Unlock the full potential of your car's diagnostic capabilities with Piston, your go-to mobile app for turning your device into a powerful car scanner. Is your Check Engine Light (MIL) glowing? No problem! Piston allows you to read the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) associated with the issue, as well as the Freeze Frame data, providing you with the insights needed to diagnose and resolve the problem effectively.
To get started, you'll need an ELM 327 based adapter, which can be either Bluetooth or WiFi, to connect to your vehicle's OBD2 socket. Piston will walk you through the seamless connection process, accessible from the Home page upon first installation or through the Settings menu at any time.
With Piston, you can:
- Read and clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) as defined by the OBD2 standard
- Access Freeze Frame data, capturing a snapshot of sensor data at the moment the ECU detects a malfunction
- Monitor real-time data from vehicle sensors
- Check the status of Readiness Monitors, ensuring your emission control devices are functioning correctly
- Store DTCs in a local history for easy reference
- Log in and save your DTCs to the cloud for secure storage and access
- View charts of sensor readouts for detailed analysis
- Export real-time sensor data to a file for further review
- Retrieve your car's VIN number quickly and easily
- Examine detailed information about your ECUs, including the OBD protocol and PIDs number
Please note that some of these advanced features are Premium and can be unlocked with a one-time in-app purchase. No subscriptions required!
To use Piston as a car scanner, you will need a separate ELM327 based device, either Bluetooth or WiFi. Piston is fully compatible with both OBD-II (also known as OBDII or OBD2) and EOBD standards.
In the USA, all vehicles sold since 1996 are required to support the OBD2 standard. In the European Union, EOBD has been mandatory for petrol vehicles since 2001 and for diesel vehicles since 2004. In Australia and New Zealand, OBD2 compliance is required for petrol cars from 2006 and diesel cars from 2007.
Important: Piston can only access data that your vehicle supports and provides via the OBD2 standard.
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
What's New in the Latest Version 3.8.0
Last updated on Aug 2, 2024
- Support for Android 14
- Enhanced Sensor Selection Screen for improved usability
- Added support for additional sensors (availability may vary depending on your vehicle)
