Table of Contents
What is an OBD-II connector and does my car have one?
On-board diagnostics (OBD) is an automotive term referring to a vehicle’s self-diagnostic and reporting capability. OBD systems give the vehicle owner or repair technician access to the status of the various vehicle sub-systems, for example, the check engine light. An OBD-II scanner is NOT required for mLog.
Chart of OBD-II compliant vehicles:
| Country Where You Live | Fully Supported Years | Incompletely Supported Years |
| United States (gas) | 1996 and newer | 1994 and 1995 |
| United States (diesel) | 2004 and newer | 1996 to 2003 |
| United States (Heavy-Duty vehicles with GVRW exceeding 14000 pounds) | 1996 and newer | |
| Canada (gas) | 1998 and newer | 1996 and 1997 |
| Europe and UK (gas/petrol) | 2000/01 and newer | 1996 to 1999 |
| Europe and UK (diesel) | 2003/04 and newer | 1996-2002 |
| All other countries | 1996 and newer |
Please note that mLog requires your vehicle to support a very specific code: OBD PID 31 - “Distance traveled since codes cleared.” Vehicles that are OBD-II compliant may or may not support this code and it is hard to predict which vehicles will support this code simply based on their makes and models. Please consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual and other information available online to see if your vehicle supports this code.
Crowd Sourced List of Vehicles that have successfully provided the OBD PID 31 Code.
*The vehicle names may differ from the actual vehicle but should serve as a reference for successful pairing.
What is an OBD-II scan tool and where can I buy one?
An OBD-II scan tool is a small device that plugs in to the OBD connector and transfers data via Bluetooth to mobile devices.
You can find many choices on the web. Make sure it has the ELM327 interface and is proven to work with other Android apps, like Torque.
We have tested the following OBD scan tools:
BAFX Bluetooth
OBD2 scan tool ScanTool OBDLink LX ScanTool OBDLink MX for Ford and GM
(recommended)
How does mLog for Android work with the OBD-II scan tool? (optional)?
- Plug the OBD-II scan tool in to the OBD connector, and start the engine.
- Go to Android System Settings > Bluetooth > Search for devices > Pair with it. (The security code usually is 1234 or 12345. Check the device manual).
- Open the mLog app and go to Menu > Settings > OBD-II Device Settings > OBD-II Scanner Type > Bluetooth > OBD-II Bluetooth Device. Then select the newly paired device.
- On the same settings page select Setup Vehicle Odometer > Yes. The app will try to connect to the scan tool. Once it finds it, select the vehicle and enter the current odometer from the dashboard. If it fails to connect, read the popup message and try again.
- Start a trip as usual. The mLog app will automatically read the odometer from the scan tool.
- Due to the fact that OBD devices only give distance in kilometers, if you use miles, there might be some loss of precision and resulting in readings being 1 mile off.