Are you looking for a way to monitor your car’s vital statistics like coolant and transmission temperatures directly on your car’s screen, without needing to install a separate gauge? For car enthusiasts and those who like to keep a close eye on their vehicle’s health, accessing real-time data is invaluable. It turns out, you can easily achieve this using your existing Android Auto setup and a simple OBD2 Bluetooth adapter.
The solution lies in pairing a generic OBD2 Bluetooth adapter with the OBD Fusion app. This clever combination allows you to display a wealth of sensor data right on your infotainment screen via Android Auto. Imagine seeing your coolant temperature, transmission temperature, and other critical parameters in real-time, just like having a digital gauge cluster built into your dashboard.
For those seeking a seamless connection, the Veepeak OBDCheck Bluetooth dongle appears to be a promising option. Priced affordably on platforms like Amazon, this adapter claims compatibility with the OBD Fusion app and utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). This is a key feature because it should allow your phone to maintain its regular Bluetooth connection to your car for Android Auto, while simultaneously communicating with the OBD2 adapter for sensor data. Older Bluetooth OBD2 adapters might interfere with your phone’s ability to connect to your car’s infotainment system.
The Veepeak OBDCheck comes in two versions: BLE and BLE+. While both offer basic OBD2 functionality, the BLE+ is the newer model and unlocks access to ELM327 v2.2 commands, compared to v1.4 in the standard BLE version. According to the manufacturer, the BLE+ offers enhanced capabilities such as real-time sensor readings presented in graph format and customizable dashboards. These dashboards allow you to prioritize and display the specific PIDs (Parameter IDs) that are most important to you.
It’s surprising that many modern vehicles don’t natively display more of this readily available sensor data on their built-in screens. The car’s head unit is already connected to the vehicle’s CAN network and has access to this information. However, with the combination of Android Auto, OBD Fusion, and a compatible Bluetooth adapter like the Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+, you can easily bridge this gap and gain valuable insights into your car’s performance directly on your dashboard. For a relatively small investment in an OBD2 adapter, you can unlock a powerful vehicle monitoring tool.
