So I figured being a new member on this forum I should at least make an initial worthwhile contribution. Hopefully this is it! After doing some research here I found that I was in fact correct, my XFR does not have any method (like most cars) to display critical information about the car itself. Coolant temperature, air/fuel details, voltage, boost, etc. I *sort of* understand the reasoning by Jaguar (wait until the idiot light comes on) but having owned several high performance cars I just do not feel good about not knowing what is going on with my engine.

I did not have a desire to wire up any kind of guages into my interior. A while back I found a wireless OBDII adapter on Amazon when I was looking for gifts for my younger brother for his birthday (he has a Prestige package APR Stage 2 S4). It was so cheap I figured it was junk but the reviews were so good that I thought I would give it a try. My brother loved it, it worked perfectly with the Torque app on his Android phone.

Fast forward to today. I remembered the adapter and pulled the trigger on it for $23.99. The best thing about Amazon Prime is if it sucks you can send it back for free

Here is what you need:
Here is what it looks like:


Installation is as easy as it gets. Plug it into the OBDII port underneath the steering wheel. It did not get in the way of my leg at all while in driving position...it might get in the way while getting in and out of the car but it's not a huge device.


Next step is to download the Torque app (for free, paid version is like $5.00) onto your devices. I found it in the Android store, I am honestly not sure if a version is available for Apple. I am assuming it is. Connect to the Bluetooth adapter, start up the program and boom!

On my Nexus 7:


A screenshot from my Galaxy S4:


So far everything seems to work really really well. The Torque app itself is incredible, you can do everything from reading and clearing codes to record video track sessions, 0-60 readings, horsepower estimations, etc. on the paid version. The best part is that the interface is completely customizable. The setup I have on those pics was put together pretty quickly just so I could test to see if it works. I am going to buy the paid version tonight because it adds some nice functionality and some nicer skins to the guages. Here is a link to their homepage: Torque — OBD2 Performance and Diagnostics for your Vehicle

The list wasn't comprehensive for some reason on their site, so here is the full list of what the device supposedly can read (I haven't had time to test each one yet on a Jaguar, these just show up as options on the program):
Acceleration Sensor (Total, X axis, Y axis, Z axis)
Altitude (GPS device based)
Ambient Air Temp
Barometric Pressure
Engine Coolant Temp
Engine Load
Engine RPM
Fuel Level
Fuel Pressure
Fuel Trim Bank 1 sensor 1 through 4
Fuel Trim Bank 2 sensor 1 through 4
Intake Air Temp
Intake Manifold Pressure
Kilometers per litre + average
Liters per 100 Kilometer + average
Mass Air Flow Rate
Mile per gallon + average
02 Volts Bank 1 sensor 1 through 4
02 Volts Bank 2 sensor 1 through 4
Speed (GPS)
Speed (OBD)
Throttle Position
Timing Advance
Trip Distance
Trip Average KPL
Trip Average MPG
Turbo Boost Guage (full support in pro)
Voltage

You certainly could keep an old Android phone (I've got an S2 collecting dust) or tablet in the car and have it mounted in some way. I will honestly just boot up the app on my phone or tablet every now and then if I plan to give the car a good romp. The only big challenge I can see so far is that it looks like the Bluetooth adapter stays on even when the car is off. So you would have to either unplug it every time you leave the car or figure out some way to install a switch onto it. I don't know how much power that little thing draws (probably not much) but from what I hear about the stock battery it's probably not a good idea to have anything constantly drawing on it.

I will play around with some of the guage layouts after I snag the paid version of the app tonight and try to post up some more pics and impressions after I can really get a chance to test them on my morning commute. Just thought I would share this with you all to show you that there is a cool, wireless, affordable and unique option to monitor the performance of your XF (and probably any other Jaguar).

 

that is extremely cool...Amazon should give you a cut, I just bought one because of your post...I am going to try and sideload the Andriod app on my BB Q10...If I can't do that, then I will just use an Old Andriod phone that I have....keep posting your results....

I try to post mine when I get the device and get a chance....

My car is an XFR so I should get some slightly different readings...

 

Awesome! Post up your results and thoughts if you can get it to work on the Blackberry! My car is an XFR too (unless you meant a different model) but I just cold started it and took those pics at idle so you should definitely get different readings at speed.

 

My mistake lol...I have been reading so many threads that I must have mixed up in my head, a portfolio from another thread lol....

 

So just playing around with the paid version of this app I can say that it is absolutely worth the $5. Aside from a ton of other features and visual improvements being unlocked, there are some great touches like programmable warnings when you start to drive aggressively before the engine is warmed up and a verbal notification when the engine has warmed up and is ready to drive. I will try to get some screenshots here in the near future when I get the guage clusters set up the way I want them.

I will also say that after driving to work with the adapter in place, it in no way interferes with entry or exit from the car. I just need to figure out a way to make it switched so I don't have to unplug it every time ha

 

I've had this setup for quite some time. It works on all the cars I've plugged it into. I keep it around to check any check engine lights on cars I'm working on.

 

Here is my current setup with the pro version and one of the carbon skins. It's definitely a work in progress but I'm trying to get a feel for which data points this car can display. So far it looks like oil temp and EGT do not work. Have also not had s chance to test the accuracy of the hp/tq or 0-60 readings but I set them up on their own page:




I love how you can customize the background (mine is a front shot of an xfr) but it will take some playing around with to get it properly centered.

 

Excellent contribution. However, I suggest you do your knees a favor and return that adapter and get something like this one (which) I have and love)

Super Mini Small ELM327 V1 5 OBD2 OBDII Bluetooth Adapter Scanner Torque Android | eBay

It's so short, it does not stick out beyond the console at all.

Here's another that comes with some PC software: Autotalky
But it look so short, you might have a hard time grabbing it to pull it off. I may order this one for my other vehicle.

 

Got the Amazon one yesterday but haven't had time to play around with it... Saw this post today and ordered the Autotalky because of the size... I'm going to see if I can use the Amazon one in another one of my vehicles otherwise I'll just return it...

 

I recently purchased an OBD-MX adapter. It costs a little more but it is the smallest OBD Bluetooth reader you can get and it has auto-shutoff so it won't drain your battery. It also comes with it's own software to load on a laptop or android phone or tablet. But I use Torque-Pro for better customizable display, still learning how to use it thought.
ScanTool.net LLC - OBDLink MX Scan Tool | OBD Interface | App Accelerator - ScanTool.net

 

Good looking on that recommendation, just pulled the trigger on the smaller one and returned the Amazon device. Wayne that looks like a sweet option too. The ability for the adapter to shut itself off is awesome...that's a lot steeper price tag though! I like $20.00 better :P

 

Great post, certainly could be worthy of adding to the "How to's" for sure...

Surely though this isn't XF specific andcould be made to work on any car with OBD2?

 

You are correct, definitely not xf specific! Should work on any OBD2 vehicle. What information you can pull up on a program like Torque should depend on what your particular car monitors itself.

 

Lemee say this about that. I bought the OPs recommended OBD unit and it did work as advertised, although the output display left something to be desired (free version).

I did leave the unit plugged into the OBD port overnight and this am, the car would not crank. Thinking about returning it.

Suggestion: always unplug the unit or buy one that has auto power off.

 

Good to know! I always unplug it out of habit. I also strongly recommend the paid app for the above reason. It adds a ton of extra functionality as well.

 

I took a good look at this but didn't know which was the best one to get?

 

There is only one OBD adapter in that link. Everything else listed are software options that you don't need. Just use the standard software that comes with the adapter or get the Torque App free or paid pro version to do what the guys in this thread are talking about.

 

Just a heads up, I received and finally had the chance to try out this module and it definitely did not work. My phone couldn't connect to it at all. On top of that, when I tried to pull it out the case came apart. It seems that one of the circuit boards had hot glue all over it (I think that is what was holding it to the case) and the two boards were separating. Hopefully you guys had better luck with yours. Working on a refund but ebay is a lot more annoying to deal with on returns than Amazon prime is. Either way it was only $15.

Probably going to look for another low profile unit, or just order the old one I had I actually didn't mind that it stuck out a little, it gave me something to hold on to when removing it. It also had a light on it to remind me that it was on and plugged in .

 

This will save me so much time and MONEY! I have had so many issues with my X type and even the car part stores (advanced, etc) don't seem to have a scanner that will read my Jag. I wonder if I can get one at WalMart or BestBuy? I will be finding out tonight for sure, and if so I will make sure to let everyone know. Thanks for this post, you have saved my ****...

 

Reviving this thread a bit. I just picked this up on Amazon and couldn't be more pleased:


Amazon link:
It's surprisingly small, here it is next to my key in comparison:


Tried it last night and it works great. It's also so small that there is really no danger of bumping it with your leg, in fact it sits up in the OBD plug area out of sight. I've got to rearrange the gauges on TorquePro on my new phone and set it up for my wife's new turbo RDX as well. For $13 you can't go wrong! Important to note though, this does not turn itself off with the car so make sure you unplug it after use.