Gofar: Complete Driving Analyzer $129 (RRP $149) Shipped

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wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 07:00 gofar.co (145 clicks)
Last edited 25/11/2017 - 10:20 by 1 other user

Has a box that plugs into your cars diagnostic port and a coloured LED display you mount in front of you. Gives feedback about how economically you're driving. Tracks travel for tax use. Shows car errors. You can get some of these functions with much cheaper devices, but this packages it all nicely and adds some stuff those cheap ones don't do (like the tax man stuff).

Has been offered cheaper than this on OzBargain before (has been $75!). Sparesbox sell it and they sometimes have 20% off.

Heated discussion about what it does - is it worth it, in these previous deals:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/298253
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/305253

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GOFAR

• 

  wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 07:06

  +1

  From one of the posts above
  What does GOFAR do?
  A low cost device that helps you make the most of a (generally rather high cost) device - your car.
  - It connects your car to your iOS or Android phone (and the cloud) via the car's diagnostic port (OBD-II)
  - Driving Trends - fill ups, speed, distance, emissions, time in traffic, objective driver scoring etc*
  - Easy expenses - logs all your driving like a champ. Never miss a claim.
  - Economy coach - save over 10c a litre forever by following the safe, simple driver feedback
  - Car health - alerts you (in plain english) when your car has a confusing error light*
  - Car health - get a transparent service quote automatically when your service is due
  - Save time - we can service your car at your home or office - no more struggling to the dealer
  - Learners - get consistent, objective feedback as you improve (and a 90kph speed alert)
  - Works offline too - stores your trips even when your phone's dead or not present
  - Bit of fun - compete with friends or family or colleagues on the driver leaderboard
  * Live on iOS. Coming soon on Android.

• 

  wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 07:11

  +2

  I've just asked them if they're willing to give us a special offer on top of the deal above.

  • 

    Jackal on 25/11/2017 - 10:27

    +1

    Any luck?

    • 

      wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 11:11

      +1

      No answer yet, but they’ll probably post on here if interested.

      • 

        AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:22

        Sorry guys, unfortunately guys this is the best I can do :( I kind of got into a little bit of trouble the last time I offered you guys a really good deal. However, we had to make things right by you so I think that was worth it.

      • 

        wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 17:23

        @GOFAR: Thanks for answering at least :-)

      • 

        AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:42

        @wfdTamar: You're welcome! I did try ask fyi if we could do anything with this.

        I will try come back and get you guys something before Christmas. It might not be on the GOFAR itself but I think you might like what we're about to release. (Ps you will need GOFAR first though)

      • 

        pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 18:59

        @GOFAR: It's GOFAR for trucks? an OBD2 to J1939 adaptor??? I knew it! :D

      • 

        AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 19:18

        +1

        @pegaxs: Dude! Have you been speaking to Legoman? gosh that guy gives away all our secrets! lolol

• 

  Sancho123456 on 25/11/2017 - 07:21

  I managed to buy this complete set directly from go far for $75 when they had a huge sale. Ended up selling it for $70.

  • 

    wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 07:25

    Why did you get rid of it?

    • 

      Sancho123456 on 25/11/2017 - 08:10

      In truth I actually had two, one in my car and one in my wife's car. We sold them both. For me I realised that it wasn't heaps useful as I mainly drive to a station to get to work and only fill up once every two to three weeks. In my wife's car keeping the Ray to stay blue whilst accelerating was IMPOSSIBLE. The slightest of acceleration and it would go bright red. Whilst it wasn't the same for braking. We could brake quite hard and it would just barely go red. Tried re-calibrating and it made no difference. After doing some research, the issue was down to the dongle not being in a fixed position. After rectifying that issue, it started behaving in a way that made even less sense. It was always red, and would switch to blue. Re-calibrated again, and it made no difference. In the end I felt like it didn't really provide much benefit, neither did my wife so we sold them.

      • 

        AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:27

        I am going to try and give the kind of answer Danny who's a rocket scientist etc would give.

        Again! Just saying, it isn't going to be the best lol. I will do my best though.

        There are 2 mechanisms going on here.
        1, we're using your engines data about fuel/air/timing/etc to see how your car is running.
        2, sensors in the adapter are calculating the other physical forces. I believe it's tracking 6 axis. Forward/backward Up/down left/right

        To be able to give you accurate feedback if the dongle isn't stable then it thinks your car is doing all the things it's experiencing. This is why Sancho was saying it was because it needed to be in a fixed position.

        I would be really interested to hear your situation Sancho. As yeah, as you said that makes completely no sense. I'm thinking maybe it was a fault adapter maybe (but i'm not an engineer so i'm just taking a guess from chatting to a lot of customers).

• 

  pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 08:43

  I bought one of these from the $75 sale and it's novel idea, but it's a pain to move to another car or even when you get a new phone. Data is NOT stored in the cloud. If it comes unplugged or you remove the battery, you lose history and need to set it up as a new device again.

  Another thing, when you do eventually get it running, the light works well, but the running numbers on how you're going is inaccurate. I drove like an idiot for a week and got an ok driver rating. The next week I drove like a 90yo granny and did worse…

  Would I buy it again at this price? No. Would I buy it again at $75? No.

  • 

    AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:34

    First of all, thank you for sticking up for us in the post comments below. Even though you didn't feel that this was for you and wouldn't buy it again. I really do appreciate you sticking up for us and not bashing us over it. We really do try out best.

    And regarding you first issue, yep this has been an issue for many. We've been working hard to solve this. And have re-architectured the entire framework from the ground up to allow for this (and a few other goodies we'll be releasing soon). Basically you'll be able to switch phones, have a lot more flexibility and if you choose, have a copy of your data in the cloud.

    Regarding the driver rating, I wrote this to wfdTamar in an email. "regarding Pegaxs driving like a nanny vs driving well. I think he's referring to the driving score not the fuel savings. Driving slowly isn't necessarily good. Driving efficiently is good. So keeping the ray in blue is what it's about and where the savings are made." The scores are an indicator of how you are going against all other drivers. It's a percentile and I believe it starts at 60 (kind of like the school HSC UAI.. so if you get a 20 you don't feel hopeless lol). So there are some factors involved i think. If for example you got it the week of OzBargain special, and a lot of new drivers got on. Or we had an influx of users and it plays with the percentiles.

    Basically, the score is just an indicator but it doesn't have much relation to results for the variables explained above. What really is useful is the information tab to see how your fuel usage is going.

    • 

      pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 18:44

      +1

      It's an absolute pleasure to stick up for you guys. I sing your device's praises to everyone that gets in my car and asks me what it is. By far the easiest way i have found to get that logbook crap done for work. I just wish you guys would get your finger out and do the JT1939 truck version. That's where i think i would make more use of it.

      And yes, that whole "disconnection, set up as a new device" or "swap phones and set up as a new device" is a killer. I just want to log in and have that data available for any car (or truck hint hint) i have when i connect to that dongle. I look forward to using it in that fashion and would buy more for the workshop fleet if this was an option.

      And i guess that "driving like a granny" wasn’t a correct analogy for what i was doing, more like, drove almost red everywhere and then next week drove blue everywhere. The blue week was marginally worse. I wanted to improve my score and become more "efficient", but just didnt know what i had to do to acheive this if i went backwards keeping it in the blue… Does the unit have accelerometers on it? it may be the way i have it mounted??

      Anyway, all in all, it is a GREAT device. I am happy that you are passionate enough to get on this or any other forum and talk to us about it. Would i buy another one, yes! Would i buy it at it's current price point considering the issues ive had so far with it, not really. If things improve with QOL improvements and updates, i will reconsider fitting out our whole fleet of work vehicles. This was a test unit, and while it's good, the software leaves a little to be desired for mass roll out.

      PS: Ignore the "conspiracy theory" trolls. Your comment on tracking and what you do with it below is spot on.

      • 

        AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 19:33

        +1

        Again thank you! If i'm reading this correctly.. Get it working for Trucks, just let me login from anywhere to get my data, just get it working for trucks! lolol

        I hear you and we've been listening very closely to the feedback you've all been giving us and we're trying to prioritise so we can help the most people with the time we have. We will fix the whole device thing, that should be fixed soon. The trucks issue, i'll need to speak to the team about. Maybe someone is clever enough to figure out how to make an adapter that 'translates' JT1939 or something (again i'm not an engineer so I might be talking hocus pocus lolol)

        Regarding fleets etc, that is something I think you should look out for next year. Specifically, multiuser and access. Not only can you access your own data, but if you've been given access you can do so for other cars that you may be managing. (or part of your family).

        We're definitely committed to improving the product. This is why ours is a bit more expensive than the imported cheapies. However our team is in Australia (Sydney), and we get real feedback from drivers like yourself. And try build an awesome product that really does solve your needs and problems. And to do this we need to sell it at a price we can maintain our costs etc. (you guys all know the drill lol.)

        Anyway thanks so much for your support! And I really hope that in the coming future we can maybe win you back as a customer by bringing the stuff you want to market.

        We're committed to this and Australian drivers so I think it's just a matter of time.

        Ps. Since first posting in this thread. We are now available on the Supercheapauto website. An example of what i mean.

• 

  wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 08:48

  Argh! You two have turned me off buying another gadget for my car. :-)

  Seems trusting my own judgement and car fuel consumption gauge is as good a way to reduce consumption.

  • 

    AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:35

    :/ can only do our best. I have replied to a few comments above that may shed some light on the comments provided.

    I'd also ask to maybe give our facebook reviews page a check. If people share a comment or how much they like it, we ask them to share it on the review page so it isn't fake or prompted etc.

• 

  Legoman on 25/11/2017 - 13:26

  -2

  Ooooh, yes puhleaze! I want to spend my money on a spying device that will monitor everything I do. Hopefully they'll soon add permanent internet connectivity so it can live stream all my movements to the authorities too so they can issue me fines remotely straight to my inbox waiting for me when I get home. This will be so much more convenient! /sarcasm

  Think people. Just think before you buy crap like this and freely give away your privacy.

  • 

    pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 14:05

    Go away, troll. You obviously don't own one of these if you think that's how it works. If you think this does any of the things you whine about, your clueless to what this device is.

    Do you own a phone? Internet connection? Use toll roads? Have credit/debit cards? Walk in public spaces? Go shopping? Have a members card to anywhere? Talk to people? Been to a casino? How about work? Own any IOT devices? Even your favorite tin foil hat shop would even keep data on you. Don't be so ignorant.

    It's like hippies/greenies wanting to save the planet and driving around in smokey old shitbox Combie vans. You complain "oh but all my data! What about my privacy…" but happily buy the latest mobile phone, have credit cards, drive a car and post your garbage on the internet. If you want privacy, go and live in the middle of nowhere.

    • 

      Legoman on 25/11/2017 - 14:14

      -2

      Well you obviously didn't watch Cyberwar this week. So by your logic, because I own a phone and a credit card and I dare to walk in public spaces, I have already relinquished all my private data, so I should just give in at this point and embrace assimilation, throw in the towel fully and buy up every other piece of junk I can find that will share even more of my movements as quickly as possible so I can be tracked even more closely? That's your advice is it?

      I see you've already bought one and regretted it, so I'll take your rabid over-reaction as you trying to self-justify the $75 you've wasted so as to not feel so bad about yourself. I'm sorry you've thrown away $75 on a piece of tracking hardware, but take heart that you might learn from the mistake and not repeat it.

      • 

        wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 15:09

        +1

        I’m a computer tech and sometimes have clients that spout this stuff. I just say, “ what on earth are you doing you think anyone would give a stuff about monitoring?”

      • 

        Legoman on 25/11/2017 - 15:24

        -1

        @wfdTamar: You're thinking about it from too narrow a perspective. For now it's all about big data. Not targeting individuals, but rather understanding how large groups react and behave to better target marketing at them. But that's all that's been figured out for now. Who knows what uses and technology will exist in the near future to take this existing data and drill into it to extract more specific details about smaller groups for even more specific targeting. Google & Facebook have been collecting masses of data for years with little knowledge then of what use it might be or how to monetise it. The first step is to get the data. You can figure out how to monetise it later on. FB & Google are proving it. What you consider worthless private data to anyone today, could well become worth something to someone tomorrow and the point is that once you've given it away, you can't ever get it back again. VPN use was once the preserve of only the most dodgy and nefarious or government departments. Now it's widespread and considered almost "normal". You're a bit weird if you don't have a VPN. As a computer tech, you sound a bit naïve if you don't know about this. Just claiming you're a computer tech, doesn't mean you're right.

      • 

        wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 15:27

        +1

        @Legoman: Why do you think I don’t know that? Question is do I care? Wasn’t claiming to be right just that I have clients who think they’re worth spying on too. Delusions of grandeur.

      • 

        pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 15:54

        So many conspiracy theorist, so few crayons…

        Well you obviously didn't watch Cyberwar this week.

        Nope. I don't watch wack job scaremongering programs. My paranoia isn't that advanced.

        So by your logic, because I own a phone and a credit card and I dare to walk in public spaces, I have already relinquished all my private data.

        Yes. You have. It's in the terms and conditions you mash past when feverishly clicking those "Agree" buttons…

        so should just give in at this point and embrace assimilation, throw in the towel fully and buy up every other piece of junk I can find that will share even more of my movements as quickly as possible so I can be tracked even more closely? That's your advice is it?

        Nope. You do you. But I ask, what makes you think that anyone especially gives a shit about your data? If you don't want to be tracked, don't buy the things that track you. But if you do buy them, don't expect privacy.

        I see you've already bought one and regretted it.

        Didn't regret it one bit. I still use it to this day. I use it to track my work trips.

        So I'll take your rabid over-reaction as you trying to self-justify the $75 you've wasted so as to not feel so bad about yourself.

        I don't feel bad about myself. I feel sorry for you. There's a big difference. The only person I had to justify this to was my tax accountant.

        I'm sorry you've thrown away $75 on a piece of tracking hardware, but take heart that you might learn from the mistake and not repeat it.

        Wasn't thrown away. I still use it. My issue is with the flakey and often inaccurate feedback. The reporting for tax reasons is spot on. And I didn't say I wouldn't buy another one, I said I would not buy it at that price point.

        But you know, you just keep making up things that I never stated.

      • 

        Legoman on 25/11/2017 - 15:55

        @wfdTamar: The capture of data is currently a trawling exercise. Indiscriminately grab as much as you can of any type. The fact my toothbrush talks to my phone is an example of how ridiculous this has gotten. My point is why buy a $75 piece of junk that hides its data gathering purpose behind a weak façade of improving your driving skills to supposedly save you money? Why waste your money to take that risk? If you seriously need a device like this to tell you that accelerating & braking hard wastes fuel and causes excess wear & tear, then you should really just hand your driver's licence in for cancellation now. Any decent car already has an econometer gauge on the dash or readout via the OBC. They also have service interval indicators or lights and they can be set with speed warning chimes to kick in if you're really that incapable of monitoring your speed via the speedometer. They do all this without recording the data or uploading it to a phone. I have two cars made in 1985 + 1986 respectively and they do all this! I have another car made in 2007 that cost less than $10,000 that does all this and more besides.

      • 

        pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 16:09

        +1

        @Legoman: and this whole rant shows just how ignorant to this device you really are…

      • 

        Legoman on 25/11/2017 - 16:28

        @pegaxs:
        "My paranoia isn't that advanced." followed immediately by…
        "Yes. You have. It's in the terms and conditions you mash past when feverish clicking those "Agree" buttons…"

        Is it fun living in your world where you can contradict yourself so completely in consecutive musings and still claim you know what your talking about?

        "Nope. You do you." - Umm, what?

        "Would I buy it again at this price? No. Would I buy it again at $75? No."
        You and I have different definitions of regret, obviously.

        "The reporting for tax reasons is spot on"
        Since you don't care about your privacy or personal data, Google Maps or Here Maps would do this for you just as well and for free via their app on your phone. If you did care about your privacy FlyBuys always have cheap & dirty Navmans on sale for effectively free in their store which will achieve the same thing only with less Google involvement.

      • 

        pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 16:49

        @Legoman: again, you're making up things, changing the context of things that I say and then attacking that.

        you know what your talking about
        You're*

        Do I regret buying at $75? no. Would I buy another one for that price, no. Your idea of regret is skewed to suit your agenda. I don't feel regret, remorse or maligned. I have no bad feelings over this device.

        This device gives me start time, end time, km at start, km at end, total km travelled and exports it to a CSV file. Google and navman can't do this. But, you would have known that from your extensive knowledge of this product.

        You do you. IE: keep carrying on like you do. Don't let anyone change you. Don't let truth or realistic expectations get in the way of being paranoid and of telling a good yarn…

      • 

        Legoman on 25/11/2017 - 17:06

        @pegaxs: My Navman does EXACTLY what you describe. It's a dirt cheap MY250LM obtained for free from FlyBuys 4 years ago.

        You can stop now though mate. You've already pulled the "you're ignorant" defence which is tantamount to the Hitler defence. ie. in any disagreement, the first party to use either Hitler or a baseless accusation of ignorance, has lost the argument.

      • 

        pegaxs on 25/11/2017 - 17:31

        @Legoman: 4 years ago! Great, I'll just grab a time machine… And it reads this info from the OBD? Or do I still need to manually input start and finish km?

        Lol @ Hitler reference. Keep clutching at straws, mate. Now I know you've lost the plot. Keep drinking that paranoid cool aide and keep wearing that tin foil hat. I can't keep going. No matter what I say, you're going to manipulate it and quote it out of context.

        For the record, I actually OWN this device, you, on the other hand, do not but still feel compelled to comment on it's functionality, albeit totally incorrect. You refuse to learn about the product, hence making you ignorant of it's operating capabilities. This is the very definition of ignorance. It's not a baseless accusation if it's documented as proof. ;)

      • 

        Legoman on 26/11/2017 - 09:33

        @pegaxs:
        "I'll just grab a time machine"
        Yet more idiocy. My Navman is 4yo technology capable and does everything you want from it. Navmans now are far more advanced and do all that mine does plus a lot more.

        "And it reads this info from the OBD? Or do I still need to manually input start and finish km?"
        It doesn't interface directly with the car's OBDII, no because to do so would require a trim panel being removed or cut and modified under the handbrake to get access to the diagnostic port. Doing that would void the car's warranty and very probably see me banned from using anymore company cars by my employer. And what of cars where the OBD port is located under the bonnet with no plug inside the cabin at all? What then huh? Do you drive around with the bonnet cocked open and a cable snaking into the engine compartment do you? The OBD is not designed to be used in this way and it wouldn't surprise me at all if you start experiencing weird unexplained electrical shutdowns or blown fuses & circuit breakers hooking this long term into your OBD while driving around. If the start + end journey km are important, I can easily use the car's own OBC to record this and manually add it to the data log from the Navman afterwards, or I can enter the start km manually into the Navman. Either works. Reality 99% of the time though is that no-one is interested in start/end km at all, and I can just make up any old numbers at any time and it's accepted just fine.

        "still feel compelled to comment on it's functionality, albeit totally incorrect. You refuse to learn about the product, hence making you ignorant of it's operating capabilities."
        Since you felt compelled to correct my spelling, I'll return the favour and correct yours. Learn to use the apostrophe in it's correctly. Both times above you've used it's where its is proper.

      • 

        pegaxs on 26/11/2017 - 09:47

        @Legoman: Now you’re just ranting.

        Yet more idiocy. My Navman is 4yo technology…

        You’re the one that told me to get a Navman because it was free “four years ago.”

        It's a dirt cheap MY250LM obtained for free from FlyBuys 4 years ago.

        From a privacy tracking rewards card no less. Oh, the irony.

        It doesn't interface directly with the car's OBDII,

        Navman doesn’t interface with the OBD and needs to have manual input done?? Sounds exactly the same as the Gofar. :/

        would require a trim panel being removed or cut and modified

        Cut trims to get at OBD plug? Glad you’re not a mechanic.

        Doing that would void the car's warranty

        Void warranty from accessing OBD or cutting trims? You need to read up on consumer rights.

        and very probably see me banned from using anymore company cars

        Work lets you drive their cars? and you have to fill out a logbook! That's just more privacy invasion. Oh! The irony. Make it stop!!

        And what of cars where the OBD port is located under the bonnet

        Gofar dongle works via Bluetooth, the dongle alone would work with a car that had its OBD plug under the bonnet. The Ray’s cable could be routed like any other cable from the cabin into the engine bay. You know, like every other electrical cable from the cabin to the engine bay…

        The OBD is not designed to be used in this way

        This is EXACTLY how the OBD is designed to be used. Your ignorance is astounding. You don’t study a subject very well before you comment on it, do you?

        you start experiencing weird unexplained electrical shutdowns or blown fuses & circuit breakers

        You REALLY don’t know what OBD is or how it works, do you?? Circuit breakers? This isn’t a house, mate. It's a car.

        I can easily use the car's own OBC to record this and manually add it to the data log from the Navman afterwards

        Manually add it? The Gofar will “automatically” add it. Have you never had to keep a legitimate company fleet logbook? Start of journey km, end of journey km, start time and date, end time and date, total km travelled. Gofar does all of that “automatically”. Can your Navman do all that “automatically”?

        where its is proper

        My bad. Was typing that from my Google based phone while co-driving a truck back from Sydney. Shame this autocorrect wasn’t grammar correction. And from a learned English scholar, such as yourself, in place of "its is", could I use "its's"?? (and I dropped a secret "your" above in the hope you would pick it, but you didnt. sadface)

        You need a deal on shovels. This hole you’re digging is only going to get deeper…

      • 

        Legoman on 26/11/2017 - 10:58

        @pegaxs: "You’re the one that told me to get a Navman because it was free “four years ago.”"
        They're free all the time. They're permanently in the FlyBuys store. Not a special one-off deal from 4 years ago. You're just hung up on 4 years ago for some unknown reason.

        "From a privacy tracking rewards card no less." - You're the one who has clearly illustrated no interest in privacy by virtue of buying this gadget for $75. You've admitted that. I'm merely giving you the free option that fits in with your disregard for your own privacy. See how I'm actually helping you?

        "Oh, the irony." - You mean the irony of pointing out a mispelt you're by mispelling it You're instead and then going on to repeatedly misuse it's. Is that the irony of which you refer?

        "Cut trims to get at OBD plug? Glad you’re not a mechanic." - I'm obviously a lot closer to being an auto engineer than you are. All cars are different. OBD ports are different shapes, sizes and have different numbers of pins and are located in different areas of the car. Two of my BMWs have roughly 50c piece D-shaped sockets terminated under the bonnet, another has a large round locking cap OBD about the size of a battery isolation switch mounted to the engine side of the firewall. My Astra SRi has its (note the spelling and correct use) rectangular OBD socket mounted under the handbrake lever between the front seats, under a piece of plastic trim that is clearly not designed to be frequently removed and replaced over and over again. It has very fragile plastic clips that will easily break free if abused or accessed more frequently than for the intended use once evey 15,000km for normal servicing intervals. If you even own a car, I'll bet my life you don't even know where its (note the spelling) OBD socket even is, do you?

        To get a permanent wired access to the Astra's OBD socket, I would either have to permanently remove the piece of trim covering the panel under the handbrake handle (which would be intolerably ugly and open up an area of the car to capturing endless detritus), or cut a slot in the panel for a wire to protrude from it. This wire would then represent a driving hazard as it competes with a driving control for hand access. I suspect technically therefore, doing this would be illegal. But don't let that bother you. It's obviously more important for you to have your journey start km automatically recorded :-/

        "Void warranty from accessing OBD or cutting trims? You need to read up on consumer rights." - I can reasonably expect that permanently plugging an aftermarket piece of electronic gadgetry with unknown built-in security and no probable way of ever flash upgrading it for when the security flaws are found, to integrate directly with a car's canbus system will void all sorts of warranties on the car. If you don't believe so, then take your car to the dealer and ask. I can hear their response now!

        "The Ray’s cable could be routed like any other cable from the cabin into the engine bay. You know, like every other electrical cable from the cabin to the engine bay…"
        Bwhahahhaha!! :-))) You have never worked on a modern car have you?!?!? You seriously have no idea. You still think getting a cable through the firewall is as easy as it was on your mum's EH Holden don't you? Your delusion is staggering. Modern cars (you know, the ones running Bosch Motronic DME instead of Webers + Strombergs) have acres of sound deadening insulation, bracketry, heater circuit hoses+auxiliary pumps, complex wiper arm linkages, heat shielding for the catalytic converters as well as fuse boxes and circuit breakers all mounted to that firewall you just want to easily pass an extra cable through. It can be done, but it's a massive job. You're going to spend probably at least $1,000 worth of professional equivalent labour to run a cable for your $75 POS gadget just so you can convince yourself you haven't been ripped off to make a point are you? Go ahead. Stop wasting your time in here and go do it if it's so easy and then come back and show us the end result.

        "This is EXACTLY how the OBD is designed to be used." - No. It's not. Here's a quick tip for you since you obviously know so little. The D in OBD stands for diagnostic. That's a clue for you, now when you're inquiring at your dealer about the warranty implications, go and ask them what the real purpose of the OBD is at the same time. You can also ask them why the port is so well hidden away from owner view and why it's not labelled or in most cases even acknowledged at all in the owner's manual. That should give you another clue about its true intended use.

        "Your ignorance is astounding." - And again with the admission of having lost the argument.

        "You REALLY don’t know what OBD is or how it works, do you??" I do all my own servicing with a DIS GT1, SSS v32 + TIS v8. Occasionally I need to resort to my mechanic's Autologic system as well, but that's rare. I certainly know a lot more about the subject thah you do little boy.

        "Start of journey km, end of journey km, start time and date, end time and date, total km travelled. Gofar does all of that “automatically”. Can your Navman do all that “automatically”?"
        Think about it idiot. A Navman knows the time and date, it knows where you are all the time (it's a GPS). It's simple maths. The ONLY thing it can't get automatically is the number on the car's odometer before you start. Give it that manually (or make it up out of thin air afterwards) and everything else you want is calculated automatically. It's not hard. Not for normal people with a brain at least which obviously excludes you.

      • 

        pegaxs on 26/11/2017 - 11:50

        @Legoman: TL;DR?

      • 

        pegaxs on 26/11/2017 - 17:31

        @Legoman: Sorry, was too busy earlier to read all of that rant, but I'll happily reply to as much as I can now that I have time.

        They're free all the time. They're permanently in the FlyBuys store.

        No, I don’t have a "FlyBuys card" or access to their online store, so I would not know about it being a "all the time" thing. Unlike you, I don’t like "Coles" doing the whole "invasion of privacy" and "tracking" my shopping history. For a conspiracy theorist, I'm surprised you even have this card. Ironic…

        You're the one who has clearly illustrated no interest in privacy

        No, you're wrong. Making out of context remarks and assumptions. My comments have always been that I "accept" that to exist in today's world, there is a level of privacy I have to go without if I want to function in society. I don’t have "loyalty cards" for this exact reason. You on the other hand, do. I don’t give a rats if Google knows where my phone is located, but I do care if Coles or Woolworths knows exactly what I buy and keep tabs on that. It's ironic that a guy preaching about privacy concerns has a free Navman from using his "loyalty" card…

        I'm obviously a lot closer to being an auto engineer than you are

        I doubt that very much. But it explains a few things. Things like most automotive engineers I have encountered are clueless. (I'll give you a hint, it's my daily job to deal with "engineers" because I work for an "engineering" company.)

        doing this would be illegal

        Care to cite the legislation for this? or even the relevant ADR??

        I'll bet my life you don't even know where its OBD socket even is, do you?

        Considering that my job is to diagnose cars, repair and service them, I'm willing to take that bet. And I have a Gofar already, that is plugged in said OBD port. Jokes on you. Where can I come and collect?

        On a note about your BMW's, I just don't know what to read there. What are you talking about? How is it even relevant? It's like you put a heap of words in a hat and drew them out at random. Are these the two cars you made reference to about in an earlier post?

        I have two cars made in 1985 + 1986 respectively

        Respectively to what?? Anyway, if these are the BMW's that you are talking about, they do not have OBDII (OBD2). (Please read that. I said "OBDII". Not saying they don’t have OBD, just not OBDII.)

        To get a permanent wired access to the Astra's OBD socket (Then a lot of incoherent rambling…)

        As for your Astra, here you go… The plug could be removed from the bracket, remounted and the cover put back on without modification to the trim (or the bracket, or the plug, or the handbrake, or the seat, or the floor pan)… But you would know that, being an automotive engineer and all. And if you think that every time you take a car in to be serviced that the OBD even gets used, you definitely do not know what OBDII is, what it does, or what it's for.

        which would be intolerably ugly

        It's an Astra. It's ugly by default. :D

        permanently plugging an aftermarket piece of electronic gadgetry

        You really really do not understand OBDII, do you? And you threw out CAN bus. Like your Astra or BMW's have that or you even know what it is. What about if I plug a USB stick into the car's radio and it dies? You drink too much of the car makers cool aide. Go and read up some more on OBDII and CAN bus while you're at it.

        no probable way of ever flash upgrading it

        More ignorance. You just don’t own or have researched a Gofar, have you? It gets regular firmware updates and the process to bind it to your account is no easy task. And it doesn’t (As you so put it.) "integrate directly with a car's canbus system"

        You have never worked on a modern car have you

        Only Every. God. Damn. Day. I wish I was smarter, but I'm just a lowly workshop manager and unfortunately, this is all I do all day. Work on modern cars. For a living! SIGH! Oh, and I'm a locksmith, so I get to play with OBDII for that as well… Over the past 25+ years, I have worked as a factory technician with Toyota, Hyundai, Daihatsu, Holden, Ford, Land/Range Rover, Jaguar, Volvo, Aston Martin, Audi, Detroit Engine Company, Cummins, Caterpillar, Komatsu AND…. drum roll BMW.

        You still think getting a cable through the firewall is as easy as it was on your mum's EH Holden don't you

        Yep. Come around, I'll show you. Installing 4x4 accessory systems is just another thing I do at work. Lights, parking sensors, cameras, radios, two-ways, winches, dual batteries, compressors. You name it. All the example stuff you mentioned is pointless. You're running one wire for the Gofar. It's not that hard. (That and the fact that 99.9% of cars have the OBDII port inside the cabin.)

        You're going to spend probably at least $1,000 worth of professional equivalent labour to run a cable for your $75 POS gadget

        Oh dear lord. Exaggerate much? You don’t give credit to your side of the debate by exaggerating. I don't want your auto elec's. phone number. Sheesh.

        "This is EXACTLY how the OBD is designed to be used." - No. It's not.

        Yes, it is. The OBD port provides live readings from sensors. These readings can be read in real time. One of the greatest strengths of the OBDII system is that for "diagnostic" work, I can pull information from the vehicle in "real time". I would go on to say that the OBDII's main function is to provide these live readings. Sure, it gives me access to the ECU and error codes, but it's the live data that I want. You really really really don’t know what OBDII is for, do you?

        at your dealer about the warranty implications, go and ask them what the real purpose of the OBD is

        Read above. Spent more than 25 years working at dealerships. No warranty implications. And I use OBDII and this type of diagnostic interface on a daily basis. (Except today, because it's Sunday.)

        "Your ignorance is astounding." - And again with the admission of having lost the argument.

        Assumptions. So many assumptions. No admission. As I said above, each point you have made, I have corrected you and pointed out your lack of any research on the Gofar product and OBDII systems. You exaggerate and manipulate to try and colour your comments. You force assumption onto what I am saying to deflect from your obvious lack of knowledge about Gorfar, OBD and privacy for that matter. If it is obvious that you have no knowledge on the Gofar dongle and how it works and you "refuse" to listen to myself or even the rep from Gofar try and tell you how it works and then exaggerate to colour your position and refuse to research the product, you sir, are ignorant. (Side note; I'm not losing.)

        I certainly know a lot more about the subject thah you do little boy.

        Name calling and attacking the other person is a sign that "you" are losing. (argumentum ad hominem)

        I do all my own servicing with a DIS GT1, SSS v32 + TIS v8

        As for OBD readers. Oh my lord. I don’t know how many we have at work or even what half of them are called. But I do have a fondness for the "G-scan" tool. Did you know, plugging your scan tool into your car and doing your own servicing can void your warranty? (Did you also know that you don’t always need to plug in to do a service?? If you're always clearing service code faults from your cars, you need to get it looked at by a reputable service technician.)

        Give it that manually

        Gorfar gets that "automatically" …from the OBD system ;)

        Think about it idiot.
        Not for normal people with a brain at least which obviously excludes you.

        "argumentum ad hominem" Google it. (Also, there is a big difference between "let's eat grandma" and "let's eat, grandma.")

        I can see you struggling to keep your head above water with this thread. You picked a bad time to debate a device, that you have shown absolutely no knowledge of, with a guy who has first hand experience and ownership of this device and has over 25 years in automotive maintenance and specialises in automotive diagnostics. But feel free to reply and I'll keep ripping your side of the debate to ribbons. :)

        PS: Try not to attack me and use less exaggeration if you reply. Use facts and research to compliment your side and don't ever make assumptions or imply that someone has said something when a read over these comments will show that they haven’t.

      • 

        Legoman on 27/11/2017 - 12:54

        @pegaxs:
        Oh good lord, I barely know where to start.
        You make a post of TL;DR meaning Too Long, Didn't Read and then curiously pose it as a question, which makes no sense whatsoever.
        Right after calling my response too long, you then make a post of your own which is roughly 50% longer again.
        You claim I make assumptions and then assume I'm a FlyBuys member (I'm not).
        You berate name calling and then call me a conspiracy theorist.
        You correct spelling mistakes with your own spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
        You claim to work for an "engineering" company and then admit you're a "lowly" workshop manager who is so good you've been moved on by my count from 15 different jobs as a factory technician in a period of 25 years.
        You call my car ugly without any knowledge of the model or series or appearance or condition of it whatsoever. See point 1 above about assumptions.
        Without any knowledge of my model Astra you claim to know it doesn't have a canbus system, when it does. Recorded as such throughout the owner's manual in multiple places from the service section to the audio system, to the OBC and virtually every other piece of electronically controlled equipment. You're seemingly happy making factually incorrect assertions as if it doesn't matter.

        Even in the face of all these glaring contradictions and obvious self-defeating arguments, you then start spouting Latin to try and sound intelligent! Oh-boy, you're a real entertainer.

        Please don't let me stop you. Post again so you get the last word. I'm sure it'll be a hoot. I can't undermine your arguments better than you do it yourself, so I don't even need to bother. Please, after you, go ahead…

      • 

        pegaxs on 27/11/2017 - 15:23

        @Legoman: Are you still here, swimming around in the shark tank? But sure, I like bait, so I'll bite…

        You make a post of TL;DR…. then curiously pose it as a question

        It was a question. What I should have written, 'cause it went over your head, was; "Is there a TL;DR version of all that diatribe?"

        Right after calling my response too long, you then make a post of your own

        Explanation at the top. Literally the first line of my reply.

        You claim I make assumptions and then assume I'm a FlyBuys member
        nek minnit…
        My Navman does EXACTLY what you describe. It's a dirt cheap MY250LM obtained for free from FlyBuys 4 years ago.
        FlyBuys always have cheap & dirty Navmans on sale for effectively free in their store
        They're free all the time. They're permanently in the FlyBuys store.

        I don't know. Looks like you're a member to me. Quote: "My Navman… obtained for free from FlyBuys." And you sure do like promoting their items and loyalty rewards… and are they actually free, or effectively free?? (Hint: You have to pay with your privacy or someone else’s.)

        You berate name calling and then call me a conspiracy theorist.

        Conspiracy theorist is an occupation, belief or ideal, it is hardly "berating". It describes a sub set of people who preach their own ideas and suspicions about topics such as privacy (Hence why they are called "theorists". As fact usually has little to do with what they say). It is no more offensive to call a conspiracy theorist a conspiracy theorist as it would be to call a Christian, a Christian. Being called "little man", "idiot" and "brainless" on the other hand, are derogatory. ;)

        You correct spelling mistakes with your own spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

        I know! hahaha. How ironic. :D

        You claim to work for an "engineering" company and then admit you're a "lowly" workshop manager who is so good you've been moved on by my count from 15 different jobs as a factory technician in a period of 25 years.

        Not a claim. This is fact. Another assumption that I have been moved on from 15 different jobs. WRONG! I have NEVER been sacked/retrenched/retired/let go. I'm not going to name dealerships, but are you aware of how multi-franchise dealers work? One was Ford/Land Rover/Volvo/Jag/Aston. Next was Hyundai, Holden, Daihatsu, Then Audi/BMW. I currently work as a outcall or onsite diagnostic tech for Toyota/MTU/Detroit/Cummins/Cat (and Komatsu in the past.)

        You call my car ugly without any knowledge of the model or series or appearance

        Did you miss the part where I posted a photo of the OBD plug and the other part where I said I worked for "Holden"??? Don’t take my word for it. Here's an article about your particular car…

        Drive Quotes;

        they don't seem to have aged as gracefully as some of their competition from, say, Japan.
        Unfortunately, that hasn't panned out in the ensuing years and the wrong Astra could leave you broke and in tears.
        Our rating: 2/5
        Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 2 stars
        Dislikes:
        Big reliability question marks.
        Reputation has suffered.
        Vision from three-door poor.

        Ouch…

        Without any knowledge of my model Astra you claim to know it doesn't have a canbus system

        You have not really given me a lot of information to go on with regards to what cars you own, as I usually only glean over your posts in a general way. But I can assure you that your Astra CAN bus is nothing like what I have worked on in Jags, Rovers, BMW, Audi, Aston… I still doubt very highly that your Astra has CAN bus to the OBDII port, but if you can produce evidence to the contrary, I would happily accept it and broaden my knowledge. Here is a list of Opel Astra vehicles and the protocols the OBDII talks on. I don’t know your exact car, make, model, engine, transmission, chassis code. Find it on that list and let me know. (Or, you know, pick one that suits your agenda.) Unlike you, I'm happy to be wrong when faced with proof. This is how I learn.

        happy making factually incorrect assertions

        Did you read your own post mistaking it for one of mine? Mine are the ones with "pegaxs" at the top. And CAN bus in Astra OBDII port aside, you still don't know how CAN bus works let alone what OBDII is for, or how it works. Do you want me to make a separate post about all the things you have been wrong about and refuse to accept anything other than your interpretation? You have made some bold statements in this thread and have not backed a majority of them up with anything more than exaggeration and scaremongering. $1000 to run one wire through the impenetrable fortress of "the firewall…". Source??

        Even in the face of all these glaring contradictions and obvious self-defeating arguments

        Everything I have countered with fact or experienced based observations. I have overwhelming experience in the automotive and commercial automotive sectors. Your only claim is that you may (or may not be) closer to being an automotive engineer than I am. I speak from experience with this device. You don’t even know what it is, what it does, how it works or how it interfaces and collects any of this data you're so protective of. You're losing the conversation because you picked the wrong person to have it with. You have stopped talking about the device and privacy concerns and started attacking me and my credibility while offering none of your own compared to mine. You stopped debating the device and started attacking the man. It then devolved into you trying to "win" (like there is some prize for you at the end) by name calling. I am not a smart man, but I debate with people like you on a daily basis (It's kinda my job with customers that "heard it froma mate/Google). You are wrong. You have been wrong this whole time. You offered NO support of your side of the debate and when people didn’t just jump on your bandwagon, you tried to prop up your side with (unbased, unprovable) exaggeration and turned your focus onto me. You attacked the person, not the subject. Your whole diatribe to this point has been all straw-men and ad hominen. Stop trying to run me down and get back on point. This was about the Gofar, not me.

        Please don't let me stop you. Post again so you get the last word. I'm sure it'll be a hoot.

        While ever you are wrong, off topic, stating garbage, making things up, building strawmen, giving unfounded opinions as facts, I will reply. If you retracted most of what you said, got off the "defaming the man, not the subject" road you're on, stopped with the exaggeration hyperbole and offered up some real world evidence that Gofar sends/keeps your data for the purpose of invading your privacy, I would welcome it and you could have the last word, but you cant and you wont. So, see you next post.

        I can't undermine your arguments better than you do it yourself,

        Mine are based on searchable fact, industry experience and device ownership. Proved time and time again.
        Yours is based on?? Servicing your '85/'86 BMW's and an '10 Astra? Nil ownership of a Gofar and flexible privacy definitions (ie: Don’t let Google have it, but give it all to Coles.)

        so I don't even need to bother.

        But you still do, because you're up to your neck in it and trying to save face in the worst way possible. It's not about having the last word. It's about getting the truth out there. While ever you keep misleading or making false statements, I'll be here to refute it. Attack me and my credibility all you like, but I have proved mine, time and time again. You, have not. Most of my comments on OzB are in the Automotive forums. I regularly have users message me and ask me for help with car related questions. Just have a look over my comments and the positive feedback I get from people in the " Automotive" forum. It's proof enough that I have experience in automotive. If I had my experience in computers, I would be active on that forum instead. You're not even active in the automotive forum as far as I can see and rarely ever comment on automotive posts. If you're such a wealth of automotive knowledge, why don’t you help out more on these topics?

        So I ask, what experience do YOU have with this Gofar device? What is your experience with automotive systems? What do you do for a job/past relevant experience? What give your side of the debate the weight it requires to be treated as fact?

  • 

    AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:38

    +1

    Seems you have the inside scoop on where I work lol.

    While I can see why you think it's possible to do all that stuff. And 100% transparency, yes all this is possible.

    I can honestly say, we just don't have the time to be doing this. Why build something scammy or something your not proud of? When you can build something people will enjoy and love? And you can go home and feel good and proud to tell people how you've helped others?

    This is how we feel. And why we spend our time building stuff that we think will help drivers. Not f**k them.

    Hope you can appreciate the upfront frankess of my reply.

• 

  AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 17:43

  Also to note, Sparesbox do have it and they do zippay and afterpay.

  Also it is on eBay so if you have a discount coupon or something there. We have a store which you can purchase directly from us there.

• 

  wfdTamar on 25/11/2017 - 18:02

  +1

  I’m still interested, but when it has been $75, there’s no way I’ll buy at over $100, being a born cheapskate. :-)

  • 

    AssociatedGOFAR @ GOFAR on 25/11/2017 - 19:22

    haha I don't think we could do that price again :( It really was a once off Bargain for Ozbargainers.