OOPS did I just blow $160 Dollors on a Scan Gauge II

If it is not reading the parameters you wanted, return it.

 

What problems are you having? Hard to say whether you should send it back or not without knowing this.

I have an SGII for my 2010 Prius IV. I'm quite pleased with it and it seems to work just fine (at least for my purposes...)

 

What parameters are you looking for?

 

Regardless of the problems, I'd send it back and then order one through CleanMPG.com, who have a Group Buy going for $134.95...

 

Did you ever hook it up to your Prius?

What were your expectations?

I have an Auto Enginuity, $400, and for our ZVW30, 2010 Prius, it reads a set of standard parameters and records them. I didn't buy it for the ZVW30 but for our NHW11, 2003 Prius.

For the NHW11, the $400 Auto Enginuity does not include my laptop. One key engineering data, MG1 torque, is definitely wrong and a couple of minor values are questionable. I've reported these problems to their disappointing tech support including the more serious, 'spiking' false codes. Still I've developed a pig-tail adapter that limits the signals to power and ISO-9141 and the Auto Enginuity remains usable:


Then recently w2co and vincent1449p cracked the ScanGauge interface problems with the NHW11:

The adapter carries just the ISO-9141 signals which avoids spiking false codes in the NHW11, and the sustainer battery allows the ScanGauge to be brought into the house so XGAUGEs can be loaded in front of the computer.

Now I have used the ScanGauge with our ZVW30 and it works well enough. I don't drive using my ScanGauge but as a tool for my engineering studies. So far, Auto Engineering has provided enough so I've not felt any need to integrate the ScanGauge with my wife's ZVW30.

In engineering we have a concept called "managing user expectations." So perhaps you might share the specific things that have put you off of the product.

If I'd listened to folks who 'talked trash' about my Prius, I might as well sell it or never have bought it. Most Prius folks have more independence and a willing attitude to experiment. So what is or are the problems?

Bob Wilson

ps. This is what I find to be the most interesting aspect of the ScanGauge:

 

Wow! Didn't know that! Please feel free to remove my post if it will cause any problems for the forum...

 

This seems like as good a place as any to insert this...

I contacted auto Enginuity last week, they said the enhanced option for the Gen3 interface will be available in late November.

 

I had a lot of issues with the Scan Gauge tool. The first unit had a bad cable. The second unit had a cracked screen. I called the folks at scan gauge and they did not seem to care. I sent an email complaining, and after a week I got an email apologizing for my issues and they offered to sell me a unit for less money. I did not act on it.

The first unit with the bad cable worked if I bent the cable a certain way. I was able to program many Prius specific parameters to monitor MG1, MG2, eng temp and many other great parameters.

Pros: The concept is good and the unit does work well with special Prius codes.

Cons: It is a company that is does not care about the end customer, they release faulty product and the design is very outdate. A dual row of 16 LCD characters is very outdate. It should drive a 320x240 color display with graphs like some of the other solutions.

 

90% of what the unit does it software related. I never open the unit I had but I can predict what is in the unit based on your picture.

It has a Microchip PIC18F24XX microcontroller with built in flash to store code and parameters.

There is a 10MHz Oscillator to clock everything

A CAN transceiver to interface with the vehicle.

And a few power components to regulate the 12V from the car to a 3.3V for the microcontroller.

Total bill of materials is $6.00, the display is $8.00, the cable is $1.00 and the injection mold case is $2.00 including amortized cost of engineering. The rest is software this is impossible to put a value on.

 

Don't know about the company or their customer service, mine worked just fine right out of the box. I did call them once with a question and got right through, they gave me a good answer and offered to upgrade my unit for free (without me asking) if I would send it in. I didn't need the upgrade so I declined their offer.

It will read RPM, engine temperature, load, 12V system voltage, MPG, MPH, trouble codes, and a lot more without using the xgauge features. If you use xgauge you can read inverter temps, inverter coolant temps, MG1 and MG2 temps, HV battery Amps, disable seat belt extra beeps, limit reverse beep to 1 beep, and a bunch of other stuff.

Here is our Scan Gauge thread http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...discussion/64406-scangaugeii-work-2010-a.html It's long but contains a lot of good information if you decide to keep it. I would be lost without mine.

 

What version is yours at Tom?

 

If I was given that kind of service I might have kept it. When I called I was told their was nothing they can do and if I was not happy I should return it to the place I purchased it from.

Here is a pic of the first unit that only worked if I bent the cable like this.



This is a picture of unit number two from a totally differnt place. Cracked screen.



The bad customer service was strike three.

 

Mine is about a year and a half old and it's version 3.15, I think when I called they offered me an upgrade to 3.16 but when they explained the differences I decided it wouldn't matter to me. I believe they are up to 3.17 now.

 

I remember when SC came out and I was about to order one for my tacoma back in 2004. Heard good reviews about them and one of the engineer from SC was a forum member on the tacoma forum. I guess when you get too big, your customer service can turn bad or an issue.

Since I don't have one yet, I am not knocking on them, but seems like a big issue with couple of product defects. And if so, return and get your money back if you aren't happy with the product. I will never keep a product that isn't performing to what i paid for.

 

MG6 I feel the same way. I spent way too much time trying to buy a unit that worked. I returned everything and decided not to do business with a company that is ok with this level of product defects and bad customer service.

 

There sure seems to be something in the OBD industry:

• Graham miniscanner - the first one bought, production ceases but Graham's web site still provides excellent support. Some minor problems with data recording but they can be worked around and Graham has been very open about how it works (aka., handling dual-values returned with one query.)
• Over counter scanners - huh? What? They pretty much deal with just emissions data and try to be all things to all systems and have no flexibility. As for support, I include an Ebay unit that I had to return because the software could not be upgraded.
• Auto Enginuity - usable but their support is exceptionally poor.
• ScanGauge - ordered via Auto Zone, it came in and 'worked' after vincent1449p and w2co figured out the workarounds and codes. Because it is programmable, it can be improved by the users. The 'factory' is out of the loop and based upon Judgeless, by choice or attitude.

Between the secrecy of the manufacturers about their OBD interface and weak support from OBD vendors, the exception being Graham Davies, it looks to be a pretty poor lot . . . hummm opportunity.

Bob Wilson

 

This is off topic, but I would bet the folks on this thread have the data.

What is hte voltage folks are seeing on the 12v (nominal) system in the 2010 model. I just measured 14.55-14.6v which seemed a bit high. I was seeing 13.7v in my 2004.

I cross posted this to Prius Technical Stuff, so feel free to answer there if it's easier.

Thanks in advance, John

 

I measured about 13.8V in mine. What did you use to measure the voltage? Depending on what you used, that might be well within the normal inaccuracy.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about that voltage, it's not ridiculously high. Though if your radio starts shooting sparks at you, I'd get it checked out.