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Scan Gauge II - Is it worth the money?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by cary1952, Aug 31, 2013.

  1. cary1952

    cary1952 Member

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    Thinking of getting SGII. Is it worth the money or just more fun to play with. Can you ever recoup the cost of it in savings? Thanks!
     
  2. Fluxuated

    Fluxuated Member

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    It's not a Miracle device, but it gives you all the tools you need for better fuel economy, as well as XGauges which you can program custom readings, and use to disable Backup beep and seatbelt beep, should you choose. It can also recover "Check Engine Codes" and clear them. So if the car pops a code, you'll know right away what it is, and will be able to look it up.

    I find mine to be a necessity. I use it all the time, every time I drive the car. Will you recover all the savings? Probably not, since your no doubt doing really well by driving a Prius, the savings gained will take a LONG time to recover the cost of the device.

    I highly recommend it. And you can use it in another other vehicle. I've used mine in my 2005 Corolla, 2009 Lexus RX350 and 2011 Prius Liftback.

    Good luck! (I got your message, will post pics of my setup shortly)
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I initially mounted it on the dash with loops of masking tape on the underside, as a stopgap fastening system, meaning to switch to the supplied adhesive-backed Velcro strips. It held position so well I stayed with masking tape. I've pulled it off to clean the dash, and replaced the tape once or twice, does not leave a residue.

    In a crash it would likely brake loose, the Velcro would be better in that regard, but it is very light.

    The cord I just run down from the right side, down to the OBD port.

    Here's a pic of the location:

    prius - 3rd gen - scanguage location.JPG
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    for the 9 years i've been driving prius, i thought about buying one. and i think my mpg's are right up there just driving slowly and p&g. i do think it would be cool at first, and useful at other times.
     
  5. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    Here's my SG location. There is a trick to making it stick.
    [​IMG]
     
  6. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    I think the SGII or another Prius specific OBDII device is certainly worth the money. The few times that I have had mine disconnected I have been at a loss while driving. I am always monitoring one area of the hybrid system or another. In this hot weather I am monitoring HV battery temps closely.

    Plus you can turn off reverse beep, etc. You can also read Check Engine Light DTC's and reset the Alarm and Fault messages.
     
  7. Drdiesel

    Drdiesel Active Member

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    YES! It is :cool:
     
  8. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Can you explain how it hooks up to the car and gets it power?
     
  9. Drdiesel

    Drdiesel Active Member

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    Plugs into the OBDII port and get's it's battery power from pin #16
     
  10. priusincc

    priusincc Member

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    I like it for the RPM and water temp readouts. It also, gives you a clue on how much it will take to fill up. I transferred mine from my old ride. It does duplicate the average mpg, cost-per-mile, and miles-to-empty info the Pri already has. It apparently can give error codes. but I have never had to use that feature.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  11. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    just think how many miles you can drive with 100+ bucks...
     
  12. Drdiesel

    Drdiesel Active Member

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    It's expandable too. Just program it and the X-Gauge setup will read any data on the buss.
    I transferred mine from my C to my C-Max. I have HV battery temperature and SOC as
    well as cabin temperature programmed to display. It will read fault codes and clear them too.
    It's a great tool for a great price. You'll never wonder whats happening if the check engine light
    comes on. You can read the codes and know what the PCM is reporting. This can keep you from
    paying a dealer $130 bucks to reset the system for a loose gas cap problem :eek:
     
    priusincc likes this.
  13. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    I use a tablet, a bluetooth ODB adapter, and Torque, instead. About the same price, and lots more useful in lots more ways.
     
  14. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    I had the tablet already (Nexus 7) so I shelled out $20 at Amazon for the bluetooth ODB adapter and downloaded Torque app at the Google Play store... and I have almost all the readings I could hope for at $20 outlay.
     
    Robroy likes this.