Set up help needed

[Rip]

So, on the advice of several in these forums, I purchased an OBDLink MX+ MX201. I also downloaded the ABRP app. So, being brand new to this concept, I would appreciate a bit of help. It seems easy enough to set up to work with my phone. I have some questions about what else to do, though. Should I expect this to work with my center console display, or only when I am in Android Auto? Do I pair the OBD with my phone, or the Lightning, or both?
I have seen videos of people using the display to show diagnostics, apparently from a scanner, and I have seen photos of what the ABRP looks like (but not clear if those screen shots were from the truck display or a phone).
Also, as with almost every other app, ABRP has an option for an upgrade that you can get via a paid subscription. Is that subscription worth it?

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[bmwhitetx]

I believe the info you see on the Sync screen are all phone apps projected though CarPlay or Android Auto from your phone. So you would pair the dongle with your phone and use Android Auto.

Car Scanner ELM OBD2 is another phone app folks use that displays diagnostics. It can be used with Carplay and I assume AA to display diagnostics on your Sync screen as well as your phone.

 

[RickLightning]

ABRP free mode won't display in the car.

 

[Scorpio3d]

So, on the advice of several in these forums, I purchased an OBDLink MX+ MX201. I also downloaded the ABRP app. So, being brand new to this concept, I would appreciate a bit of help. It seems easy enough to set up to work with my phone. I have some questions about what else to do, though. Should I expect this to work with my center console display, or only when I am in Android Auto? Do I pair the OBD with my phone, or the Lightning, or both?
I have seen videos of people using the display to show diagnostics, apparently from a scanner, and I have seen photos of what the ABRP looks like (but not clear if those screen shots were from the truck display or a phone).
Also, as with almost every other app, ABRP has an option for an upgrade that you can get via a paid subscription. Is that subscription worth it?

I believe the info you see on the Sync screen are all phone apps projected though CarPlay or Android Auto from your phone. So you would pair the dongle with your phone and use Android Auto.

Car Scanner ELM OBD2 is another phone app folks use that displays diagnostics. It can be used with Carplay and I assume AA to display diagnostics on your Sync screen as well as your phone.

^^^Yes
I use Car Scanner Pro which I believe is the same thing but a paid for version. I think it is a good program and the creator(s) should get something and hopefully make improvements if needed!

 

[bmwhitetx]

^^^Yes
I use Car Scanner Pro which I believe is the same thing but a paid for version. I think it is a good program and the creator(s) should get something and hopefully make improvements if needed!

Yes it's the same! Mine shows up in app as Car Scanner Pro also (bought the version to disable ads). For some reason in the iOS app store they go by the Car Scanner ELM OBD2 name. Current version is 1.115.

 

[B177y]

+1 for paid version of ABRP. I think it's worth it for both the planning and driving phases of a multiple DCFC road trip.

Unfortunately, your OBDLink MX+ won't work with ABRP as it only uses BLE (Bluetooth low energy). Unless the newest version of the OBDLink MX+ supports BLE (my MX+ doesn't), you'll need another OBD dongle to get the real time car info in ABRP.

I use an OBD splitter to use my OBDLink MX+ and BLE dongles at the same time so that I can use CarScanner Pro paid version (uses the MX+) and ABRP concurrently.

It's a shame we have to go through so much workaround technology to get the proper information from our car/truck, but until Ford updates their mapping software and provides useful information on the sensors of our EVs, this is what we have to do.

 

[Rip]

OK. Well, I can send this back (bought it from Amazon) if it doesn't work. I bought it on the advice of someone in the forum. Maybe they hadn't used it. Thanks

 

[bmwhitetx]

OK. Well, I can send this back (bought it from Amazon) if it doesn't work. I bought it on the advice of someone in the forum. Maybe they hadn't used it. Thanks

The OBDLINK MX+ is made by a good company. I have that dongle plus their hard-wired EX. If you want one from them that is compatible with ABRP, you need their CX model.

I also have the VeePeak OBDCheck BLE that works good and is much cheaper. Works with CarScanner and ABRP. I do not leave it plugged in with the truck off though.

Here are what the ABRP folks recommend:
https://www.iternio.com/abrp-obd

 

[Henry Ford]

My 2¢. Google Maps in Sync does a really nice job of planning and is very accurate. The downside is you can't easily plan a trip on your phone prior to getting in the truck. ABRP has some nice features that Google Maps doesn't have. My confidence is higher using both but I'll probably eventually use Google Maps exclusively. I'm not a road trip expert so take my experience for what it's worth.

 

[Rip]

Yeah, thanks. I used Google Maps extensively on my recent road trip from Maine to Florida. It was OK, but too hard to adjust, and scheduled more stops than were really needed. I had to start out in the morning using it to find areas where there would be chargers, then look on FordPass to find chargers further along, then just navigate to those. It worked, but there were some significant downsides. At one point it routed me through a lot of suburbs and backstreets to get me to a slow charger, costing me 45 minutes. A couple of times it wanted me to go to chargers that were not compatible. So it was helpful, but far from a perfect solution. I am hoping that at some point Ford will either partner with someone or produce their own full featured nav program.
When I aired some of these problems in the Forum, I got a lot of recommendations for ABRP and OBE BLE.

 

[Henry Ford]

A couple of times it wanted me to go to chargers that were not compatible.

Will you expand on this? Tesla?

I found it easy enough to replace charging stops and Google Maps seems to know what chargers are installed but again, you have to do it in Sync. I've been pretty conservative in case a charger was broken, I'd hate to get routed to something that couldn't possibly work.

 

[Rip]

+1 for paid version of ABRP. I think it's worth it for both the planning and driving phases of a multiple DCFC road trip.

Unfortunately, your OBDLink MX+ won't work with ABRP as it only uses BLE (Bluetooth low energy). Unless the newest version of the OBDLink MX+ supports BLE (my MX+ doesn't), you'll need another OBD dongle to get the real time car info in ABRP.

I use an OBD splitter to use my OBDLink MX+ and BLE dongles at the same time so that I can use CarScanner Pro paid version (uses the MX+) and ABRP concurrently.

It's a shame we have to go through so much workaround technology to get the proper information from our car/truck, but until Ford updates their mapping software and provides useful information on the sensors of our EVs, this is what we have to do.

Interesting...what is the advantage to using both CarScanner Pro and ABRP?

 

[RickLightning]

Interesting...what is the advantage to using both CarScanner Pro and ABRP?

Two totally different functions.

In short, ABRP plans trips. CarScanner doesn't. ABRP may display some data that CarScanner displays, but otherwise they have nothing in common.

I have never paid for ABRP, 3.5+ years in EVs. I did buy CarScanner. I use it to monitor battery temp, energy available, charging speed offered vs. asked for, ... I use ABRP to plan my trips, PlugShare to check charging locations.

 

[Rip]

Will you expand on this? Tesla?

I found it easy enough to replace charging stops and Google Maps seems to know what chargers are installed but again, you have to do it in Sync. I've been pretty conservative in case a charger was broken, I'd hate to get routed to something that couldn't possibly work.

Yes...it was Tesla. One was sort of my fault. It was early in the trip and I hadn't yet learned that I have to check the Google assigned chargers against FordPass or Tesla app to make sure it was compatible. The other one was in Richmond, VA and was cleared by both FordPass and Tesla apps, but the chargers would not start, and threw a failure error. I tried two different chargers at that station, and there were two Teslas charging, so I had to conclude that something was incorrect.
Most of the EA chargers I tried on this trip worked. Once I had an EA charger that said it was disabled...I called EA and they fixed it remotely. At another one in Ft Myers FL, I got the same error and when I called EA they said they could not restart it remotely.
EVConnect seemed mostly reliable.
I connected to something that looked like EVgo or EVconnect at a Buc'ees in North Carolina. It had a Mercedes-Benz logo on it. It worked and was fast, but expensive.
One note: I have usually stayed at Marriott properties, and found out on this trip that some of their Aloft hotels have L2 EV charging stations. They don't all have many. One Aloft in Hartford CT had 2 chargers--a Tesla and some off-brand. One in Framingham, however, had several. The one in Framingham was good because I pulled in with about 15% left. The hotel shares a parking lot with a sports bar & restaurant that has a bunch of Tesla superchargers. So I bumped up to 80% there and then moved the truck to the level 2 and it took me to 100% overnight.

 

[B177y]

Interesting...what is the advantage to using both CarScanner Pro and ABRP?

Two totally different functions.

In short, ABRP plans trips. CarScanner doesn't. ABRP may display some data that CarScanner displays, but otherwise they have nothing in common.

I have never paid for ABRP, 3.5+ years in EVs. I did buy CarScanner. I use it to monitor battery temp, energy available, charging speed offered vs. asked for, ... I use ABRP to plan my trips, PlugShare to check charging locations.

@RickLightning pretty much nailed it. The difference for me is the paid version allows ABRP to use the data from the OBD to put the pre-plan into motion and useable on Android Auto. The charging stops and times can update based on the real time conditions. If I need to change something on the fly, ABRP has better filters to choose which charger I want to go to compared to Google Maps. I also like to pay developers when they come up with a good product, so the $50 a year is worth it to me. ABRP still routes around traffic like Google Maps, and has a less of the distracting characteristics and implanted ads that Google Maps has.

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