I don't think I just hit something in the road....

That is a buyer's guide ONLY for OBD2 bluetooth adapters for use with the Dr. Prius app.
The Dr.Prius app can NOT read all the trouble codes in a Prius because it can not communicate with all the ECU's in the car. The Dr. Prius app is good for diagnosing problems with the HV battery.

Use the review linked in post #16.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If Dr. Prius works with your OBD2 adapter, then all the other apps will also work. That's because Dr. Prius is constantly being updated for a new version every new bug with Apple and Android. Whereas apps like Torque are the opposite and sometimes goes years between updates, which if you have a junk OBD2 reader and old phone, might be useful.

 

I am just pointing out that the Dr. Prius app and many other android and i-phone apps that you can download to your phone, can NOT communicate with all the ECU's in a Prius, which means they can not read all the potential trouble codes that someone might have. It is much better to recommend an OBD2 Bluetooth adapter to someone, which can read all the potentially triggered trouble codes. One example is the Autel AP200, which only costs about $50 on Amazon. This is the reason I recommend that people should read the review linked in post #16 and decide for themselves what functionality they want in an OBD2 scan tool.

NOTE: I downloaded the Dr. Prius app and paid for the extra functionality available in the app a few years ago. I like it very much for analyzing the health of my HV battery. I also have a hacked version of TechStream install on a laptop computer.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Yes, agreed... But 'Car Scanner App' identifies which ECU sent the signal so you can clarify if any ECU is not represented... And for the time being paying less than $20 for an OBD2 is my recommendation because Autel and others have primarily proven themselves with mechanics who use them every day for wear and tear challenges not a person who will most likely have an OBD2 in their glove box they never use unless they have to decide between driving home and calling a tow truck.

 

<shrug>

If you recommend an app be please mention what its limits are.

I try not to make assumptions about someone making a post, but instead put info out there and encourage the reader to do some research and make their own decisions.

Car Scanner (I tested the Pro version) does have some codes and data for ECM, HV battery and Hybrid Control ecu's. That's all on a Gen2.

Dr Prius is very handy for monitoring block voltages and some ECM & HV/HC codes, but that's about all.

If that's what you need, then great. Quite a few people who post are dealing with problems that require a more capable scantool.


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I would take it back and communicate your concerns.

 

Having the scanner just gives you some insight as to the possibilities you're looking at and then with instruction and careful observation and various sites and places lots of things can happen without that information You're relying on somebody else and they're honesty and business practice and that's okay too if you're comfortable with that. But in this day and age a lot of people are losing that comfort to say the least.

 

I am less worried about their integrity and more worried about their lack of hybrid experience combined with undeserved ego. In other words - incompetence they are slow to realize because they can get by on conventional cars.

I had a local shop claim they could clean my Prius egr cooler and valve. He had an excellent scanner and was always busy. The shop was a mess (warning sign) but he had several employees and admin.

The guy did not realize the level of disassembly required to get to it and it took days. He could not clean the cooler. We bought a new one and I cleaned the old one later.

Worse than his hybrid incompetence was his bill - more than a dealer installing all new parts including the valve. Of course I negotiated it lower but the wasted days were lost forever.

Lesson learned - false confidence and a scanner solves nothing. He needed Merv’s latest video but I needed to drive a bit to an experienced shop run by a hard working immigrant - the kind that built America for the last two hundred years.

 

Because you felt that sudden jolt, I’m less likely to feel that the purge valve work is connected to the current problem.
I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to that shop and describe everything that has happened

 

Pretty sure its unrelated. My bigger concern is their pricing - might as well have gone to the dealer. Should have been more like $300. Obviously if it was the purge valve again the shop should fix it at no additional cost. But the purge valve won't bring up severe hybrid warnings.

 

agreed, and it seems to happen a lot.

 

Yeah being in the southeast United States that would be a good idea a real good idea. Pricing can be dealt with in Georgia pretty easily there are people around that can handle it.