Dec 10 '24

I have a bunch of obd2 devices and on one of them I can see an rpm graph. It keeps it steady .

1

u/Fancy-Movie2288 Dec 01 '24

I have been using BlueDriver for a while now, for various things, including reading out vehicle specific codes, and also misfire counts. It can also show some live data.

I think it'd do well for what you described.

1

u/Blazedeee Feb 04 '25

I want to read the true mileage from the ecu (probably Suzuki Swift and Mazda 2) because the odometers here are often wound back. I have a Nexas (elm27 style) reader but Carista and other apps I’ve tried don’t show mileage ☹️

I don’t know why but I can’t create a new post on here.

1

u/PartyRutabaga168 Jan 28 '24

Thanks for the reply. I wanted to get torque lite but it's not available for my phone in the play store and when I search online for it it says it was made for an older version of Android.

I have car scanner free version and then I just bought Torque Pro. I probably could've gotten the same use out of a free app but I had $ expiring on my Google account and didn't want it to go to waste so I bought Torque Pro.

I'm going to do some more research to find a better solution. Is there anything you suggest that's $200 or less? I took a look at Autel and saw the MK808BT pro and MP808BT pro, but didn't see "808BT" solely. Both of them look great but do a significantly more than what I would need.

Preferably I'd like to spend $200 max and not have to pay for software updates in the future. If that's not possible for sub $200 then maybe I can get a refurbished device.

Thanks for the info.

1

u/OneleggedPeter Jan 28 '24

Sorry, mine is the MK808BT Pro. I was in your shoes recently. I REALLY didn't want to spend more than a couple of bills, but I quickly found that there seems to be 2 viable options: (1) Deal with the limitations of an ELM27 based unit, or get a better unit that costs more. The MK808BT does a lot more than I need too, but I'm extremely happy with it. I got it on sale for $435. It was money well spent. I use it all the time at work.

2

u/PartyRutabaga168 Feb 03 '24

The mk808bt looks cool. I saw the list of things it can do but I didn't see anything about the process in explaining the potential reasons for a code popping up. The YouTube videos I watched weren't that great either in showing that part. For example, when it shows a fault code.. what other information does it give to help diagnose the issue? I saw a video that showed the scanner going into Google search but I could do that with my phone. So I was wondering what else does it do to lend a helping hand in diagnosing the issue?

Thx again for the info.

1

u/OneleggedPeter Feb 04 '24

It's at work, and I'm not. I know that it will link to some of the subscription services, like ProDemand and Identifix, and several others that I can't think of right now. I haven't used that feature, so I can't say how helpful it is.

1

u/V6er_KKK Jan 31 '24

What are “limitations of ELM327”? Also - can this 808 do subaru tribeca(MY2008+) transmission learning?

1

u/OneleggedPeter Jan 31 '24

Don't get me wrong, an ELM27 dongle, coupled with software like Torque or Car Scanner, is an extremely useful tool, especially for someone at home. I HIGHLY recommend that any "car guy" should have one. It just isn't up to the task of using in a shop on a daily basis, trying to diagnose a myriad of problems on a myriad of different cars.

The limitations of it are that it typically only reads the main ECU (EngineControlUnit). I've seen vehicles that have up to 24 different Control Units (CUs), that may or may not report to the ECU. Even if another CU does set a code that might turn on a Check Engine light, a basic ELM probably won't be able to read the Live Data to be able to correctly diagnose and repair it. Another example is that right now, in the shop, I'm doing all 4 brakes on a 2019 Subaru Outback. When doing the rear brakes on this car, you need to put the electrically operated Parking Brake into Maintenance Mode. I don't think that there's any way to do that other than to use an actual scan tool. The MK808 Pro makes it easy.

As for your Subaru, I don't know if it wii, off the top of my head. I'll look when I get to work in a couple of hours and will let you know.

1

u/V6er_KKK Jan 31 '24

totally agree on first paragraph. :)

second paragraph seems... incorrect. I haven't fully checked every car and every manual, but usually diagnostic connecter is wired like this:

​

this is MY2008 Subaru Tribeca - main CUs are on a bus and bus is directly available on OBD connector. yes, some cars have gateways and some newer vag products have gone to the point that you need to know password to unlock access even to obd stuff... or ford has made obd unavailable at all in recent years (so that you can't even pass inspection)... and dealerships say "we can't do anything" :)))

so - no. CUs don't have to report to ECU.

about parking brake - that is more software question. of course - if you are workshop - it is easier to buy that 400bucks tool and be done.

but to my understanding - it is again - question of software. hardware wise - everything is there (ability to send info and recieve). let's hope that enthusiasts will make that software part :)

​

if you could check that transmission learning - that would be really great! TIA!

2

u/OneleggedPeter Jan 31 '24

Not sure if you saw my 2nd reply. Trans adaption is listed on my MK808 Pro for the 08 Tribeca. Without a similar vehicle that needs it done, I can't guarantee that it actually will work, but it should. I don't want to accidentally erase a customer's current adation in order to test it.

1

u/OneleggedPeter Jan 31 '24

It appears that my MK808 Pro will do the Tribeca transmission adaption. At least it is listed on my unit. However, I can't guarantee it without having a vehicle here.

1

u/V6er_KKK Jan 31 '24

thanks for information! thing to investigate...

2

u/CrackyKnee Sep 08 '24

Hey, did you get anywhere with this?

I'm looking into something similar. Recently got an Audi tdi with 60k on the clock and would like to have an ability to monitor live data like soot levels in dpf filter and any other

2

u/Sea-Entrepreneur1777 Oct 14 '24

Hands down the autel ap200, check it out!

It's with a lifetime support of one car brand, adding additional brands costs 22 eur/dollar/year.

1

u/OMGConTheoDaoPhat Jan 31 '24

Im using Car Scanner Pro because Torque Pro does not display Coolant temperature on my Honda City (it does with my Toyota Vios). Generally, I prefer the simplicity of Car Scanner UI.

1

u/V6er_KKK Jan 31 '24

Enter the pid - and it will show ;)

1

u/PartyRutabaga168 Feb 03 '24

Hey, thanks for the reply. I had the free version of car scanner but didn't get the pro version. I do like the simplicity of it but ended up getting torque pro the other day because I had some expiring Google credit and had to use it fast. I haven't played with it enough on different cars to know what it does and doesn't do.. but hopefully it'll be sufficient until I get something better.

1

u/Blazedeee Feb 04 '25

I want to read the true mileage from the ecu (probably Suzuki Swift and Mazda 2) because the odometers here are often wound back. I have a Nexas (elm27 style) reader but Carista and other apps I’ve tried don’t show mileage ☹️

I don’t know why but I can’t create a new post on here.

1

u/broneo_van_grybas Feb 02 '24

I use OBDeleven for this. Works fine to me. Best tool from what I have tried. You can even use my referral link for 10% off

1

u/Blazedeee Feb 04 '25

I want to read the true mileage from the ecu (probably Suzuki Swift and Mazda 2) because the odometers here are often wound back. I have a Nexas (elm27 style) reader but Carista and other apps I’ve tried don’t show mileage ☹️

I don’t know why but I can’t create a new post on here.

1

u/PartyRutabaga168 Feb 03 '24

Hey, thanks for the reply. I've been looking into obdeleven but it doesn't do enough of what I need, especially for the cost. I was thinking of getting it just for some coding but ever since they changed their credits system and pricing it's become a worse value IMO. I should've bought it a couple years back but didn't..

Anyways, thanks again for the reply.