OBD DashX: ELM327 Car Scanner

DashX is a car code reader and OBD2 scanner for vehicle owners, a fault code reader that reads faults of all kinds, and explains each code in plain words. Reading codes is free, clearing codes is a one-time purchase.

We built OBD DashX specifically for single-car owners, not mechanics. It goes deep on your own car instead of shallow across many. The app explains your codes clearly, and the free companion site we run, obddashx.com, gives you additional telemetry data for the codes. The idea is to build something that acts as a concierge for your own car instead of another tool that can sometimes feel heavy and overwhelming.

WHAT IT COSTS
• Reading codes, live data, HUD mode and data logging are free.
• Clearing codes is a one-time lifetime purchase. You pay once and keep it.
• No subscriptions, for anything.

If monthly charges have burned you before, this is the opposite. You buy the one thing you need, once.

🔍 KNOW YOUR CAR, NOT JUST THE CODE
A bare code like P0420 tells you very little.

In the app:
• Clear explanations for common codes such as P0420, P0171 and P0300, and a plain description for the fault codes your car reports

🔧 CAR DIAGNOSTICS: KEY FEATURES

Read & Clear Trouble Codes (DTC reader)
• Scans all modules: Engine, Airbag (SRS), ABS, BCM, TPMS and more
• Find out why your check engine light is on
• Clear codes and reset any warning light (one-time purchase)
• Freeze frame data, to see the conditions when the fault was logged

All Modules
• Cheap scanners stop at the engine. DashX reads every module that responds, ABS and airbag included

Live Data & Graphs
• RPM, speed, coolant temperature, fuel trims, O2 sensors, throttle position, MAF
• View readings as live charts or in a table
• Read the VIN, calibration ID and ECU ID straight from the car, and decode the VIN free at obddashx.com

HUD Mode & Digital Gauges
• Turn your phone into a head-up display (HUD) for the windshield
• Digital dials, meters and performance clusters you can customize

Performance Dashboard
• Engine diagnostics at a glance: load, performance and fuel economy in one view

Data Logging
• Log PIDs and export to Excel
• Export graphs
• Fuel economy logging

On the free companion site, obddashx.com:
• Safety recall information for your car
• How often each code really occurs and which cars it appears on, from our own data on hundreds of thousands of cars
• Help deciding which code to fix first, so you spend money on what matters most

WHO IT'S FOR
• You want to understand your car better, not run a shop
• Your check engine light or any other warning light came on and you want to know what it means before you call a mechanic
• You want to read codes yourself, decide if it is urgent, and clear codes once the repair is done
• You are about to buy a used car and want to scan it first
• You want a simple OBD2 reader that explains things in plain words

WORKS WITH YOUR ELM327 ADAPTER
• Works with ELM327 OBD2 Bluetooth scanners that use classic Bluetooth, the kind you pair in your phone's Bluetooth settings
• Any ELM327 OBD2 reader that pairs this way will connect.
• Works with OBD2-compliant cars (US 1996+, EU petrol 2001+, EU diesel 2004+)
• All you need is an Android phone and a classic Bluetooth adapter plugged into the OBD2 port
• Which modules and data respond depends on your car and your adapter. Not every vehicle exposes every module.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Plug the ELM327 Bluetooth OBD2 adapter into the port under your dashboard.
2. Turn the ignition on and pair the adapter with your phone in Bluetooth settings.
3. Open DashX and connect.
4. Scan for codes, check live data, or start a log.
5. Read what each code means, then decide what to do next.

DashX is a car scanner and code reader app built around the one car you drive. Use this OBD2 scanner before a mechanic visit and walk in knowing more about the fault codes your car is throwing. No subscriptions.

Questions or feedback? Write to us through the app. We read it.

Recent changes:
A redesigned scan experience.

• Your car is named the moment you connect, from the VIN
• Quick scan says plainly what it read and how many codes it found
• Full scan results grouped by module
• Redesigned PDF reports, saved after every scan
• Every scan kept in one place
• Rebuilt trip tracking and parking
• Fixes: trip recording crash, garbled vehicle details, steadier adapter communication