ScanGauge II 3-in-1 Compact Multifunction Vehicle Computer with Customizable Display

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

Feature Packed!

After reading several other reviews on the web for this product, I decided to place an order for one. I just received the unit this week and immediately hooked it up. You should set your engine size, fuel type (gas/diesel/hybrid), units of measure, and your fuel tank size - rounded down to the nearest whole number to allow for the best accuracy in the scangauge. It's a simple installation. Just plug it into your vehicle's OBDII port and choose a suitable mounting location that doesn't interfere with your other gauges or present a safety hazard. (velcro strips are included for no muss/no fuss installation, but you could devise a more permanent mount)

Depending upon the parameters that your vehicle reports, here are some of the things this device can show you:

4 sets of trip data is stored - Current Trip, Today's Trip, Previous Day, and Current Tank. In addition, fuel economy, fuel used, maximum coolant temperature, distance, maximum rpm, drive time, maximum speed, average speed, distance to empty, time to empty, and amount of fuel to empty.

The digital gauges are for fuel economy, fuel rate, digital speedometer, tachometer, manifold pressure, battery voltage, coolant temperature, intake air temperature, engine load, ignition timing, throttle position, and open/closed loop. You can display any choice of 4 of these digital gauges on the gauge screen at one time and it's easy to cycle through them. Not all vehicles will report every one of the above parameters through the OBDII interface. If the data is not available for the chosen gauge, then there will be no display.

The final thing that this gauge is useful for is to read and reset trouble codes and your "check engine" or "service engine soon" lamp. It captures the conditions present and stores them in flash memory if a trouble code is thrown so that you can review what state the various gauges were in when the trouble code triggered.

Again, I just received this item this week, but did quite a bit of research on it before purchasing. I am very impressed by the amount of information the ScanGauge makes available. Utilizing the data, I believe I'll be able to improve my gas mileage, as I will have instant feedback on my inputs as a driver. It's fun to use too. One other thing I forgot to mention is that you can program the back-light to 63 different colors. It comes with 7 standard colors already programmed.

(2 out of 5)

Initial "cool" factor fades quickly --

Upon first plug in, likely your reaction will be similar to mine: "Wow, this thing is cool!" But after a few short days, the buzz fades and you come to realize this is one gadget you can really do w/o. Most of the information it provides (speed, RPM, distance, avg. MPG, tripometer) is obviously already being displayed on your car's dashboard. Other information (air intake temp, battery voltage, throttle position, fuel gallons consumed, etc.) is really pretty much worthless and not worth viewing during your daily commute.

The one "coolest!" feature (real-time calcuation of fuel cost) really is just a calcuation you could do in your head... if you avg. 20mph and you've driven 40miles, yes that would equate to 2gallons of gas burned, and at $4/gallon, it's $8.00 up in smoke. This feature quickly went from "cool", to "damn, that's depressing". I know it costs $65 to fill my tank now -- but why do I want to be constantly reminded by this gadget how expensive it is to drive to work??

Other: real-time MPG. Seems cool at first. But soon you realize the only way to save gas is to slow down and go light on the accelerator. This is not rocket science. My finding was by going slow I can add only 1.5-2.5MPG to my average. This is nice but after a few days I realized I don't need constant real-time MPG displayed. It is a distraction and soon becomes annoying, just like most of the info displayed by ScanGauge.

LAST WORD: ScanGuage does also operate as a ODB2 code reader. However, it only gives the generic (code: P0138), no explanation of what that code means. There are ODB2 readers available thru Amazon for 1/2 the price, that provide code AND explanation of what the code means. Also, clearing the trouble codes w/ ScanGuage is hit-or-miss -- often you press the button and the system just 'hangs'. One look in the troubeshooting section of the manual confirms this: "You may have to try multiple times to clear codes." ???

SUMMARY: Cool gadget, but except for gadget freaks, coolness factor soon fades. As an ODB2 reader, it is inferior to code readers priced half as much. Slow down in your daily driving, accelerate nice and easy -- you will save more money than if you pay $180 so that ScanGuage can tell you to slow down and go easy on the gas pedal!

(5 out of 5)

High Utility Factor, Intuitive Interface, but has bugs and issues

Update: I cannot change the # of stars in my review. I initially gave it 5/5 stars but after experiencing several critical malfunctions, I would give it only 3/5 stars.

The installation of the SG2 is simple: attach the OBD2 connector to the DLC port and attach the RJ-45 jack to the SG2 unit. Routing the cable is really up to the operator. I chose to do it in a crude manner because I don't plan to make it a permanent addition to the car. I zip tied the cable to my HVAC vents and anchored it to the empty traction control hole behind the glove box.

I used 1 of the provided velcro kits to affix the SG2 to the top of my steering column so that it is right below the instrument panel. It actually blocks my view of the shift indicator array, although I can still see it clearly if I lean forward.

The update rate set at FAST is still rather slow and that is to be expected with the outdated OBD-II network. The "fastest" aftermarket scan tool that I have seen is SCT's Live Link for Ford / GM / Chryslers. If you want anything faster, you are going to have to borrow an OEM's scan tool system.

The X-Gauge interface is a bit cumbersome since you are restricted to using 2 buttons to enter alphanumeric characters while if you pause for anything more than 10-15 seconds, the SG2 shuts down. According to Linear Logic, they are working on an updated SG2 with datalogging features so hopefully they incorporate a PC interface to speed up programming and setup times.

I have it set to monitor instantaneous MPG, RPM, Vehicle Speed, and a gauge that I frequently switch depending on my mood. I am monitoring the torque converter slip ratio. Whenever it reads below 1.00, it means the torque converter is "slipping". Above 1.00 means the output side of the converter is spinning faster than the input side and theoretically it could just mean engine braking with some torque converter slip. You can program custom X-Gauges to monitor gross engine horsepower or torque input at the transmission.

I had previously used a Garmin Forerunner 101 to check my GPS vehicle speed and compared it to my speedometer readout (2000 Ford Crown Vic with mechanical speedometer). It revealed that my GPS speed was about 2-3 mph slower than the speedometer indicated speed. The SG2's vehicle speed readout (from the Vehicle Speed Sensor PID in the OBD-2 system) is approximately 2-3 mph slower than the speedometer reading and I am assuming this is the same readout as my GPS (I didn't get a chance to verify this yet).

Some of the gauges I like to monitor are Coolant Temperature, Intake Air Temperature, Transmission Fluid Temperature (XGauge), Torque Converter Slip Ratio (XGauge), Gross Horsepower (XGauge), RPM, Vehicle Speed, and MPG.

I still haven't been able to figure out how to work the trip computer properly to display averaged fuel economy. The instantaneous MPG is more important to me because I want to see if anything is not working right on long cruises. I have often wondered if the torque converter was locking properly when I use cruise control or when cruising on the highway.

The data collection stability is impressive. I never ran into many problems with Car Code or SCT's Live Link, but SG2 is just more convenient and compact. The backlight colors are interesting as they allow you to choose 4 different values of each RGB component (or 64 possible combinations). I have it set to R=3, B=0, G=0 so that it resembles Pontiac's interior lighting (I drive a Ford).

My only real complaint is that there's not a better way of attaching the SG2 to the car. A suction cup mount for the windshield would come in handy since I could mount it near my line of sight without relying on adhesive-backed velcro. The interface is quite intuitive but I would have liked a way to program the X-gauge more easily, like via a PC interface.

Bottom line: The SG2 is a great deal if you are interested in data readouts for your car. There are cheaper ways of pulling DTC codes, so the only real usefulness of SG2 is the "realtime" PID monitoring and the trip computer for cars that do not have such devices. If you know someone who is a bona fide gearhead and drives a car made in 1996 or newer, they may appreciate the SG2 as a gift.

UPDATE:
While the ScanGauge II provided a useful feature for cars without trip computers or onboard monitoring for various PIDs, I have noticed that it began to malfunction more frequently. The gauge readouts began to "flicker" between PIDs. For example, monitoring IGNition, the IGN began to switch rapidly between HPR. Just recently, the entire ScanGauge II shutdown while I was driving. It would refuse to reconnect with the OBD2 network. When it did find a connection, a lot of the text was garbled and it lost all of my trip data except for the total mileage. My car normally maxes out on 300 miles per tank of gasoline, so I was bewildered when the SG2 said I drove over 4000 miles. Other SG2 readers have reported similar quirks, albeit not as serious as the self shutdown and data corruption that I experienced.

Many newer cars already have features built-into the car. The Pontiac G8, and Nissan GT-R are two examples of cars that have very developed "trip computers" while many other modern vehicles like the Pontiac G6, have trip computers that can monitor most of the fuel-related data.

(5 out of 5)

gives you all the information you want/need

This little box is very useful. In my case it already paid for itself. I was able to clear some service codes (misfire of a cylinder). In the past I paid $69 for the mechanic to just look up and clear the code.
I really like the fact that ScanGauge displays all kinds of engine data in real time. Other devices such as the CarChip save it and then need to be connected to a computer in order to access the data.
In my opinion, the ScanGauge is worth every cent.

(4 out of 5)

Be more knowledgeable about your car

Being a geek, I bought the ScanGauge II so that I could see more information in real time about my car. The ScanGauge should appeal to anyone who watched Night Rider and was envious of all the cool displays inside Kit. The good news is that this little device does give you so much more cool information about your car as you drive. Rather than guess why your car had bad mileage, you can tell immediately it was because you had the throttle down too much or your average speed was 85 mph. The real value of this gadget is that it gives you hard data to point to when your car acts a little funny.

The first thing you'll have to figure out is where to mount it. I drive a RAV4, and I've found the best place is under the center console. It stays out of the way and gives your passengers something cool to look at while you're driving. I would not recommend putting it in your line of site, like a HUD in an F-16. The numbers will distract you and then you'll have bigger problems than bad gas mileage. Finding a good place to mount is critical. That leads me to my first complaint: the ScanGauge is just heavy enough that Velcro won't hold it for long periods of time. After my car has been in the hot sun, the ScanGauge simply falls. It is a habit now for me to stick the ScanGauge back up every time I get in the car. I've contemplated using superglue to make sure it stays, but I don't want to damage the interior.

The realtime data is very handy, but I wish the screen updated a little faster. There are multiple settings (slow, normal, and fast), but fast isn't quite fast enough. The numbers always lag behind about half a second, making it impossible to drive your car to the data. The trip data is much more interesting and useful. Once I calibrated my speed and fuel mileage, I was surprised to see how accurate it was. Every time I fill up gas, I know how much I have to put in. It is usually accurate within a half gallon. Knowing my fuel mileage has been great for my lead foot too. When I see my mileage lower than normal, I know I have to start taking it easy. There are four trips computed by the ScanGauge: Current, Tank, Today, and Yesterday. These are hardcoded, and you can't change them, so if you go on a long trip, you can't keep one average for the whole thing.

Overall, I would recommend the ScanGauge to any geek who wants to know everything about the car.