Customer Reviews

Garmin ecoRoute HD Vehicle Diagnostics Communicator

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

After several months of delay, I finally received the ecoroute HD module, and am happy to report that it lives up to all the hype.

Firstly, you'll need to update your nuvi software, I'm using the 1490t which has the larger 5 inch screen. Once that's complete, simply plug the ecoroute into the ODB port (self-powered) and turn on the GPS. From there, I went to the ecoroute menu, and selected the "HD connect" option.

It took several minutes to sync up, and I had to repeat this step when I changed over to a different vehicle. It appears that the ecoroute HD recognizes and stores the vehicle specific data it obtains in its own internal memory.

Once connected (blue light) the first thing I noticed while driving was that the the "green leaf" score was suddenly a lot more accurate, going to 99 anytime I was coasting, even at low speeds, and going down in proportion with my degree acceleration. It seems Garmin was just winging it before without the actual diagnostics, now you are getting actual mileage efficiency results. Excellent for hypermilers like myself.

Another critical aspect, realtime MPG is now one of the selectable options on the main map display. In addition, the other screens such as the ecoroute graph and trip computer are now loaded with diagnostic information such as temperature, battery charge, rpm, etc. Finally, there is a "Gauges" option on the ecoroute menu that allows you to monitor temperature, throttle position, and a host of other diagnostic datum.

All of this is being relayed to the GPS thru bluetooth, however, you can still link to your cell phone for hands free operation, contact lists, etc. No conflicts there.

I also tested the test engine error code functionality on my truck which consistently has a faulty temperature sensor tripping the check engine light. I was able to successfully display the error code with a short description, and turn off the check engine light. Bottom line, this device WILL save you on unneeded trips to the mechanic.

All in all, the ecoroute HD delivers on all fronts. I'll probably be buying a second nuvi 1490t and ecoroute module for the truck, as this rivals anything you could possibly purchase in a vehicle accessory package, while costing a mere fraction of what you would pay for similar functionality, which to be honest, I don't believe exists in such a comprehensive package anywhere else.

As mentioned before, this is great for hypermilers, and budding home mechanics alike.

This add-on is simply amazing. I now have real-time MPG and have already gone from a consistent 25 MPG to 32 MPG (City + Highway Mileage, my regular 75 mile round trip commute) just by changing my shift habits (it's a manual transmission)and by popping it into neutral while coasting to a stop, rather than down shifting. I now know what my dad meant when he said brakes are easier to change than a clutch! It saves money big time. The math works out like this: $2.81 / gallon gas. Daily saving of $1.84 or $9.22/week or an ROI in 15 weeks. After that, I'll be saving about $480 / year in gas just by driving smart. I'm not a hyper-miler, but for my 2003 SVT Focus, this is fantastic!

Installation was a breeze. I updated the software on my 1490T and then it synchronized right up with the eccoRoute HD. What is cool is the Nuvi actually downloads a software update to the ecoRoute and then you're ready to go.

With the engine off, the Nuvi is no different. Once you start the engine and the ecoRoute HD links with the Nuvi, the ecoRoute menu button changes to ecoRoute HD. Then a couple new menu items appear: Gauges, Diagnostics, Fuel Economy.

Gauge response time is pretty quick. Slight delay, but perfectly acceptable. I find I leave it on Fuel Economy most of the time. I know where I am going, but now I am saving a bunch on fuel just by having real-time MPG.

I have a bum O2 sensor, and can clear the CEL from the ecoRoute HD screen.

If you are looking to get some more functionality out of your compatible Nuvi, get it. It will pay for itself in no time and then turn into a tremendous money saver. If you want something that is just darn cool, get it!

The Ecoroute HD works exactly as advertised. It took about 5 minutes to install and set up the unit. It was dead simple I have a 2010 Jetta and my OBD port was underneath my steering wheel and a bit to the left. The unit was easy to hide. I have it connected to a 1690.

The unit provides a wealth of information about fuel consumption. It's amazing how much data this thing collects It also gives you the option of about 10 different gauges if you are into that sort of thing. The diagnostic feature will even read your car's diagnostic codes and reset warning lights. My car was clear of any error codes.

The unit connects to my 1690 via Bluetooth. However, you can still use your Bluetooth phone as well. Overall, I highly recommend the Ecoroute HD if you own a compatible Garmin GPS unit.

I've been using this for about a week with my Garmin nüvi 1690, and while I haven't really done a lot of driving this week, I like it so far. I'll be going on a long trip next week, so if anything changes, I'll try to come back and post an update.

Installation was very quick and easy - only took about five minutes. When I'm connected, it changes the ecoRoute icon to ecoRoute HD in the tools menu. On the map screen, I now have the option to display MPG, in addition to the options that were already there. When I tap on the speed/speed limit icon on the map, it has changed the look of the stats there, and I think it looks better. The fuel cost option keeps count, even when you're idling at a red light, or in the parking lot. You can sit there and literally watch the pennies add up while you're sitting at a light. Other than the layout, and a continuous updating of the fuel cost stats, it also added gauges for the RPMs, battery, and engine temperature, and everything now fits on one screen, rather than having to scroll down to see parts of it. The ecoChallenge (green leaf) on the map seems a lot more accurate now, and when you click on it, it no longer shows today's overall score in the upper left corner, but has fuel economy instead. In the ecoRoute menu, it added icons for gauges and diagnostics. I haven't really had any need to check the diagnostic codes, though I did look just to experiment with it, and it said there were "no codes found," and that "[my] vehicle reports it is ready for emissions testing." The fuel economy display now shows your current MPG in a circle in the middle of the other four stats. The default gauges it shows are smaller, in each corner, and are engine load, coolant temp, timing advance, intake air, and then a big one in the middle that shows RPM. You can change any of them, and other options include mass air flow, throttle position, battery voltage, and speed. As soon as I turn the car off, it shows me my stats for that trip, and says the "vehicle has turned off" (before I got the ecoRoute HD, my 1690 just stayed on after I turned off the car, as the cigarette lighter still had power, or it said "external power has been lost" if I took it out of the mount).

That's about all the visible differences I can think of that were caused by connecting the ecoRoute HD. I guess the fuel cost estimates for when you look up places should be more accurate (assuming you use the at the pump feature), as it should have much better data about your fuel economy. Same with the MPG, cost, and amount of fuel you used that it shows you when you turn off the car or take the GPS out of the mount.

The only thing bad thing I have to say about it is that it seems to have caused some problem with the Bluetooth connection between my phone and the 1690. Now, if I don't have the car on so that it can connect to the ecoRoute HD, when I turn on the 1690, it connects to my phone, says "cannot connect to Bluetooth device," and then disconnects from my phone. I can manually tell them to connect again, either from the 1690 or from my phone, but it only stays connected for a minute or two, and then disconnects again. It doesn't seem to have any problem when the car is on and the 1690 is communicating with the ecoRoute HD.

When working, it's fairly informative. I had an ODBII scanner guage prior to the Garmin device. It was always hooked up and it always worked. I can't say the same for the Garmin device. On a recent trip from KS to CA, the scan device stopped working, and I was unable to set it up again. I got a message from the NUVI 1491T GPS that it could not communicate with the diagnostic device and to follow the installation instructions again. It had been working just fine for several days prior to this. I don't normally carry manuals with me, but I probably should have in this case. The remainder of the trip was without the scanning function. The nice thing about this device compared to my previous scanner, is the Garmin device actually describes the error code whereas my other device only indicated the code number with no description.

Easy setup in my VW Touareg. Just did 1500 mile trip. 1st day, worked well. 2nd day, started getting "new vehicle detected" message and had to reenter vehicle data every 100 miles or so, which erases all history. The instant mpg stopped being correct (meaning matching the dashboard instant mpg digital guage) after day 1. Runs about 10 mpg under actual..

Did the update to my 1490t when i bought it, and now when connected to the Garmin updater it says an update is available, which I then do, and then it says An update is available. Have updated about 5 times and still says an update is available, after following the reboot imstructions, etc. Don't know if this is related to the ecoroute or not.

The guages are fun to watch but since the mpg is no longer accurate, not as useful.

Also not sure why I have to keep reentering my estimated average mpg. Isn't that the point of this product?

gauges appear accurate with good selection to choose from, easy setup,have not had any check engine lights so i dont know how well the diagnostics work, the one issue i have found is my gps unit will not run on battery pwr while it is connected to the eco routehd device. for example if you turn off the car to get gas you the gps unit shuts down. the gps gives you the option to run on battery pwr but it does not accept your choice as long as there is a bluetooth connection to the ecoroute hd makes no differance if your gps is in nav mode or gauges mode the unit shuts off and you have to restart when you start the car back up,garmin techs said maybe a fix is in the works.

I bought this device in December of 2010 hoping to get more information and change my bad driving habits a bit.

Plugged up and let it run for a while with my nuvi 1690. Thought there was a period that the device would have to calibrate and get a number of samples for correct measurement so I waited. By mid January I am at the gas station filling up and been watching to see if anything changed and after 2k of miles I am still getting the same old readings that I got at the start and no calibrate button. So I go back to the 1690 manual and look at what the device is suppose to be doing and find that the only thing my device is doing is giving me gauge information.

This is where my buyer beware kicks in. I contacted Garmin via email on what I should be getting and and where. The CS person was as vague and unresponsive as can get. Garmin normally has had really good CS help but this one was different. So I go back and reseat, reset the HD and reload my 1690's software just to make sure I have got it right because at this point I am starting to get the feeling that this one isn't working right.

After that period of time I had to disconnect the battery which causes the car's ECU to reset and the emissions test info to have recycle. That should have registered on the OBD info screen but yet the 1690 and HD are telling me that there is nothing there. I switch to my stand alone OBDII reader and I get all of those codes and something else I was not aware of at the time.

I contact Garmin again about the unit and get the reset the ecoHD and update the software on the 1690 run around again. I have figured at this point that the front line CS peeps don't have a clue about this product. Then the worst thing that could have happened happened. My 1690 malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. I got it replaced from Garmin and reset up the ecoHD with my new 1690. The new 1690 unit gave me the same readings as the old unit. Just to be sure I reset the ECU on the car and confirmed that there were OBD readings with my reader and replugged the ecoHD....nothing. Reset the profile mileage to 99 miles a gallon and got "Fuel Economy" based on those numbers for 1k of driving.

Contact Garmin CS via the telephone about a month ago. Took about an hour while the CS rep conferred with their internal "Tech support" department about my setup and make and model.
Outcome: Was told that some internal engineering section was going to call me back.....still waiting for that call.

After a week I contacted Garmin CS again but this time requested that they do an RMA on the unit.
Outcome: I was then told that I was going to have to talk to someone in some internal engineering section before an RMA would be issued. They were going to call me back in the next day or two.....still waiting for that call three weeks later.

After waiting until last week to call them again due to time constraints I spoke with the Garmin CS desk again but this time DEMANDED that they issue an RMA on the unit.
First Call: Garmin CS rep said that it was Amazon's problem, since they were the seller, and then promptly hung up on me.
Second Call:
Outcome: I was then told that I was going to have to talk to someone in some internal engineering section before an RMA would be issued. The CS Rep spoke with their supervisor who spoke with someone else who promised that they were going to call me back in the next day.....still waiting for that call a week later.

Called this week: Demanded RMA again.
Outcome: CS Rep started down the "internal engineering section" call back route again and that I was going to have to wait for Garmin to issue a software patch for the ecoHD. In so many words I told him (and the manager listening in on the muted line) that Garmin were out of their minds and that this was totally unacceptable. I have been trying to get this resolved since the middle of January and the mystery engineering section will never call.

Garmin has finally asked me to send the unit back so they can take a look at it. I am afraid that if this unit testing is like what has taken place with return calls, they are going to send the same unit back to me saying it is "ok" after looking at the connection pins and mating it with a nuvi they have laying around.

Be warned Garmin CS has no knowledge of the product. If you have a problem with this unit, your on your own including warranty replacement.

(Will update on future outcome if any)

Bought the ecoRoute HD and a new GPS because I really wanted to have this "toy" since I first read about it about a year ago, and I must say that I am truly impressed with it.
Although it is very nifty as I mentioned in my title there are a few annoying issues, but I am not sure all of them are the fault of the device or simply due to less than truly correct parameters from the OBDII port of my Jetta TDI.
First off the fuel economy is off by a few percentage points. The indicated MpG on my first "test" was 37.25MpG and usage of 7.25G of fuel, when I in reality added only 7G to the tank and using that and the actual miles driven I got 40.25MpG. I suspect the correct number is somewhere in between, but closest to the actual calculated number.
When I drive 70MpH using the HD device the indicated number on my speedo is 76Mph, but when using the speed indicator on the GPS I should be at 73MpH on the speedo, which correlates perfectly with my calculations prior to getting the GPS and the HD device, and that may be a factor in the deviation on the fuel economy measured vs. indicated by the HD device.
Also the intake temperature indicator on the HD device is off, and not by just a little, but by a lot. On a freezing day with temps in the 40's the intake temp read 70F, which I know is way off.
Last issue, which now is a non-issue was that the bluetooth connection took a few tries before it actually paired them after engine shut off, but that isn't a problem anymore.
Last the ECO mode (which I think is not part of the HD device, but built into the GPS itself) is very hard to get an all green rating from it. I tried just about everything, but can not get the acceleration and braking higher than the yellow zone, unless I am willing to endure the wrath of my fellow drivers by driving like there are rotten eggs on the pedals.
So, why "only" 4 stars? Well, if I bought the HD device to accurately meassure my fuel consumption this would get a failing grade, but just as a device for general info and a way to drive more economical it works like a charm. One can't help trying to squeeze out a few more MpG while watching the numbers on this thing.

Let me add just a mini review of the Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT GPS, although I did not buy that from Amazon (found it cheaper somewhere else at the time). Reason for buying a new GPS was that the maps on the one we had were very out dated, and even just a one time update would be $80 ($130 for lifetime), so shelling out $180 for a newer and bigger (5" vs. 4.3") with lifetime updates on traffic and maps seemed like the way to go.
An increase of .7" on screen size may not sound like much, but trust me when I say it is a big difference. Also the graphics seem a tad more crisp. Some have complained about the pop-up's on this unit, but I have not seen it too much, and doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is that Garmin went cheap on the connection type, and dropped the wonderful setup with connections in the base and went to the mini USB which now plugs directly into the GPS housing. A bad move to save a few $$$. The idea of not having to mess with plugs and wires when removing the GPS from the base was a truly unique thing that only Garmin did, and gave the option of permanently route and attach the power cord so it was out of the way, but that is not the case with the 1490LMT. Besides that I have nothing bad to say about the functionality or accuracy of this GPS, and can highly recommend both this and the HD device to anyone who ponders purchasing a new GPS.

When working, this was a very nice product. If it would continue to function, my comments would be mostly positive with a suggestion or two. ( Ability to display transmission oil temperature would have been very nice )

Unfortunately, the connection between this device and my Garmin GPS has been tenuous, at best. My experience has been that the process of connecting is not robust enough. You just have to be lucky enough for it to decide to connect. I initially had problems, and it did finally connect after updating my 1490T, and connected a few times on various vehicles for about a month. I thought I was OK.

Now, my GPS will not connect with the HD.

When it decides that it would rather not connect. You are relegated to surfing the net and trying to delete files out of directories or running power down on the GPS totally. Updating to yet another version of the 1490T firmware has not helped, either. None of these or other "solutions" I found on the net would help this device communicate with my 1490T.

Since they give so little in the way of information for you to troubleshoot the issue, I cannot know if the problem is with my 1490T or the HD. I do know that the HD will blink the lights as it is expected to. Both are Garmin, but which one should be returned?

I would not recommend this device to anyone, because it is not robust in its connection, and if you really need it to check out or reset a trouble code, you might find yourself spending more time in a wasted effort to coax the Garmin devices into a conversation than you would have spent driving to a place to get the code read and fixing whatever issue you have with your vehicle. I know I did.

Also, it does not appear that the device reads "B" codes on Tahoes. A friend had an ABS light on, and it showed no codes.

For me it has turned out to be a waste of money. On top of the product not working, I have already wasted more time trying to get the device to work than the product is really worth. So even if I do get a replacement for either or both devices, the product is still not worth the cost in money, time and effort.

It was finicky in the initial connection, only worked for about a month, then I did not use it for a month, and then it refused to work.

Update:

I updated the firmware using the Webupdater application that Garmin gives you for your PC. It said it was up to date, but offered to reinstall the same version. Then I tried multiple times to get the 1490T to connect to the HD.

I then tried going to the Garmin website to check the software version at the "My Dashboard" portion of their site.
It reported that there was a more recent version, so I updated to that. Then, I tried to connect to the HD five times, because on the fifth time it happened to connect.

I have no idea what made any difference between the last time that worked and any of the previous attempts. I have no idea why it stopped connecting. I hope it will stay connected, but I still cannot recommend this product.

Further update: I took a four hour trip the next day, and I noticed that it was not longer connected to the GPS about an hour into the trip. It has not connected since. This product has been a big dissapointment.