Unlock the full potential of your vehicle's diagnostic capabilities with Piston. If your Check Engine Light (MIL) is illuminated, transform your mobile device into a powerful car scanner using Piston to read the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and analyze the Freeze Frame data. This invaluable information helps pinpoint and resolve issues swiftly and efficiently.

To get started, you'll need an ELM327 based adapter, available in either Bluetooth or WiFi versions, which you'll connect to your vehicle's OBD2 socket. Piston offers step-by-step guidance through the connection process. You can access these instructions from the Home page after the initial setup or anytime from the Settings menu.

With Piston, you gain access to a suite of diagnostic tools:

• Read and clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) as defined by the OBD2 standard
• Explore Freeze Frame data, capturing sensor data at the moment an issue was detected by the ECU
• Monitor real-time data from your vehicle's sensors
• Check the status of Readiness Monitors to ensure emission control systems are functioning properly
• Save the DTCs you retrieve in a local history for easy reference
• Log into your account to store DTCs in the cloud for long-term access
• View detailed charts of sensor readouts for thorough analysis
• Export sensor data in real-time to a file for further review or sharing
• Verify the VIN number of your car
• Examine detailed ECU information, including OBD protocol and PIDs

Some of these advanced features are part of our Premium offering, available through a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks all Premium functionalities. No recurring subscriptions are required!

Please note that to use Piston as a car scanner, you must have 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 United States, 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. For Australia and New Zealand, OBD2 has been a requirement for all petrol cars manufactured from 2006 and diesel cars from 2007.

It's important to remember that Piston can only access the data your vehicle is equipped to provide through the OBD2 standard.

For any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

What's New in Version 3.8.0

Last updated on Aug 2, 2024

• Support for Android 14
• Enhanced Sensor Selection Screen
• Added support for additional sensors (availability may vary depending on your vehicle)