OBD2 Reader

OldStoat · March 2, 2021

Can anyone recommend an OBD2 reader for Lexus/Toyota? To be honest I would recommend Snap On - but I could probably replace the car for what they cost.

I've got an RX400h so something which can read / understand the hybrid - and ideally work on an apple product. e.g iphone/macbook - other operating systems are available.

Herbie · March 2, 2021

1 minute ago, OldStoat said:

Can anyone recommend an OBD2 reader for Lexus/Toyota? To be honest I would recommend Snap On - but I could probably replace the car for what they cost.

I've got an RX400h so something which can read / understand the hybrid - and ideally work on an Apple product. e.g iphone/macbook - other operating systems are available.

The absolute best thing is to use Techstream, which is the very same diagnostic software that Lexus techs use in dealer workshops. However, I'm 99% sure it's Windows only, not apple.

If apple can run virtual machines then you'll be able to run Windows 7 or even Windows XP in a VM.

You'll need a miniVCI cable from eBay or amazon and most of these will come with a pirated copy of Techstream. I can't condone the use of pirated software but you can freely and legitimately download it from here https://www.lexus-tech.eu/DiagnosticTools/Setup and pay for a block of time to use it. Either way, you'll need that cable so it's a matter for your own conscience where to go from there.

Superduner · March 2, 2021

I have 2. An OBDLINK LX and a cheapo one from Amazon:

TONWON OBD2 Scanner OBDII Bluetooth Scan Tool Car Fault Code Reader for iOS Android: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike

I use the Tonwon with Hybrid Assistant and it seems to do everything the OBDLink does and stays connected much, much better.

I was finding that the OBDLink needed to be re-paired at almost every startup. I have a Vline in my RX and was spending an awful lot of time trying to iron out the kinks in getting them to talk to each other.

A word of warning. If you use Torque as a monitoring app, it hogs the Bluetooth connection (even when you think it's not running) and makes using any other diagnostic app almost impossible

OldStoat · March 2, 2021

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

The absolute best thing is to use Techstream, which is the very same diagnostic software that Lexus techs use in dealer workshops. However, I'm 99% sure it's Windows only, not Apple.

If Apple can run virtual machines then you'll be able to run Windows 7 or even Windows XP in a VM.

You'll need a miniVCI cable from eBay or Amazon and most of these will come with a pirated copy of Techstream. I can't condone the use of pirated software but you can freely and legitimately download it from here https://www.lexus-tech.eu/DiagnosticTools/Setup and pay for a block of time to use it. Either way, you'll need that cable so it's a matter for your own conscience where to go from there.

I've got a Win10 VM on the laptop - which will do fine. TQVM

Britprius · March 2, 2021

28 minutes ago, OldStoat said:

I've got a Win10 VM on the laptop - which will do fine.

Make sure you buy the version of Techstream software with the adapter that is suitable for 64 bit W10. The WXP version is for 32bit, and is difficult to setup the drivers on 64bit machines.

John.

Illogan · March 2, 2021

36 minutes ago, Britprius said:

Make sure you buy the version of Techstream software with the adapter that is suitable for 64 bit W10. The WXP version is for 32bit, and is difficult to setup the drivers on 64bit machines.

John.

I strongly suspect this is excellent advice!!! (Thank you John) 👍

m4rkw · March 2, 2021

I have the mini-vci drivers for win10 64bit if you need them. Depending on the VM technology you use you might find the connection isn't very reliable. Vmware worked better than virtualbox in my experience, but if you want to be as stable as possible your best bet is to use bootcamp and dual-boot windows. This is only available on the intel macs, they removed it from the M1s due to the architecture difference.

ColinBarber · March 2, 2021

If you want something simple to use then Carista, with their dongle, is probably the easiest thing to use. Works on your phone, no cables. But it can be expensive to continually subscribe and you don't get the full diagnostic capabilities of Toyota's Techstream but it will read all fault codes and allow you to set all available customisations.

If you purchase their dongle you get 1 month free access:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carista-Bluetooth-Adapter-Scanner-Technology/dp/B00YVHGTBM/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=carista&qid=1614722938&sr=8-4

OldStoat · March 3, 2021

18 hours ago, Herbie said:

The absolute best thing is to use Techstream, which is the very same diagnostic software that Lexus techs use in dealer workshops. However, I'm 99% sure it's Windows only, not Apple.

If Apple can run virtual machines then you'll be able to run Windows 7 or even Windows XP in a VM.

You'll need a miniVCI cable from eBay or Amazon and most of these will come with a pirated copy of Techstream. I can't condone the use of pirated software but you can freely and legitimately download it from here https://www.lexus-tech.eu/DiagnosticTools/Setup and pay for a block of time to use it. Either way, you'll need that cable so it's a matter for your own conscience where to go from there.

I'm so impressed with this as a solution! Specialist software as a service @ 5 Euro a day - a bargain I'd say. Do other manufacturers do that?

Illogan · March 3, 2021

16 hours ago, m4rkw said:

I have the mini-vci drivers for win10 64bit if you need them. Depending on the VM technology you use you might find the connection isn't very reliable. Vmware worked better than virtualbox in my experience, but if you want to be as stable as possible your best bet is to use bootcamp and dual-boot windows. This is only available on the intel macs, they removed it from the M1s due to the architecture difference.

Thank you M4rk, I've made a note of your kind offer

OldStoat · March 3, 2021

16 hours ago, m4rkw said:

I have the mini-vci drivers for win10 64bit if you need them. Depending on the VM technology you use you might find the connection isn't very reliable. Vmware worked better than virtualbox in my experience, but if you want to be as stable as possible your best bet is to use bootcamp and dual-boot windows. This is only available on the intel macs, they removed it from the M1s due to the architecture difference.

Yes indeed Thank you M4rk for your kind offer, I have an intel mac with some experience of Virtualbox... any help is very welcome.

m4rkw · March 3, 2021

4 minutes ago, OldStoat said:

Yes indeed Thank you M4rk for your kind offer, I have an intel mac with some experience of Virtualbox... any help is very welcome.

If you have an intel mac and enough disk space I would strongly recommend using Boot Camp and installing windows natively. VirtualBox was highly unreliable in my experience, and if you're messing about with talking to your car you really want stability.

You can download a windows ISO here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

You don't need a product key as its free to use if you don't want to customise it.

Just run Boot Camp and give it the ISO and it should do everything for you. After windows is installed it will pop up a dialog to install the boot camp drivers - just click Next until it completes.

After it's done it will boot straight into windows every time, which is annoying. You can fix this by rebooting and holding the option key until you get the boot menu, select the macOS disk to boot into macOS. Then when you're back in macOS, go to System Preferences -> Startup Disk, unlock the pane and select the macOS volume, then click back to come out of that pane. Then it will default to macOS on startup and you can boot into windows by holding the option key.

Once you've got windows installed give me a shout and I'll chuck you the driver bundle.

m4rkw · March 3, 2021

Attached the drivers

mini_vci_win10_64bit.zip

OldStoat · March 3, 2021

3 minutes ago, m4rkw said:

If you have an intel mac and enough disk space I would strongly recommend using Boot Camp and installing windows natively. VirtualBox was highly unreliable in my experience, and if you're messing about with talking to your car you really want stability.

You can download a windows ISO here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

You don't need a product key as its free to use if you don't want to customise it.

Just run Boot Camp and give it the ISO and it should do everything for you. After windows is installed it will pop up a dialog to install the boot camp drivers - just click Next until it completes.

After it's done it will boot straight into windows every time, which is annoying. You can fix this by rebooting and holding the option key until you get the boot menu, select the macOS disk to boot into macOS. Then when you're back in macOS, go to System Preferences -> Startup Disk, unlock the pane and select the macOS volume, then click back to come out of that pane. Then it will default to macOS on startup and you can boot into windows by holding the option key.

Once you've got windows installed give me a shout and I'll chuck you the driver bundle.

You are very kind indeed, and thorough! - thank you. I'm a bit short of space as docker (64Gb) Win10 (32Gb with nothing installed!) occupy much of the meagre drive I specced it with. However I am hopeful that i can get it to be steady/reliable as we have managed to get the Dynamometer working reliably at the local Ducati garage, along with Ducati service software - all running Win10 64 Pro on Debian hosts. I think the key has been perhaps a lucky combination of Extension packs and in those cases a pci-e USB board. I'm super impressed with the support and general helpfulness of this lexus club. Thank you all very much.

m4rkw · March 3, 2021

7 minutes ago, OldStoat said:

You are very kind indeed, and thorough! - thank you. I'm a bit short of space as docker (64Gb) Win10 (32Gb with nothing installed!) occupy much of the meagre drive I specced it with. However I am hopeful that i can get it to be steady/reliable as we have managed to get the Dynamometer working reliably at the local Ducati garage, along with Ducati service software - all running Win10 64 Pro on Debian hosts. I think the key has been perhaps a lucky combination of Extension packs and in those cases a pci-e USB board. I'm super impressed with the support and general helpfulness of this lexus club. Thank you all very much.

Give it a try 🙂 I've never been much of a fan of oracle software, you can see an example of why here: https://m4.rkw.io/blog/owning-virtualbox-via-mitm.html

Things move on all the time, maybe it's more reliable now.

OldStoat · March 3, 2021

@m4rkw

I've downloaded the Techstrean Software from Lexus.eu and am installing it... Still haven't ordered a cable yet.

A couple of questions -

1) Is there a recommended cable? The site offers a cable at about £800 and provides dire warnings about cheap cables.

2) Does the install set for TechStream not include drivers?

I was impressed with your blog re: VirtualBox - to he honest I would use VMWare for preference - but at the time, price was a factor for the client.

TIA

Herbie · March 3, 2021

1 - This cable from eBay will work just fine.

It's not from the same place I got mine but it is exactly the same and I've used mine a fair few times so I know it works.

2 - Techstream itself doesn't require drivers. The drivers are for the cable and allows the car and the laptop to talk to each other.

welland · March 10, 2021

On 3/3/2021 at 1:23 PM, Herbie said:

1 - This cable from eBay will work just fine.

It's not from the same place I got mine but it is exactly the same and I've used mine a fair few times so I know it works.

2 - Techstream itself doesn't require drivers. The drivers are for the cable and allows the car and the laptop to talk to each other.

Can Techstream work with a wireless OBD adapter - eg Bluetooth?

If possible, I'd like an adapter that will work with OBDAutoDoctor so I can use it with my non-lexus vehicles too. OBDAutoDoctor requires an ELM327 device, so I wonder if such an adapter will work with techstream?

Herbie · March 10, 2021

I would expect the answer to be 'no' but I've never tried it, so....

welland · March 10, 2021

56 minutes ago, Herbie said:

I would expect the answer to be 'no' but I've never tried it, so....

Is that No to Wireless? Or, No to ELM327 compatibility? Or Both?

I already have a wired ELM327 device and I was wondering if it will work with Techstream. I have downloaded Techstream tonight, but can't seem to find a way to check if it will work with my device without buying a license. Any idea if that is possible?

Herbie · March 11, 2021

14 hours ago, welland said:

Is that No to Wireless? Or, No to ELM327 compatibility? Or Both?

I already have a wired ELM327 device and I was wondering if it will work with Techstream. I have downloaded Techstream tonight, but can't seem to find a way to check if it will work with my device without buying a license. Any idea if that is possible?

Addressing the last point first, it's less than five quid for a day's access so just try it - it's not a lot to lose if you find that it doesn't work.

As for the communication device, like I said earlier I've never tried it so I really don't know. What's on 'your' end of the connection - is it a Windows laptop or a phone app?

I know Techstream is (or was) only available for Windows so if the ELM327 works in Windows you may be lucky.

Vadim · March 11, 2021

Bought the following kit on amazon some time ago:

It required Windows XP, and was tricky to set up. After all, it somewhat working.
Note that Techstream is integrated into a web-based support system, and aftermarket kits like above come without access to the online resources.
I think a standard ODB2 reader will be able to read the most of the errors, but may be unable to reset them or run systems tests.

johnmac1956 · March 11, 2021

After 10 years of almost fault free driving I had a an engine light showing on my RX400. It happened after very very heavy rain and a 40 mile journey through flooded roads and the sodden beauty of the Yorkshire Wolds!!

I took it to a friends garage who had the a professional OBD reader which pointed me in the right direction to solve the issue. But did not give me the full answer.

Due to lockdown I could not take it to another friend who had better diagnostic equipment. So i turned to this and the US forums and of course amazon.

I tried 2 different OBD readers. A wired version which allowed me to clear the engine/hybrid fault even though it did not show that the fault existed. I discussed it with the manufacturer (China),they said I would need to buy their £400 OBD reader to read the fault codes on a Lexus RX400!! The 2nd Bluetooth OBD reader when paired with the DrPrius software App showed me the fault code but not the detailed fault information, that I needed.. I must admit though that the DrPrius App was very good showing detailed information on the hybrid Battery condition. Thankfully good batteries and system in my situation.

After reading about using Techstream on Windows 10 computers and perceived difficulties. I considered taking 1 of my laptops back to windows XP! After further research though I found on amazon the following.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0779M319M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It arrived the next day and following the detailed instructions to the letter, it installed on my windows 10 laptop easily.

Now I was able to read the full details of the fault code and carry out tests to bottom out the root cause of my issues.

So Yes in my case the OBD readers are very easy to use and useful, but you really need to utilize the Techstream software to fully analyse faults.

Herbie · March 11, 2021

1 hour ago, johnmac1956 said:

After reading about using Techstream on Windows 10 computers and perceived difficulties. I considered taking 1 of my laptops back to windows XP! After further research though I found on Amazon the following.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0779M319M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It arrived the next day and following the detailed instructions to the letter, it installed on my windows 10 laptop easily.

Now I was able to read the full details of the fault code and carry out tests to bottom out the root cause of my issues.

So Yes in my case the OBD readers are very easy to use and useful, but you really need to utilize the Techstream software to fully analyse faults.

Yes, that's the same cable as those available on eBay and mine works a treat:

welland · March 12, 2021

18 hours ago, johnmac1956 said:

After reading about using Techstream on Windows 10 computers and perceived difficulties. I considered taking 1 of my laptops back to windows XP! After further research though I found on Amazon the following.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0779M319M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the tip. I've ordered one now, as Herbie's recommendation is out of stock.