Garmin adding ODB-II support to Nuvi

Interesting but $150 is the price of a scangauge. It has also been my experience that things do best at the task they were designed to do. There is usually some serious compromise involved with add ons. Interesting though and worth checking out I guess.

 

Hi All,

This would probably be legal in Illinois. But the screen on the applicable devices are too small for the number of gauges shown to be useful while driving. It would be a danger.

This display problem has been solved by MYCANSCAN , unfortunately, that software is not available on a platform that is limited sufficiently to be legal (in Illinois).

I wont be buying EcoRoutes. Its really bizarre how the Law makes dangerous things legal, and safe things illegal, simply because they are new.

 

I had the Garmin 780. Top of the line back then. $550 for the device and $150 for MS mobile lifetime traffic. It said it had Bluetooth connection. The Bluetooth did not work well with the phone. So I never got bluetooth to work and the money was wasted. OK. No big deal.

Then I upgraded the software (using the Garmin updater) hoping to get the bluetooth working and Bluetooth stopped working completely. Then it just dies at 7 months. Back to the factory for a new one. The turnaround was fast. I was very careful with the new one, always carried it with me and never left it in the car. The new one died after 9 months. So basically after spending $700 dollars, I got 16 months of service. Also, even before it died, it would always freeze at a particular intersection on my way to work.

So I went out and got the cheapest Garmin available. This one, bought 4 months ago, is starting to hang and freeze.

One month ago, I was looking at the $700 piece of junk and I got upset (the garmin 780). So I try to take it apart just to take a look before I threw it out. It came back to life. However, it still hangs at an intersection on the way to work. I've reset the machine numerous times. So I gave it to a friend.

I understand it is still better than the Toyota one. So I am keeping it. But I don't have a lot of confidence about the Bluetooth that never worked. I figured the current one may work 2 years. Then, when it dies, I'll use an iphone or something to navigate.

 

More screenshots...

Garmin Eco-Route Add-on Turns Your GPS Into a Green-Driving Teacher : TreeHugger

 

Very surprised to read your post!!!

I also have a Garmin 780 for perhaps 8-12 months? (Can’t remember). I do remember that I paid less than $300 bucks and I think the lifetime traffic was about how much you paid. I also got lifetime map updates for less than $100 in an Amazon sale.

Never ever had any problems with it, it works great and it by far outperforms my built-in NAV in my Honda Odyssey, reason why I was not interested in getting the Prius NAV at all.

BTW, I don’t give my Garmin any special treatment, it stays there in the windshield the entire time, regardless if it’s 150F inside the car in the summer or bellow zero in the winter. The only problem I have had is the suction cup that falls off when it is too hot. That’s it.

How come you have had so many problems with yours?

 

+1

Welcome to my GArmin experience ... since 2001. Even so, some swear by them, even as some swear by the Navteq based Toyota system. Folks, neither side will ever 'win'. It's just a matter of preference.

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I only stated the facts. I don't work for Garmin or anybody GPS/cellphone manufacturer.

Remember, the 780 I had cam back to life. I gave it to my friend. It has been working fine since. I am sure it still hangs when going through a certain intersection but my friend don't go through that intersection.

I think Garmin still makes the best GPS. That's why I bought the cheapest to replace it. That one hangs quite a bit but is still working. Everyone recommends Garmin so I am afraid of getting something else - fear that it can be worse.

From what I hear, Garmin still beats Toyota in GPS but I have no firsthand knowledge.

I don't know why they stop working or start to hang. It seems like the software gets corrupted which is strange because I am not modifying the software. I do program in a lot of addresses (maybe 200). Maybe it makes the computer work too hard. This paragraph is pure speculation.

However, when I erase the whole thing. Get rid of my addresses. The unit does not improve. Once it is beeped. It stays beeped.

My wife has the Garmin 680. It is old but worked all these years. So I actually bought 3 of these things.

I can't wait for Google's free mapping software to come to the iPhone. I'll give that a try. You paid $300 +150 for lifetime traffic. That's like $10 a month for 4 years. I paid more. Given these prices, even if the phone software was a $10 a month subscription, it may still be worth it. So the next thing I'll try is a phone subscription service - assuming Google's free nav does not come to my phone in the near future.

From your "loyal" three times Garmin customer - myself.

 

Guages look plenty big, compared to MS-1.

And there is still room on my dashboard between the MS-1 and the speedometer:

 

What are those furry-looking things on the dash? Kinda look like tribbles.

 

Of course they are tribbles, and with their reproduction rate he probably throws a couple out the window every couple miles.

 

... which also happens to double as his navigation system. If he ever gets lost, he can follow the path tribble-crumbs back to his house.

 

There was another thread on this at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/74414-garmin-ecoroute-hd.html. In that thread, I posted what I learned when I saw it at CES and spoke to some Garmin reps.

 

Amazon.com has them for about $15 under list price.

 

Has anyone done this yet? How well does it work with the Prius?

How many different things can it monitor?

 

this is very nice.

wonder if it will work with cars with CANBus?