Newbie Question ScanGaugeII Pros/Cons Where do you Mount ?

I got one; it's useful if you're trying to get the best mileage out of your car, because you can get information like battery amps or engine temperature. So far, there's no way to get some other useful info available on the previous gen though, like SoC. Plus, there's no magic "do this now!" mode to tell you the best way to drive - you have to read forums and test things out to figure that out.

Mine is mounted behind the steering wheel so that I can see it between the wheel portion and the center hub. There's a fairly flat piece of dash right there. I strung the cable through the gap between the steering wheel and the dash, and then it can exit slightly behind the OBD port near my shins. Others have mounted it elsewhere, like near the front quarter window. A google search will net you lots of discussions on this topic.

 

I read somewhere here that the latest Scangauges do not have all the required programming yet for Gen III Prius. I was going to get one, but decided against the $170 price until the programming is complete. There are also similar devices that have built-in NAV but those were close to $700. Way more expensive than I want to go! I just wish those of us with package II could see the health of the 12 volt battery and maybe the engine temp.

 

The ScanGauge will work to show you 12V battery voltage and engine temperature as-is. It will not work for a few things, like setting the headlight-off timing or viewing the traction battery SoC, since the Gen III uses a slightly different protocol than the ScanGauge normally uses for these measurements.

All in all, the SG generally has most of the things you'd want to see, and I'm not sure I've seen any info that they'll be adding anything new and different to it.

That said, you can get a measurement on the 12V battery with a multimeter, which will probably be more accurate, and definitely less expensive. Not that doing so really gives you a terribly good indicator of the health of the battery.

 

Have you reviewed the ScanGauge XGauge codes that were posted here months ago? Very many items have already been figured out.

And don't pay $170 elsewhere, when you can pay a bit less and support either this site or another fuel efficiency site.

 

Here is how I mounted mine. Definitely worth it in my opinion.

 

Yes, I think I read that spreadsheet, but what I meant was that ScangaugeII should come that way from the factory. Oh, I was only quoting the non-Prius site price I found when I went to the
Scangauge website.

BTW, here's the other device one of our members was going to try. It's very expensive if you buy it with the NAV feature:
DashDAQ - Features

 

A couple of us have a DashDAQ. Expensive, yes, but it can also do a crazy amount of things. A small example is in this post and other posts in the same thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ink-im-getting-hang-60-mpg-4.html#post1145624

I'm (slowly) working on a review.

 

i like that steering wheel mount! blendmount also makes a mount for above the rear view mirror.

http://www.amazon.com/BlendMount-Designed-for-ScanGauge-II/dp/B001EO0YZ2

 

GReddy Informeter Touch: Evasive Motorsports | PH: 626.336.3400 Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm PST

anyone have any experience with this product?

 

That unit looks really cool, but...

Just to prevent unpleasant surprises, the Prius is not listed in the
Vehicle Compatability List.

That would leave experiences in other vehicles...

 

They do. It is a real pain to make work and the scangauge is kind of obtrusive there. I have one but I don't think I will use it. I have taken it off for now.

 

Turns out a buddy of mine has one. I'm going to test it out on my car maybe tomorrow. I'll post up what I find. If it doesnt work scangauge is cheaper.

 

The Greddy Informeter Touch works great on any Prii. The Greddy site states to select ISO CAN for Gen III and my installation in our Prius today prooves this. Comes with a great stand also. Installation was done within a minute, plug in the OBD connector and select the communication, that's it. If one wants to have power displayed too enter the cars weight and displacement. Will post pics tomorrow in another thread.

- Rob