Skoda Octavia vRS TDI CR + OBD II bluetooth scanner + Galaxy Tab + Torque Pro

[Mysticality]

Pretty much the topic header.

This is the readout I get after an average drive to the girlfriends, the car idling for 15min outside her front gate, then the drive home.


I've modified all the gauges so they start just under the lowest setting, and finish just over the highest setting achievable. (Usually max boost + over 4,500rpm)

I picked up the BT unit off eBay for around $15 shipped. Took about a week to get here, from China.
Torque Pro is around AU$4.85. Worth it, over the free version.

[zei20t]

nice!!

i wish i could get all that data on the satnav. i dont like not having a boost gauge

[hooba]

I'd love to see a photo of your set up.

Also, I hope you can answer something that has had me puzzled for a long time - what is it with diesel drivers and leaving their cars idling for ages? What's the reasoning behind it?

[Mysticality]

I'd love to see a photo of your set up.

Also, I hope you can answer something that has had me puzzled for a long time - what is it with diesel drivers and leaving their cars idling for ages? What's the reasoning behind it?

Hahah, sure. I'll take some pics tomorrow... When its not 1.5^C outside.

The idea behind the idling can be easiest explained by reading up the phenomena behind the 'turbo timer.'
See: Turbo timer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Basically... You sit there and let it idle instead.
Also - Diesels use less fuel at idle.
E.G. A 2008(?) Astra 1.8 (or something) uses 1.2L/hr at idle, my vRS uses 0.4-0.5.
When it uses this little, why bother turning it off if you're moving off again in 5min??
Keep the sat nav, air con, heater, etc running! :p

And plus. They sound good, don't they? XD

[jazd]

Pity the AFR is out so much, would be revving and smoking its guts out with that AFR

I noticed this the other day when I set my Galaxy back up with Torque.

[Mysticality]

Pity the AFR is out so much, would be revving and smoking its guts out with that AFR

I noticed this the other day when I set my Galaxy back up with Torque.

Is it?
I honestly have no idea about these things.
Will learn one day... Just one of those "Can I really be bothered?" things.

Kinda like the i7 processor.

[dArK5HaD0w]

so how does it work exactly?
how does the obd 2 bluetooth scanner communicate with the car directly? is there some sort of piggyback (bluetooth transmitter) u place on the car's obd port.

[brad]

The idea behind the idling can be easiest explained by reading up the phenomena behind the 'turbo timer.'
See: Turbo timer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Basically... You sit there and let it idle instead.
Also - Diesels use less fuel at idle.

Actually, they use less fuel when turned off Idling for more than about 30s uses more fuel than switching off/on. 60s is the break-even point if you take into account battery & starter motor wear.

Unless you've been thrashing the engine beforehand, it is not necessary to idle-down the turbo. The Skodas are fitted with a post-shutdown water pump that circulates water through the cooling circuit of the turbo & a similar pump for the oil supply. So unless you've been doing hotlaps of the local area, idle-down is redundant. Turbo-Timers are very 1990s.

Prolonged idling in any turbo-diesel is also an outdated idea. All it does is use fuel, pollute the air & wear out the engine. It causes a thing called diesel plugging which is a build-up of carbon around the rings & other components & also wetstacking (buildup of liquid soot in the exhaust circuit).

Basically, a diesel is designed to operate under load. Idle doesn't load them enough. If you need to sit for prolonged periods then you need to bring the RPM up to 1200 to load the rings, increase EGTs, increase fuel burn efficiency & reduce water vapour.

My info is based on what my engine vendors (Detroit Diesel/MTU) were telling me when I was buying stationary engines off them between 2002-2007. We were having issues with the operators wanting to idle the engines for excessive periods (causing plugging & wetstacking) & the vendors wanted to put in an idle routine in the ECU that would punt the engines to 1200 if they idled for more than 5 minutes.

Sorry for the lecture but there are a lot of outdated practices out there in diesel-land.

[zei20t]

turbo timers are useless IMO

if you dont thrash your car all the way to your parking spot, why idle it down? the turbo is water cooled and oil lubricated. it doesnt need to be 'cooled down'

[Mysticality]

Here are some pics of how I've run the wiring.



[img[http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/537735_10150888585548117_785693116_9837674_6265342 49_n.jpg[/img]









Strongly considering getting the dealership to wire up a couple of aux. power points to a bracket that sits next to the cubby hole on the drivers side, next to the door.
Means I can run the tablet AND charge the phone at the same time.
Or the mate's phone, that I swear never sees a charger, except when its in my car.

[dArK5HaD0w]

do u have a pic of the obd II bluetooth unit?

i take its possible to leave it "connected" while driving around?

[Mysticality]

I do not, but here's one I found online.
Exactly what I have.

Its plugged in, and left there.
Only take it out to try it in other cars, and when sent to the dealership.

[K1W1]

my vRS uses 0.4-0.5.
When it uses this little, why bother turning it off if you're moving off again in 5min??

Mine uses between 0.7 and 0.9L/hr depending on what electrics are switched on but aside from that any excessive idling is both a waste of fuel and and unnecessary contribution to pollution. As far as the whole turbo timer thing is concerned I've been driving turbo diesel vehicles exclusively for 15 years now and covered over 400,000 km in them and never done anything other than slow down before I come to a stop so that I don't turn the engine off while the turbo is still spinning quickly. I've never had a turbo related problem. Modern water cooled turbos with in built vehicle based cooling overrides are a totally different proposition from the old air cooled turbos that were in vogue as accessories when the turbo timer theory was first unleashed on the world.
Leaving a vehicle idling and unattended in Victoria is actually illegal. I'm not sure what the law is like in other states.

[brad]

.
Leaving a vehicle idling and unattended in Victoria is actually illegal. I'm not sure what the law is like in other states.

He was dropping his girlfriend off. I'm thinking he didn't leave the car unatended while idling for 15 minutes.... if you know what i mean.

[Mysticality]

-2^C outside, engine idling = warmth inside.
As well as stereo.