Usefulness of Scan Gauge II

[Kwekxh]

Good Day to All,

 

Can't really find much info locally but was actually contemplating to purchase a Scan Gauge II OBD code reader to be installed in the car.

 

http://www.scangauge.com/

 

Are they any current of past users of Scan Gauge and what are the tangible benefits of having one besides logging the trouble codes?

 

Any advice and comments will be appreciated.

 

MTIA!

[Route]

i'm using it to monitor my water temp and intake air as my car does not come with a water temp gauge... very useful imo

[Joajas]

Isn't it better to get an OBD2 scanner that connects to your smart phone? Given that there are some good software that can go what scan guage ii does and perhaps more functions that scan guage?

 

Android phones have this app called Torque that is very good and cheap, and it even works with some of the cheap bluetooth or wifi obdii scanners.

 

You simply plug the scanner into your obdii port, pair with your android smartphone, and run Torque. You can then customized the apps interface to your liking and you can even have the app generate graphs and upload to their server where you can retrieve at a later time.

 

This app also allows u to scan for error codes and clear error codes. It even allows you to connect to the internet to retrieve information about that particular code.

[Versatile]

It's more than that. It helps you to clear your CEL and to monitor others important stuffs like TPS etc.

[Kwekxh]

Thanx for the reply so far...

 

TPS? Tyre Pressure?

[Nine_eleven]

Isn't it better to get an OBD2 scanner that connects to your smart phone? Given that there are some good software that can go what scan guage ii does and perhaps more functions that scan guage?

 

Android phones have this app called Torque that is very good and cheap, and it even works with some of the cheap bluetooth or wifi obdii scanners.

 

You simply plug the scanner into your obdii port, pair with your android smartphone, and run Torque. You can then customized the apps interface to your liking and you can even have the app generate graphs and upload to their server where you can retrieve at a later time.

 

This app also allows u to scan for error codes and clear error codes. It even allows you to connect to the internet to retrieve information about that particular code.

 

 

Scangauge is better in the sense that it's a standalone module, never needing to be plugged in everytime you start the car. you can use your phone for other purposes... it's not considered expensive, why not?

 

i use the voltage, air intake temp, water temp features, very good info for that kind of price.

[Joajas]

I just leave my scanner plugged in as it has the sleepmode when engine is off, i paired it with my old android phone and the software takes care of the rest.

 

Disadvantage for my setup is i have to keep the phone out of sight when not in use, i need a charger to keep phone charged.

Price is also higher as i opt for a reputable scanner.

 

Good things is i always have a spared phone, the software is very capable, it is as good as a basic proper obdii scanner.

I can read clear cel codes, fault codes that do not cause cel and have instant access to information with regards to fault codes.

 

There are many other features that the app offers. One of the coolest function is that you can log your trip with the information you want and it will even overlay your trip on google map and you can see the route you took. The route overlay even color codes the track and at one glance you can guesstimate your speed at different parts of your trip.

 

This setup can potentially be much cheaper than scanguage, depends on ur requirements.

 

As long as it fulfills ur needs, both setups will serve u well.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Joajas

[Yuan]

Good Day to All,

 

Can't really find much info locally but was actually contemplating to purchase a Scan Gauge II OBD code reader to be installed in the car.

 

http://www.scangauge.com/

 

Are they any current of past users of Scan Gauge and what are the tangible benefits of having one besides logging the trouble codes?

 

Any advice and comments will be appreciated.

 

MTIA!

 

I almost wanted to get one for my current ride.

 

However, the settings in my car enable me to obtain information like oil temp, water temp etc so end up I did not proceed any further.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Yuan

[Jchuacl]

Throttle position sensor.

 

If your car is non JDM, then it's ok. If it's JDM, then you'll need to double confirm as the JDM's might be using their own version of J OBD2 connectivity.

 

Thanx for the reply so far...

 

TPS? Tyre Pressure?

 

[Jamesc]

i'm using it to monitor my water temp and intake air as my car does not come with a water temp gauge... very useful imo

You need to monitor your water temp and air intake?

 

Do you need to pull over after the water temp reaches above a certain level?

 

And is there occassions where there is not enough or too much air intake?

 

[Yuan]

You need to monitor your water temp and air intake?

 

Do you need to pull over after the water temp reaches above a certain level?

 

And is there occassions where there is not enough or too much air intake?

 

 

The monitoring of air intake type could be in the form of AFR or vacuum gauge.

 

Well I could be wrong.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Yuan

[Jchuacl]

If water temp reaches a certain threshold, it would certainly mean something is broken. In my case, it was one of the radiator fan for my current and previous car. Though I have a the water temp readings, the temp increase didn't result in the gauge moving into the warning region.

 

 

For intake temp, it may not to be so important but it's good to know what's the baseline.

 

 

You need to monitor your water temp and air intake?

 

Do you need to pull over after the water temp reaches above a certain level?

 

And is there occassions where there is not enough or too much air intake?

 

 

[Jchuacl]

AFC is another parameter, in this case it is the air intake temp.

 

The thing with all these readings is that you need to understand what it means. For myself, I'll only monitor a certain set of parameters to check for any breach of thresholds. In fact, I've been using the Blitz Rvit for almost 7 years now.

 

The monitoring of air intake type could be in the form of AFR or vacuum gauge.

 

Well I could be wrong.

 

[Wheeler]

I just leave my scanner plugged in as it has the sleepmode when engine is off, i paired it with my old android phone and the software takes care of the rest.

 

Disadvantage for my setup is i have to keep the phone out of sight when not in use, i need a charger to keep phone charged.

Price is also higher as i opt for a reputable scanner.

 

Good things is i always have a spared phone, the software is very capable, it is as good as a basic proper obdii scanner.

I can read clear cel codes, fault codes that do not cause cel and have instant access to information with regards to fault codes.

 

There are many other features that the app offers. One of the coolest function is that you can log your trip with the information you want and it will even overlay your trip on google map and you can see the route you took. The route overlay even color codes the track and at one glance you can guesstimate your speed at different parts of your trip.

 

This setup can potentially be much cheaper than scanguage, depends on ur requirements.

 

As long as it fulfills ur needs, both setups will serve u well.

 

hi Bro ,

The BT OBD plug you using. , does it drain off your car battery if you leave it plugged into your OBD port ? I've heard that some people woke up with a flat battery overnight . Where did you purchase the plug ? Dealextreme ?

 

[Bystander50]

Scangauge is better in the sense that it's a standalone module, never needing to be plugged in everytime you start the car. you can use your phone for other purposes... it's not considered expensive, why not?

 

i use the voltage, air intake temp, water temp features, very good info for that kind of price.

 

I'm also using the cheaper ELM327 BT OBD II port reader. I find that it is in a way better than the Scangauge as you can define the number of gauges you want to display.

Compared to Scanguage that displays the output on a fixed size screen showing alphanumeric characters, mine displays in graphical charts and numbers, making it easier to read even in strong sunlight. It can also log your journey with all the parameters you define and retrieved for later viewing. With a GPS enabled smartphone (sorry, Iphone out) like Andriod or Symbian, it can even track the paths you take. There's also no messy wiring between the phone and the ELM327 adapter as it uses bluetooth connection.

 

It's a cheaper option than buying a scanguage.

 

That's my own preference, others may prefer to get a branded one, but eventually it still serves the same function.

 

[Yuan]

AFC is another parameter, in this case it is the air intake temp.

 

The thing with all these readings is that you need to understand what it means. For myself, I'll only monitor a certain set of parameters to check for any breach of thresholds. In fact, I've been using the Blitz Rvit for almost 7 years now.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

I was considering the Blitz Rvit for my previous ride at one stage as compared to scangauge which was not compatible for my car then.

[Zze121]

Monitor batt, speedo as on car one is lower then actual speed, BHP, water temp.

[Kwekxh]

Thanks people, for your replies so far.

 

Have a better understanding on what Scan Gauge can do and the possibility of exploring other options now :)