New guy, 2002 Focus

[bgeo]

Hello everyone, I joined Fuelly last week and (with some help from Robert V) was able to upload 150+ fuel-ups I'd recorded. My Focus ZX3 5-speed came to me about 4 years ago with just over 40,000 miles. I've more than doubled the mileage since then, averaging just over 30 mpg. I've just picked up a blue-tooth OBD2 transmitter and am trying some Android apps to access the data -- Torque and Dash Commander. Something tells me people here have a few opinions on those and others. Bob G

[Draigflag]

Welcome to Fuelly Bob. My Dad had a Focus diesel for 7 years, very reliable car. How much was the BT device? I have a couple of dash readouts already, average MPG, speed etc, interested to know what you can read with your device?

[bgeo]

Hi DraigFlag, thanks for the welcome. Do UK cars have the same style connector or something different? What I have is a little device that plugs into the OBD2 jack and transmits to a phone or tablet for processing and display. The app and car data together determine what you can see and record. The model I chose is a VeePeak VP11, which put me back only $12. It's at the first link below. The 2nd link is a review of the Torque Pro app.

There's a slightly more expensive VP16 with an on-off switch. They're offered in BT or WiFi and have different models for iOS. My Focus has just the basic gauges typical for its era and no mpg, outside temp or others. Seeing real-time MPG is an eye-opener. There's a huge range of data available and I want to try a consumption figure like gal/1000 mi.

Amazon.com: Veepeak mini OBD II OBD2 Scanner Bluetooth Diagnostic Adapter, Car Bluetooth OBD2 OBDII auto scanner, Bluetooth OBD2 scan tool For check engine light & diagnostics-Compatible with Torque Pro: Automotive

Monitor your car's performance with the Torque app for Android - CNET

[Draigflag]

Sweet, thanks for the tip. Looks like a useful device for the money. One thing I miss about my old car is that it had "trip A" and "trip B" data, both resettable at any time. So I'd have one run every tank, and one I'd reset every trip so I could see journey time, distance, mpg, average speed etc. My current car only has the one trip reading, so I can get a rough idea per tank, but no corresponding data per trip as it were.

Can't find that specific device for sale here, but there are lots of other, and most of them mention the torque app compatability too. This one looks similar

LUJII® Mini OBD2 ELM327 V1.5 Bluetooth Car Scanner- Android Torque Auto Scan Tool OBD-II Engine Fault Diagnostic Code Tester (Mini Bluetooth):Amazon.co.uk:Car & Motorbike

[bgeo]

Glad to help. It's like whole new world of accessing the car's data. DashCommand is the other app I'm trying besides Torque, not "Dash Commander." The developer has a very active forum at:

PPE User Forum - Index

[B3NN3TT]

My 2003 SVT Focus has been terrific. over 160,000 miles on it now, with no unusual repairs, and still no rattles or squeaks. I love those cars; would recommend them to anyone.