If only Toyota provided 1 page on the HU for displaying OBDII data

I'm enjoying a P22 OBDII display that plugs into the OBDII diagnostic port. Purchased from AliExpress for a song. (search for P22 OBD2 on the website. sold by many sellers). I leave it on the "12 Grid Display". I cannot seem to get it to display the Transmission temp or other PID / parameters of potential interest - oh well. I gave up trying to use the U.I. to do so. But otherwise it presents Engine RPM, Engine Oil Temp, Coolant Temp, and Battery Voltage which I find very useful.

Toyota would be a leader if they provided 1 configurable display on our head unit, where one could specify a list of parameters one wished to monitor. It would only require a firmware update, but would add a lot of value for people wanting a little more information / transparency on engine and transmission condition... specially if they were towing, or off-roading.

 

Those are Toyota specific PIDs and not available for SAE.
Replace HU with Android unit and enjoy selection of apps to monitor obd2 data on HU.

 

Most people who drive need to be reminded their turn signals are still on... do you really think they want obd info?
A obd screen would cater to less than 1% of the owner base.

 

I respectfully disagree. There is a turn signal reminder on the instrument cluster. I'm not talking about a nanny reminder, I'm talking about useful information. I believe it would cater to more people. People are using Apple Car Play and Android Auto these days. I consider myself a late adopter, but after trying it, I wouldn't purchase a vehicle without it. This would be complimentary. I can see a day when the HU allows someone to inquire about a particular parameter via voice.

 

I dont think you have been around non-car people enough then. The amount of people going 20-30k miles on a oil change is high, hearing grinding brakes and just ignoring it, tire lights on and still not doing anything about it, people running out of fuel.
People use andoid auto and carplay to listen to cardi b rap, they could give a shit about the temperature of their transmission. I worked in the auto industry for along time, people ignore the temperature gauge thats already on their car.

But, to the point, this already is a thing on some cars. I think ford had it in their gauge cluster where you hit the trip reset button like 5 times and it would scroll off a bunch of things.

 

I’d love to have what you are describing but agree with 5nahalf about it being too niche. Toyota is a huge brand and catering to the lowest common denominator is just good business. I don’t personally think allowing access to tons of data points of variable levels of usefulness would sell more cars.
They could definitely build their brand in that direction though. Keeping the M/T option in 4th gens is an interesting and telling choice

 

It adds value for minimal expense to the manufacturer, and it would be a selling point for some people like myself. It's not a deal-breaker for me. It would be appreciated though. So would additional sound-deadening in the doors, and behind the rear-seats, or better amplified 4channel sound, but things like that would cost a lot of money per unit for the manufacturer.
Software doesn't scale that way. The Head Unit is already receiving the information off the data link. I think my wife's Subaru does some of this.
There's probably a hidden menu already existing for it...

 

Valid point!

 

What OBD2 app is compatible with android auto?. I dont find any

 

Here is a cool video on mounting a ScanGauge 3 in a Tacoma.

https://youtu.be/JoEdejcd5Z4

 

I tend to agree with the OP. A couple full size pickups I test drove when deciding what to buy already showed basic info like engine and transmission temps on the driver display. It would be basically a free feature from Toyota's cost once the software was modified.

 

OBD Fusion. Buy Toyota PIDs inside the app ($16).

 

This is also interesting. https://youtu.be/jjngyvqqekw

 

So will this work with the BT reader plugged into the OBD2 port, that say I would use with Torque Pro?

 

Yep.

 

This is exactly what I thought of when OP said Toyota should offer this info on the display.

SureI wish they would, but you can still do it on your radio screen with a simple OBD dongle and screen mirroring from your phone.

 

I have an OBDLink OBD reader that goes to their app on my phone. The toyota, and other manufacturers proprietary codes are free. I would think that it might go on to the head unit if you have car play. I do not.

 

I actually like the simplicity that Toyota has stuck to, with basically just a coolant temp gauge. I've driven plenty of domestics that seem to have every bit of information that you're seeking on display, but I doubt that correlates to real world reliability by giving the driver that info. I'm sure 99% of those owners might look at those screens once or twice out of curiosity (if that) and never think about them again. I don't doubt that there are some conscientious drivers that like to monitor things when towing like you mentioned, but again, they are in the vast minority, and are easily covered by aftermarket scanners. I'd much rather have a robust dummy light system to tell me when something is wrong than to have to monitor it myself constantly.

If I had a high performance track car, I'd be monitoring all sorts of things to avoid catastrophic failure, but in a mass produced Toyota truck? Most people buy them so they don't have to worry about that sort of thing, just turn the key and go.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be useful, but I can see why it's not a priority for Toyota.

 

I'm going to investigate the possible OBD2 reader, Android App, and AA screen access method because that seems like a great option. If you've never used Android Auto, you might, or you might not know what you are missing. I count on it daily in a Subaru Outback and the Toyota. If I can integrate OBD2 information of my choosing, that would be a bonus for me.

 

Wait, are you running this now on a Toyota HU with Android Auto?