The OBDeleven app is packed with features, making it confusing for new users. This guide will explain everything you need after you bought your OBD11 adapter.
Affiliate Disclosure: iamcarhacker.com is an Amazon and other affiliate programs Associate. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full Affiliate disclosure.
I am expecting you to have the adapter already if you are searching for tips on how to use it. In case you don’t, here is a link to grab one, and more pre-buy information can also be found in my OBDeleven review.
What can you do with OBD11?
But now let’s get to my TIPS that I picked up after years of using OBDeleven.
Let’s start with Basics
Before I get into more advanced tips, I want to make sure that less experienced users will not have any trouble with basic functionality. If you are confused about onboard diagnostic systems, you can also start with my OBD-II systems introduction and then come back to this article.
The first thing you need to know is how do you connect your OBDeleven adapter and start communicating with the vehicle.
How to connect
You will have to find the OBD-II port which is a socket where you connect your adapter. For VAG vehicles it usually has a pink color and is located under your dashboard on the side where your steering wheel is.
OBDeleven will need you to have an ignition ON to be able to communicate with your car and have an internet connection ON in your phone to use the online database.
How to diagnose car
OBDeleven gives you access to full diagnostic features like the professional Bi-Directional scan tools have even in the FREE plan! So you can not just scan all modules for faults and data, you can also test various components like headlights, fuel pumps or relays with just one click in your app.
Full scan | Read/clear fault codes from all modules |
Full live data | Read live data from all modules |
Freeze frame | “Snapshot” of live data for OBD2 codes |
Bi-Directional | Tests components with commands from OBDeleven |
Check out how I used a free plan to verify the operation of my engine cooling fan without having to open the hood, just with the bi-directional test.
How to use one-click applications
OBDeleven’s one-click apps are used for unlocking hidden vehicle settings or performing service procedures like coding new batteries or resetting service intervals. They are beginner-friendly since you literally make changes with one click, however, they are paid with OBDeleven’s credits.
This is currency inside the app and if you don’t have the ultimate plan you will have to pay for every use of the one-click app. But don’t worry there is a way to do all customizations without using single credits!
Use long coding/adaptations to save credits
As I said, if you are not a fan of buying credits you can also code the changes yourself. And it is way easier than it sounds, trust me! For that, we will need access to long coding and adaptation features (available in the PRO plan).
Yes PRO plan is paid but if you use this device regularly you could spend hundreds of dollars for credits to make changes with one click. With long coding, you only pay $50/year for the plan and that’s it, you can make unlimited changes.
Long coding + Adaptations
What one-click app does, is do the long coding and adaptations for you. But you can do that yourself. I have a full long coding guide but I try to explain it briefly. Check this, I wanted to make a simple adjustment so my doors would lock automatically so I went to my central electrics control module and entered long coding.
To do that I need to tick the four boxes on the page in the photo to set the function from “not active” to “active”. You can see the full process in the next image.
And just like that, I enabled automatic door locking when the vehicle reaches the speed of 15 km/h. That was easy, but some changes will require you to edit long coding on multiple pages, and also use adaptations.
VAG adaptations are basically the same thing as long coding. You enter the menu and choose from the desired settings. Here I am entering the adaptations menu.
It sometimes won’t give you a list of items but asks for the adaptation page number from 0-255. If you don’t know the number for the adaptation you need to make, you can click on this little arrow to open the menu:
Anyway, I wanted to enable the staging function (speed and rpm needles to spin after ignition is turned on) on a Skoda rapid, so I entered the indicator celebration in search.
Then I simply change the setting from not active to active, similar to long coding.
I have successfully unlocked this feature, and again without having to buy a single credit.
Make a backup before coding
I strongly advise you to make a backup before doing any coding. You can backup control the module quickly simply by copying the long HEX code and in case you mess up something, you just paste it back.
Then it is also a good idea to make a full backup of the car (in the main menu) which will take a long time but will back up all of the coding, adaptations, and other data.
Once it’s finished, you can view your backup in the history tab (main menu). Here is a useful article on backup directly from OBDeleven.
OBDeleven mileage check
Here is the kicker: You can use your OBDeleven to verify the real mileage of a vehicle. It doesn’t work for all cars, but if the odometer wasn’t clocked properly by adjusting data in all control modules, you could find evidence of mileage tampering.
I was able to find multiple vehicles with tampered mileage and gain direct proof of odometer fraud!
Learn more about OBDeleven
Where to go from here? I hope this guide will help you understand the basics and intermediate use of this coding/diagnostic app.
You can find more on OBDeleven’s support page.
And they also have their own forum: https://forum.obdeleven.com/
OBD-II scanner Buyer’s Guide
- Scanner features explained
- Different types of scanners
- Scanners for coding/odometer/ECU/checks
- Best picks + discount codes
I test OBD-II scanners and make DIY Engine diagnostics guides to help you solve your car problems without having to depend on the mechanic. A lot of them will try to scam you or are just no help at all. About Juraj Lukacko
hello!!
I have the OBDPro system, although changes can be made to the car, there isn’t much help on the net as far as things can be changed, and the forum is very green
Hi, I don’t think its that bad, there are more instruction guides and videos now. When I first got OBD11 there was almost nothing on the Internet. The best trick I can advise is to look for coding instructions for VCDS. There are lot more information on VCDS (VAG-COM) and coding procedures are exactly the same in OBD11.
totalmente de acuerdo, ya hay mas informaciĆ³n, que nos ayuda ha mejorar nuestro coche
Thanks for feedback.
how do you find what coding to use
Hi, the coding can be different for different models, so best way is to search google/youtube for coding exactly for your car. Simple codings like disabling seatbelts are intuitive and you can find them by yourself, usually only 1 long coding channel or 1 adaptation.
In spite of what OBD11 says, does not really work with some ’23 and ’24 Audi Q*s