What problem is the Prius killer? What is the most common thing to take a Prius off the road?

Ok... And here I read another post that said techstream OR scangauge 2 was fine

 

I remember for the Gen 1, vincent1449p had worked out how to program a ScanGauge II to read hybrid and battery DTCs, and even inf codes. I don't know whether the same is available for Gen 2; I would assume so, if one knows where to look. A stock SGII might not read the needed information without the extra programming first.

-Chap

 

That person probably likes seeing fuel consumption info, trip time, coolant temp, etc, and may not be concerned with diagnostic/maintenance capability. And may be fine NOT reading ALL codes.


Yes, Techstream requires a laptop and is installed easily on a Windows 32bit OS (XP, Vista, 7) laptop. Ask friends/family/coworkers if they know someone in IT, for an obsolete laptop laying around. This person will likely have multiples, and can give you a free one. Mac install possible, you need to search.

Even if you don't DIY, you should still get Techstream. The cost of getting codes professionally read at the dealer is likely $100+. $23 cable/software from Amazon and hopefully a free obsolete laptop, you come out ahead. You could also sell your Techstream setup, recovering some/most of your expenditure.

Scan Gauge2 is for you, if you just care about the info below, and limited code reading ability.

 

The thing with the ScanGauge is that you can see more information with it if you can find the right XGauge information to program it with. Battery block voltages and resistances are definitely available for Gen 1 and also for Gen 3 (hasn't been transcribed into the Sourceforge project yet, but there's a spreadsheet floating around). I don't know what's available for Gen 2, but I would assume much of the same information is.

That is certainly still less capable than a Techstream rig, but has some other attractions (like, being pretty small and more likely to be in the car with you when you are on a drive and lights come on).

Also, there are a couple of ways $23 could be considered a lowball estimate for a Techstream setup. First, the interface dongles at that price point are sometimes a bit flaky, and you might want to spend a bit more on the dongle to have one that doesn't flake out in the middle of certain maintenance operations. Second, if you prefer to use the software under Toyota's terms, the rate for a two-day activation is currently $65 in the US ... but remember this is more than just use of the software, it also includes full TIS access for the two days, including the Identifix database and ECU firmware updates. (Personally, I don't think I would ever begin a firmware update using a $23 dongle ... that's one operation I might not risk even with an Openport, or any dongle other than the DrewTech one that Toyota recommends.)

-Chap

 

If you DIY, and/or want to READ ALL CODES, go Techstream.

If you like seeing instantaneous vehicle info and DON'T mind not being able to read ALL CODES, go Scan Gauge2.

Remember, this person was content w/ SG2 reporting an invalid code.

 

This person read a post on here saying Scangauge 2 could read codes

 

... which it can, but not all of them straight out of the box. Need to look up the right "XGauge" definitions and program them in.

 

I suggest you verify stuff you read on the Internet.

Consider contacting the manufacture about yours, as it is producing invalid codes.

 

I think 0000 might actually be what comes back in the protocol, if you query an ECU for DTCs and it has none.

In other words, I doubt the SGII is actually broken in any way Linear Logic would need to know about; more likely, it just hasn't had the XGauge programming to know how to ask any other ECUs for their codes. That's up to the customer....

-Chap

 

I have 2 Prius.. both 2008. One has 338,000 miles and the other 193,000 miles.
Both are still using factory Hybrid batteries installed when manufactured.
Amazingly reliable vehicles. I bought the higher mileage Prius with 315,000 miles over 2 years ago.
I bought the 2nd 9 months ago because I was so impressed with the high mileage Prius.

 

Welcome to Prius Chat

 

This is just an anecdote, but when I was in an NYC Prius taxi, the driver said every single Friday he took his Prius to a mechanic for checkup / maintenance. He got 500K out of his previous Prius, and just replaced it with a brand new Prius V.

 

$30 fix? tell me more

 

Read the next post (post #16) after that one. It provides a bit of balance to the stated claims.