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Which OBD2 adapter to buy for your phone

The adapter is the bit that plugs into the car and talks to your phone over Bluetooth. There are hundreds and most look alike on the outside, but not on the inside. This is what really matters.

Where it plugs in

Every car with OBD2 has the same 16 pin socket, nearly always under the steering wheel and sometimes behind a small cover. In Europe, petrol cars have it from 2001 and diesels from 2004. If your car is from those years onwards, the socket is there.

ELM327: fine for the basics

ELM327 is the name of the chip in the first adapters, and today nearly all the cheap ones are copies of it. For the gauges, reading engine faults and the roadworthiness check they usually do the job.

The trouble starts when you need to get into every control unit in the car. Many copies drop messages, are slow or don’t understand every command, so control units go missing or the scan stops halfway. Final OBD notices: if the adapter drops messages, it reads more slowly so as not to get anything wrong, and tells you a better one would be quicker. A cheap adapter won’t break anything, but it may fall short.

vLinker or OBDLink: for the full scan and the Workshop features

If you want the full scan of every control unit, the service functions or the adaptations, a good adapter is worth it. vLinker and OBDLink adapters use their own chips, not copies, answer quickly and don’t drop messages. They’re the ones we recommend.

If you have an iPhone

The iPhone only talks to Bluetooth LE (BLE) adapters, not to classic Bluetooth ones. For example, the vLinker MC+, the Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ or the Vgate iCar Pro BLE will work, or an Apple certified vLinker MS or FS, which you pair in the iPhone settings. Before buying, check the box says BLE or iPhone compatible. On Android both types work.

No wifi, no cable

Final OBD connects to the adapter over Bluetooth, so wifi and USB cable adapters won’t work with it.

Three tips

  • Unplug it if the car is going to sit for several days: some adapters keep drawing power with the car switched off.
  • To read faults you only need the ignition on, there’s no need to start the engine.
  • If an adapter won’t connect, switch the ignition off, unplug it and start again before deciding it’s faulty.

And with Final OBD

Plug in the adapter, switch the ignition on, open the app and pick the adapter from the list. Next time it remembers it. If your car isn’t in the makes table or something doesn’t add up, write to info@finalobd.com.