For anyone with a bluetooth OBD2 reader. Mine has turned faulty.

JustAnotherSaver

Bought mine towards the back end of last year through eBay.

Amazon Link.

I didn't buy through Amazon and mine was only around £13-£15 IIRC but mine is a Vgate iCar2 and looks exactly like that.

When it was working i'd press the power button and the top 3 lights would light up. Starting yesterday though it just wouldn't work. I'd plug it in and the lights (all 3) would flash but then only the one with the picture of a battery would illuminate red and the thing wouldn't power up (& no app would connect to it).

I wondered if that meant the battery needed replacing but it looks like a closed unit so either the battery is non replaceable or it isn't battery powered anyway and is powered via the car.

Just wondering if anyone has had this issue before with theirs and can tell me what it means. Is the unit duff and I need to buy a new one?

nick74

I've not used that particular model, but I have used other bluetooth OBD dongles and none had internal batteries, they were all powered by the car's electrical system. If it's not powering up it suggests either it's dead. or (more unlikely) there's a problem with the cars electrics. Perhaps test it in another vehicle and if it does the same then it's dead.

born_again

Bent one of the pins on the car?

JustAnotherSaver

nick74 said:

I've not used that particular model, but I have used other bluetooth OBD dongles and none had internal batteries, they were all powered by the car's electrical system. If it's not powering up it suggests either it's dead. or (more unlikely) there's a problem with the cars electrics. Perhaps test it in another vehicle and if it does the same then it's dead.

Will test it on another to check.

born_again said:

Bent one of the pins on the car?

Wont be on the car side as the cabled one for the laptop worked perfectly fine earlier to turn the EML off.

No pins look bent on the bluetooth one but bottom row the middle 2 look like they sit proud of all the others. Whether this is any different to how they were beforehand I couldn't tell you.

AdrianC

JustAnotherSaver said:

No pins look bent on the bluetooth one but bottom row the middle 2 look like they sit proud of all the others. Whether this is any different to how they were beforehand I couldn't tell you.

No, that's how they are.

I've got one of the generic translucent blue <£10 ones. Worked fine in every car I've tried it in for reading and clearing codes.

forgotmyname

I have one of the translucent blue ones also, the larger size not the newer miniature type. Bought it about

10 years ago for £4 and its still working well.

KimJongUn88

For the sake of £20, just buy a new one.

JustAnotherSaver

KimJongUn88 said:

For the sake of £20, just buy a new one.

In the end I did - it didn't work also.

Gave up for many months then bought a 'pro' one. Suspect the only thing Pro about it is the labelling but hey ho it cost £20 and works.

[Deleted User]

Invest in a decent instrument. Plenty from Autel, Foxwell etc.

JustAnotherSaver

arctic_ghost said:

Invest in a decent instrument. Plenty from Autel, Foxwell etc.

Have seen a few Autel units on various YouTube channels that I follow.

Don't fancy spending a weeks wage on something i'll use occasionally.