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Best Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mikedamirault, Sep 17, 2021.

  1. mikedamirault

    mikedamirault Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2009
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Dublin, OH
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    After 10+ years of reliable service, my 2010 Prius finally got the dreaded “Check Hybrid System” message with the yellow triangle, and appears to have entered what I have heard is called “limp mode” (I can drive it, but feels very sluggish)

    From what I have read, this can be as simple and cheap as a blown fuse, to as much of a pain and expense of having to replace the battery pack, and anywhere in between, but of course “Check Hybrid System” isn’t much to go off of

    Therefore, to get more information on this issue (and not having to deal with the dealership unless it’s something I can’t do myself), I’m in the market for an OBD2 scanner that can get codes for hybrid/battery issues

    Requirements
    • Bluetooth Dongle - A handheld unit would be fine, but I would rather scan with my phone than a standalone handheld unit, and I would prefer Bluetooth over Wi-Fi
    • iPhone/iOS compatibility - I have an iPhone and haven’t used Android devices in years, I believe I may have an Android tablet floating around somewhere, but I don’t want to have to dig around for it, and would much rather just do it from my iPhone, also I don’t want to have to lug out my laptop to do it
    • Reliable - I don’t want a scanner/app that sometimes works or sometimes reads the codes, I want a dongle that I can plug in, do a scan and rest assured that the codes I get are all the codes for the issues my car has
    • Affordable - $120 or less hopefully (dongle and app combined), I can’t afford $200+ scanners
    • Universal - This isn’t a huge requirement, the whole purpose of getting the scanner is to find out my hybrid issue, but I don’t want to spend all this money for a device I will only use once, it would be nice if I could also use it to diagnose issues with other vehicles
    Here are a few I have been looking at, but apparently won’t work for me

    Blue Drive BlueDriver - This seems like it would work, it’s universal, as in works on all cars (as far as I can tell), has iOS compatibility, $120 for the dongle along with a free app, it’s a Bluetooth dongle, but not sure exactly on reliability

    Problem, it seems it’s only ICE compatible, so it can get codes for the ICE engine of the Prius, but nothing from the EV side, this means it won’t retrieve hybrid “Check Hybrid System” codes, which is the whole point

    Another problem is the dongle only works with it’s own app, which means it can’t even be used with the Dr. Prius app, which does support the EV/hybrid side

    Veepeak Mini
    - This one does work with the Dr. Prius app, seems to be universal (depending on the app you use), affordable at $13, making the $30 in app charge (supposedly) for Dr. Prius easier to swallow, not sure on reliability, but I have read a review on a condensation issue where the internals got wet and supposedly caught fire (which likely wouldn’t happen to me as I wouldn’t plan on leaving it in a car permanently), and it’s also Bluetooth

    Problem, it’s not iOS compatible, it only works on Android and Windows, this means digging for that tablet or having to lug out my laptop, the page for it explicitly tells you it’s not iOS compatible, even when used with apps it is compatible with

    OBDLink LX - Much like the Veepeak, but at least looks better built

    I knew coming into this that there would be limited support for iOS, but of all things, hybrid/EV support, really?

    Anyway, is there something out there that should work?
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,473
    4,373
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Dr Prius won't read all the codes either but it works well for battery data. It will read standard obd2 codes but the Prius is loaded with specialized ecus. In general you will get the basic problem area and most problems are common, eg a hv battery, water pump, brake booster or inverter.

    Toyota's Techstream is the only sure bet but the tax alone will blow your budget. There are hacked copies that use mini-vci cabled obd2 hardware. It is Illegal software that only runs on pcs and can be tricky to install. Most use a dedicated xp or win7 machine and keep it offline.

    Generally basic codes will get you there with a bluetooth adapter. I use this one on IOS. I run Car Scanner or Dr Prius with it.



    Finally, the youtube channel The Car Care Nut features a dealer mechanic who promises to recommend a decent aftermarket scanner soon. He did indicate it will still be pricey (most likely $500-$1000) but should be a value compared to Techstream.
     
  3. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2009
    1,389
    947
    4
    Location:
    Foot of Pikes Peak
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    OBD LX is Android and Windows only, you need the OBD MX+ to link with your Apple phone. I have the LX and it works very well for me with my Android phone but I don't know about the MX+ (apparently the Dr. Prius developer had trouble with it).

    An other one reported to work with IOS and Dr Prius is Carista but I don't have personal experience with it.

    Dr. Prius recommends against BlueDriver.

    If you are going into limp mode sounds likely that your hybrid battery is going bad. Dr. Prius would definitely tell you whether that is the case.

    How old is your 12v battery. That can cause warning lights also. Meanwhile, you could try disconnecting the 12v, then reconnecting it. That might reset the warning light and take it out of limp mode, at least temporarily.
     
    #3 royrose, Sep 17, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2021
  4. derickz

    derickz New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2021
    4
    2
    0
    Location:
    wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    LE
    I just got this one, tested Dr. Hybrid with an Android phone. It works well. It is good to have an Android phone.



    I am also thinking to get this for my iPhone.

     
  5. drbtz

    drbtz Member

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2021
    102
    51
    1
    Location:
    United States
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I have a carista, it does well with hybrid assistant and Dr Prius BUT I'm on Android so unsure of iOS behavior.
     
  6. Zteve

    Zteve New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2023
    12
    0
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I installed the Carista scanner and iPhone app a couple of weeks ago on my 2018. They've worked excellently. The scanner is only $40 but the app is $10/month. Since then I've looked for a cheaper app. I've tried a half dozen or more so far, and the Carista app is the best by far. It's comprehensive and certainly the best user interface. Some apps are confusing, some work only with their brand scanner, some reveal only the diagnostic codes instead of the user codes as well (backup beeps, lighting, windows, etc.). I'm testing Car Scanner now. It seems to have everything, including the user codes, but setting the user codes is experimental!