Rockout

I am getting a brand new Q5 in a week or so and I stumbled across this thread a few weeks back and took a chance and ordered an OBDII WiFi device from one of the links on the Carista website and it seems to work fine on my Mazda 3 as a basic code reader and the Carista IOS application.


My question is:
Would Carista do the basic code reading if my hardware was one of the fake ones described above? Everything worked fine except my Mazda 3 is not a supported vehicle therefore there is not much you can do to try and program in it.


BTW, the reader I bought is the "DoDoCool Wi-Fi ELM 327 OBD 2 II Car Diagnostic Interface Scanner" and it got to my home in Canada from China in 9 days - pretty impressive.

Redd

gti-
Thanks for reminding me. But I'm afraid I'm a h a r d customer. I don't want to push a button each time, much less remember which new button to push. I just want the damned thing programmed my way--not someone else's.
I'm the same way with the parking brake. I was trained to always use it, and I do. So when I get in and hit the start button and then move my fingers up to drop the parking brake--I expect it to DROP ON COMMAND. Nope. Can't do that, it won't release until the engine has finished starting. And by then, yes, my fickle fingers are already on the steering wheel or gearshift and need to waste another whole hand/arm movement. PITA. Even though my foot is already on the brake, so the parking brake is redundant and useless at that point.
This car is too clever for me.

Rockout-
A perfect or near-perfect copy, counterfeit or not, of anything, works the same way the real thing does right?
Carista isn't Apple, it isn't checking for licensed chips and codes, as Apple does with Bluetooth data devices. $5 goes to Apple for each of those devices and without a special chip and code, Apple devices won't take Bluetooth *data* streams, just audio.
So do you have a counterfeit? Who knows. If it works, that's all she wrote.

Rockout

Thanks for your reply. My device works but in a limited test environment. My original question was in reference to Carista's statement that they somehow test the device for command compatibility - would that have done in my limited controlled test? I will be happy if I get full functionality on my new Q5 but it is impossible to know at this point since I don't have my vehicle as of yet.

Redd

Again, I don't think it matters. Carista is not looking for a proprietary chip (like an Apple BT chip) or for an encrypted data key that goes along with it (to enable that bt chip).

It is looking for something that "quacks like a duck", nothing more. This is an open standard, i.e. not encrypted or "locked" somehow. There's no physical reason the real devices can't be perfectly counterfeited, so how would who know?

Ever heard of a kid giving a bartender a counterfeit ID?(G) Right. Same same, if it quacks like a duck...

Rockout

I don't really care if it is counterfeit - I am merely wondering if it will work on the Q5 based on the limited testing I have already done.

Redd

In theory there are standards for the OBD2 bus, and in theory, the Q5 and Mazda will supply the exact same voltage and power, differing only in the codes they send. Which should be "just data" as far as the widget is concerned. So yes, it probably will work--but that's based on assuming the Mazda and Q5 are both adhering to the same standard. Assuming anything about an Audi is a gamble, you'd need full specifications of the port on both specific cars to be reasonably sure that both implement the OBD2 bus exactly the same way. They probably do, but that's still an assumption.

audio_video_guy

Can it disable DRL dimming when parking light or low beam is on?

RallyQ

Yes, but only when parking lights are on.

audio_video_guy

That still works for me. I think it's cheaper than going VAG COM route as I need something simple (control window/sunroof open/close with keyfob, disabled DRL dimming, using fog as DRL).

So we can set it so it won't dim when parking lights are on, but still dim when low beam is on? Did I understand it right?

Hudpony

Don't think so. I may be incorrect but I read RallyQ's response to indicate that dimming of the DRL can be enabled with parking lights only, not with Low Beams.