OK, almost sold on the scangauge, I have been using Autotap, but that requires a laptop. Where and how have you guy's been mounting the scangauge? Anybody use the rearview mirror mount? Is the wire long enough to be routed up the A pillar and is there enough room? Picture if possible please. I want to be able to view the Scangauge without taking my eyes off of the road
Here's mine. I just used the strip of velcro tape that came with the scangauge. Easily visable. I love to see that zero rpm when rolling down the road at 40 mph or 996 rpm when gliding down a slight hill at 60 mph.
The BlendMount also looks like an option as long as you have the autodimming mirror: MGT Motorsports Shopping Cart I understand from another thread (radar detector mounting) that these mounts are pretty good quality.
I want to mirror mount the thing, but I'm afraid of running the wire through the A pillar as I have NO experience with air bags in A pillars, so I don't know how to go about that. Obviously I don't want to interfere with the air bag functioning. Anybody have experience with running wires up the A pillar?
I might suggest that you mount it, with the supplied velcro, to the steering column as pictured by Royrose above. Then if you don't like it you can always move it, i.e. do it the easy way first. I have mine mounted that way and you need only take your eyes off the road very briefly too look at it. You can set it up to put the two parameters you will use most often on top where you will see them first. EDIT: Another thing to consider, if you mount it up near the windshield might not a thief think it's some kind of radar detector and break in to steal it? I had a control head for a VHF radio stolen from my work vehicle a few years ago, it was completely worthless without the rest of the radio. I'm pretty sure whoever took it thought it was a radar detector or a GPS unit of some kind. If it's down on the steering column it's a little more out of sight anyway.
I would also agree with royrose and tumbleweed about mounting behind the steering wheel. I have mine mounted there and to look at it is so brief that it is not at all distracting. I had used the mirrow mount with the scan gauge II on my Honda Ridgeline and it takes much longer to raise your head and look at it mounted. I changed back to the dash board. I ran it through the A pillar on the Honda but did not have air bags located there so I can't help with any information.
It'll be next month before I buy it anyway, but I liked the mirror mount as it looked "cleaner" and honestly less likely to irritate my wife. Got to keep my hobbies a little low key as usually you really just can't justify them, you either understand or you don't. She usually doesn't.
To me, I would prefer not to take my eyes off the road if I didn't have to. Isn't that the whole purpose of the new display location? I don't know about the theft issue, I guess it depends on where you park. But theft would seem less likely if it's mounted on top of the mirror because of the window tinting, location, etc. A dash-mounted unit would seem much more visible to someone passing by (probably looking for GPS units), whereas they would probably have to knell down to look up at the mirror mount. In any event, the unit might easily detach from the mount anyway. I don't understand the difficulty with looking at the rear view mirror in a Prius. Shouldn't you be doing that as part of your eye scan while driving anyway? You should still be able to see the road at the same time. I guess that all assumes that at least the seat is adjusted correctly. I agree it looks cleaner -- assuming you can run the cable along the A-pillar. But keeping the wife happy is probably the biggest plus.
I also like the simplicity of the steering column installation, but one thing about that install that bothers me is that the cable exiting the right side of the scangauge is visible. Don't know if something can be done about it, though. I installed a back-up camera monitor (wireless) in my VW recently, and was able to route the monitor power cable UNDER the base of the monitor and through a small hole in the dash. As a result the cable is completely hidden, as is the hole. Jim
It's the white plug under the dash, right about where you right knee is. I think that location is standard for all cars, or it's one heck of a coincedence.
I liked that location in my 2004 and still do in my 2010. As for the cable, it tucks nicely behind the door seal, easily vanishing completely into the depths of the car just by pushing it. .
You could drill a hole in the plastic housing around the steering column and route the cable out the back bottom of the housing to the OBDII connector.
I installed my Blend Mount today and I'm thrilled with how it looks. Being I'm 6'4" the mirror mount was the perfect option. The unit sits about 15 inches away from me just above eye level. It was so simple to install the Scan Gauge Blend Mount. Took about 20 minutes total start to finish. 1. Wipe back of scan gauge with alcohol wipe and let air dry. 2. Attach plastic Velcro squares to back of scan gauge. You need one large and one small. Test fit before peeling off the backs. 3 Unscrew hex head screws and separate mount halves. 4. Remove spacer it is not needed on the Prius. 5. Take haves and place around mirror stem and install screws, tighten with supplied hex wrench. 6. Attach bracket that Scan Gauge unit attaches to with screw and tighten with supplied hex wrench. 7. You will need the extension wire supplied with the Blend Mount. The Scan Gauge OEM cable is about 12 inches too short to use alone with this install. 8. Attach extension cable through mount back to scan gauge and attach Scan Gauge to mount. 9. The fun part comes now routing the cable. Easier than you think. 10. The head liner is a plastic tray covered with cloth. 11. Gently with your finder tips starting at the interior light pull downward just enough to get the cable into the space between the windshield, roof and headliner. Work your way over toward the drivers door and the side air bag cover. Leave a few extra inches of cable between the Scan Gauge and the head liner so you can unplug the unit and remove it easily. I used the center plug in the back. 12. This is the only tough place to feed the cable. Be gentle at this area because the airbag cover is really tight up near the windshield roof line. You only need to pull it out just enough to press the cable inside across the top (2") of the airbag cover then your back to the edge of the headliner. 13. Now it gets real easy. You will see a rubber decorative gasket that runs down the length of the door frame. Pull it out slightly and run the cable down towards the floor under this gasket. The gasket will snap back covering the cable. There is a plastic cover at the bottom and you can feed the cable behind it where the gasket meets that cover. 14. This is where you need to plug in the Scan Gauge supplied cable to the OBD2 port and feed it up under the cover under the dash. 15. The OBD2 cable unfortunately comes out on the right side of the connector so you have to run it to the right then up under the dash. Using the supplied Blend Mount cable connector plug in the ends of the cables. Stuff the extra under the dash and secure using the supplied zip ties. Make sure when you run that cable under the kick cover and up under the dash make sure the cable doesn't interfere with the hood release or parking brake operation. When you look up under the left corner of the dash you will see what I mean.
Here's how I mounted mine in Serenity. Keeps it close to the MFD and my eyes don't have to stray too far.