Dear All, I've had a 2007 Prius for a bit over a year now. I'm interested in the possibility of getting a little more information about systems and heard about ScanGauge II and and thinking about investing in one. However, I also see that ScanGauge doesn't seem to have keyboard input, and will require programming to get "gauges" for Prius - so I wanted to ask the forum: Is ScanGauge worthwhile at all? How difficult is it to set up Prius specific gauges? Which gauges are most useful? Is there something better than ScanGauge available in the aftermarket? Any thoughts, opinions, feedback and other comments greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Ridge (in New Joisey)
There is a much cheaper alternative: a cheap bluetooth OBD reader and a free app (torque) for your smartphone or tablet but.......... that requires you to sync up and open it every time you want to use it whereas the scangauge will always be there up and running displaying info. I have both and prefer the scangauge. Setting up special x-gauges is somewhat cumbersome but you only need to do it once.
The ScanGauge is a good tool. If you have to pay to check and clear a code you'll be ahead by the second or third time. I display inverter & engine coolant temps, instantaneous mpg & rpm. I've had the gauge maybe 7 years. The data can be used to improve your driving technique which will save gas and knowing when the coolant is overheating can minimize an unpleasant trip to the garage. Programming the XGauges is tedious but, as Doug said, it only has to be done once (if you do it right). The company has a history of good customer service. Every car should have one--and welcome to the site.
I'm a big fan of the Torque app for Android. Used it on my Gen1 and when I recently acquired a gen2 was able to use the PID file available from another thread here with no issues. If you have a smart phone it's a cheap and convenient option.
There are a lot of gauges already available in the ScanGaugeII when you receive it. Maybe 25? Pretty much anything you can think of. The more esoteric readings, various Prius specifics, can be added. The latter are referred to as XGauges. It's a bit of pain, but doable. Here's a handy video on adding XGauges. Really helped me:
You can't really maximize your mileage without a ScanGauge or other OBD reader. If that is important to you, for whatever reason, then you need one. The only programming I did was to turn off the reverse beep. Otherwise, I used the factory gauges.
