Overview
Feature availability varies by vehicle, engine, transmission, ECU software and diagnostic interface.
Garage OBD is built for BMW vehicles. Because each combination of vehicle, software and adapter behaves differently, we describe what affects compatibility and list only what has been tested in a real car. “Tested” means confirmed on a real car; “experimental” means built from public documentation and not yet confirmed; “not tested” means the code is shared but we have not tried it.
What you need
- iPhone or iPad with Garage OBD installed from the App Store.
- MHD Wi-Fi adapter plugged into the vehicle’s diagnostic port — or, experimentally, an ENET cable with a USB Ethernet adapter, or a basic Bluetooth OBD-II (ELM327) adapter for generic OBD-II data.
- A Garage OBD account (internet is needed only to sign in).
- BMW vehicle with an OBD-II diagnostic port.
Add the minimum supported iOS version from the App Store listing.
Feature availability
| Feature | Depends mainly on |
|---|---|
| Live telemetry | Engine and ECU software (which values the DME publishes), adapter speed |
| Tuner logging | Engine and ECU software, adapter speed, number of channels selected |
| TCU / transmission data | Automatic transmission and TCU software (manual gearboxes have no TCU to read) |
| Multi-module diagnostics | Vehicle platform, installed modules, adapter protocol support (not available over Bluetooth OBD-II) |
| Coding (experimental) | Head unit, cluster, climate or body control unit present and its coding matching a known recipe; units that require BMW’s signature (Secure Coding) are not written. Not confirmed on a real car. |
| Engine software identification | Whether the engine module answers the identification requests (experimental) |
| Severity, freeze frame, info memory | Module support; experimental and not confirmed on every car |
| High frequency mode | Engine module software (it must accept a temporary read list); the app falls back to normal reads automatically |
| Clearing faults | Modules found in your latest scan; requires engine off and vehicle stopped, read live |
| BMW-specific channels | Probed on each car; a channel appears only if the module answers in the expected format (experimental, 70+ answered on the M4 G82) |
| Live systems (tires, wheels, battery) | Which values the chassis and engine modules publish — experimental channels, confirmed per car |
| Account sync and web dashboard | Internet connection and a signed-in account; independent of the vehicle |
| CSV export, imports & reports | Available on every supported vehicle once data has been recorded or imported |
Adapters
Garage OBD connects to the MHD Wi-Fi adapter. Adapters vary widely in speed, firmware quality and the vehicle protocols they support. A slow or limited adapter can reduce update rates, limit the number of logged channels or prevent some modules from being reached.
Connection types
| Connection | Status | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| MHD Wi-Fi adapter | Tested (BMW M4 G82) | Full app: BMW channels, scan of every module, clear faults, High frequency mode, coding (experimental) |
| ENET cable + USB Ethernet adapter | Experimental, not yet tested in a car (pending Apple’s network permission for this connection type) | Same as the Wi-Fi adapter, if it works |
| Bluetooth OBD-II (ELM327, BLE) | Experimental, not yet tested in a car | Generic OBD-II only: basic live values, generic fault codes and VIN. No full scan, BMW-specific channels, High frequency mode or coding |
Classic Bluetooth (SPP) adapters cannot be used by apps on iPhone; only Bluetooth Low Energy adapters can.
MHD is a trademark of its respective owner. Garage OBD is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by MHD.
Vehicles
Garage OBD is designed for BMW vehicles. We list only what has been tested in a real car.
| Vehicle | Status |
|---|---|
| BMW M4 (G82) · S58 engine · manual gearbox · MHD Wi-Fi adapter | Tested: dashboard, Tuner Log, High frequency mode, full scan, engine software reading, account sync |
| F8x (S55) · F3x (N20, N55, B48, B58) · other G-series | Same connection and code path — not yet tested |
| Automatic gearbox (TCU / EGS logging) | Implemented and exercised with the simulator; not yet tested on a real automatic car |
| Coding on F- and G-series (head unit, cluster, climate, body) | Experimental — not confirmed on any real car yet; not tested on anyone else’s car |
Engine profiles (shift lights and similar) exist for S58, S55, B58, N55, N20 and B48, but only the S58 has been tested on a real car.
BMW-specific channels are probed on each car: a channel only appears if the engine module answers it with the expected format. More coverage will be published here as it is confirmed.
Questions
Not sure whether your vehicle will work? Visit Support or email [email protected] with your vehicle model, year, engine and adapter.
BMW and related marks are trademarks of BMW AG. Garage OBD is an independent product and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by BMW AG.