PLX Kiwi MPG Trip Calculator and OBDII Scanner

by PLX Devices

Product Features

• Monitors fuel efficiency in three different ways, allowing users to save money
• Displays and resets Check Engine Light codes
• Monitors seven additional vehicle parameters, including fuel used and distance to empty
• Compatible with all international measurement units
• Small size and OBD-II compatibility makes for quick and easy installation

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001QJ7WSM
• Item model number: 2320
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,527 in Automotive (See Top 100 in Automotive)
  • #1 in Automotive > Replacement Parts > Lighting & Electrical > Electrical > Information Display Modules

Product Description

Amazon.com

The PLX Kiwi MPG helps owners save money and protect the environment by providing real-time fuel economy and diagnostic information--all in a tiny, easy to install unit. Its MPG gauge monitors fuel use in three different ways, and the on-board trip computer gives users access to seven additional in-depth parameters. The PLX Kiwi MPG can also read and clear Check Engine Light codes, providing owners with critical diagnostic information and potentially saving them hundreds or thousands of dollars in repairs.

The PLX Kiwi MPG can be mounted virtually anywhere in your vehicle.

Save Money and the Environment
Vehicles use a tremendous amount of energy just to move us around. An average 4-door sedan equipped with a 200-horsepower motor can create up to 150,000 Watts of power. It only requires about 50 horsepower to accelerate from a full stop, but this is equivalent to turning on 622 60-watt light bulbs at once. An average driver in the same 4-door sedan produces 19.4 pounds of CO₂ for each gallon of gasoline burned--or about 8 tons (16,000 pounds) of CO₂ per year.

Research has shown that sensible driving can vastly improve fuel economy. Users equipped with the PLX Kiwi MPG have instant access to fuel economy information, allowing them to adjust their driving habits and watch the impact in real-time. Not only does this translate into potentially hundreds of dollars worth of savings each year, but it can also drastically reduce the owner's carbon footprint and help preserve our environment.

Easy to Install and Use
The Kiwi MPG is a simple to use plug-and-play device that works on all 1996 or newer vehicles. It installs in just seconds, using a single plug to connect with the on-board diagnostic port (OBD-II) that is typically located near the steering column. From here, the Kiwi MPG obtains detailed sensor data which is used to instantly calculate fuel economy.

The Kiwi MPG unit is so small and compact (1" x 2.5" x 0.5") that it can be unobtrusively mounted on your dash, steering column, or near the instrument panel. A 6-foot cord provides the flexibility to reach virtually anywhere in your vehicle. The two-button interface is easy to learn and navigate. Additionally, the Kiwi MPG goes into low power standby when vehicle turns off and picks right back up when vehicle turns back on.

In-Depth Fuel Economy Information
The PLX Kiwi MPG can display real-time fuel economy data in three different ways. In Instantaneous MPG mode, your current fuel usage is displayed constantly in miles-per-gallon or kilometers-per-liter. This provides you with instant visual feedback on how your driving habits impact fuel use. The Trip Average MPG mode displays accumulated fuel economy information that has been gathered over time. Users can reset this mode at any time to gather fresh information. The Kiwi MPG can also display fuel economy information as Trip Dollars of Gas Consumed. Your total dollar amount of gas is calculated over multiple trips. Like the Trip Average mode, you may reset this to zero at any time. The Kiwi MPG supports all worldwide currencies and international measurement units.

All-In-One Trip Computer
In addition to in-depth fuel economy information, the PLX Kiwi MPG can also display vehicle information in far more detail than most instrument clusters can. The Kiwi MPG is bundled with the following advanced meters:

• Fuel Used (Gallons, Liters)
• Fuel Remaining (Gallons, Liters)
• Distance to Empty (Gallons, Liters)
• Engine RPM
• Vehicle Speed (MPH, KMH)
• Coolant Temp (Fahrenheit, Celsius)
• Throttle Position

View and Reset Engine Trouble Codes
The PLX Kiwi MPG is also a diagnostic scanning tool. It can identify the cause of an illuminated Check Engine light, giving you the information you need before you visit an auto technician. This knowledge can potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you determine that a trip to the mechanic is unnecessary, the Kiwi MPG can clear the Check Engine Light.

Product Description

PLX Devices Kiwi MPG is designed to help the driver improve the driving behavior by driving green. It displays data such as fuel used, fuel remaining, distance traveled, distance to empty, RPM, speed, throttle percent, coolant temperature in both standard and international units of measurements. This Kiwi MPG can identify the cause of the engine trouble and clear the light all in the comfort of the vehicle. It facilitates to get the code and reset the light potentially saving money and a trip to the mechanics. This Kiwi MPG is the primary contributor to the global warming gas, carbon dioxide. It plugs into OBDII port and mounts virtually anywhere in the vehicle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea. Buggy Unit. Dismal Customer Relations, November 22, 2009

By 

Macrobe (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PLX Kiwi MPG Trip Calculator and OBDII Scanner (Automotive)

SUMMARY: Great concept and much-needed product. Unfortunately, my unit failed after 10 days. Replacement/refund process a three-month ordeal.

THE GOOD: This product represents a much-needed tool for drivers to educate themselves in fuel-efficient driving techniques. It works. After ordering, I received the unit in a timely manner and found it easy to install. The user interface was somewhat clumsy, but I was able to get my Kiwi MPG up and running in a few minutes by reading the instructions. Once installed, I found the Kiwi MPG very useful for determining instantaneous and average fuel efficiency of my 2004 Toyota Tacoma.

THE BAD: Unfortunately, the unit failed within the first 10 days of use. Symptoms were that it would not shut down after the vehicle was shut off. Rather it continued to operate and got very hot. Shortly after this symptom commenced, it failed altogether and just gave an error display. It was still functional if I shut it off manually and rebooted every time I started the truck, but clearly it was not working out. Unfortunately, since this was purchased through a second party seller, I had to deal with the seller rather than Amazon directly.

THE UGLY: After contacting the seller by email, I was instructed to send the unit back for a replacement, which I did. One week passed, then two...and ultimately five weeks and still no replacement. I contacted the seller via email again and was assured my replacement was on the way. More time passed and still no replacement. After this, I was able to locate a phone number on the web and after several tries over a number of days eventually contacted the company. I verified that they had received my return and again, I was assured a replacement was on the way. Again, weeks passed and no replacement. Subsequently, I left a message with a different person on the phone and eventually my call was returned by someone high up in the company who was at a trade show at the time. He instructed me to call the original person I had spoken to weeks earlier and tell this person that he should "take care of me". I did and the person agreed to process a refund. More weeks passed, no refund. I called this person again and he told me he'd have to check with their accounting department and get back to me. He promised an email within a few hours explaining the status of my refund... no email appeared.

At this point, it was crystal clear that PLX had no intention of refunding my money. I contacted Amazon directly and inquired about my options. My first inquiry was met with (direct quote)

"Unfortunately as they are not responding to your calls and emails there is nothing we can do."

I was not satisfied with this answer from Amazon and sent a more impassioned follow-up which included more details about my quest for a replacement or refund. My second claim was just approved and today Amazon sent an email confirming that I will be getting a refund for the purchase price from them directly. The squeaky wheel gets the oil I guess. Thus, assuming Amazon follows through, my long and painful saga appears to be over. My original purchase was on July 19th, 2009. The date of confirmation of a refund by Amazon is November 22nd. This was my second experience recently with uncooperative second party sellers through Amazon. I'd like to acknowledge here that Amazon did make it right in both cases. They deserve kudos for this.

Judging from the other reviews on this page, a lot of people have had good experiences with the Kiwi MPG. I suspect most people will have a similarly good experience. However, one should go into this purchase with their eyes open. If you do need to send the unit back for whatever reason, you are in for a painful ride.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just what it says it is, January 15, 2010

By 

Dennis O. Wasnich "DOW" (Montpelier, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PLX Kiwi MPG Trip Calculator and OBDII Scanner (Automotive)

I just got it, so these are my first impressions:

1. It works. The complaint about the digits changing so fast you can't read them is BS unless you want to see 23.1 to 23.2 before it shows 23.3; the digits move pretty fast, but not so much that you can't tell what you need to know, i.e. "Boy did I dump the MPG when I did that!"

2. Workmanship and quality appears adequate. Not surprisingly rich-appearing, but not junky-cheap either, more economical but sound. You could break it if you mistreat it, but if you are reasonably careful with it, I don't see a problem.

3. For my vehicle, I have to calibrate it as it will not accurately display the correct MPG with the default fudge factor. So it will take some experimenting to know exactly what that value is. To calibrate it, you make it basically match the EPA rating for your vehicle, but I'd think you'd want to adjust again later based upon actual mileage from refilling your tanks if the variance is significant.

4. The thing is indeed very small (1" high x 2.5" wide x 0.5" thick - I don't think it's that thick!) and light: the approx 1/8" vinyl clad cord's torque will rearrange the readout with the slightest chance, so you must determine where you want it, and stick it down at that spot with some authority. This makes removing and eliminating signs that it was ever installed to prevent warranty issues a bit trickier than I had hoped. I have some ideas though, that I will try when I can.

5. The cord comes out of the right side of the display. This is good if you locate it to the left side, but wrong if you locate it to the right side--like on the console, which seems like a logical choice--see below.

6. The LED segment display is pretty bright. At night, if you run your dashboard lights at their brightest, this won't be a problem, but if you like to run dash lights at minimum, this thing will outshine everything else by a lot of candles! So its location might be compromised by that so it doesn't blind you at night and still is visible with little movement.

7. The buttons are small, and with 2 of them, it would be hazardous to make adjustments while driving, anything more than switching between Instantaneous MPG and Trip MPG and Trip $Gas (Basic Mode's 3 phases) would require either stopping or waiting for guaranteed uninterrupted driving because it might take both hands. Thus perhaps it is better to put it on the console so your passenger can push the buttons when necessary.

8. The cord is 6 feet long, and I'm sure some applications will use all of it. My current location does not, and many will not, so you have to figure out where to route it and how to keep it from hanging down in the area of your brake pedal. I don't think in my case my left foot would get caught in the cord, but it might bother my leg some, and in some vehicles I can see how it could cause an accident. So even more reason to "permanently" attach the cord and again more difficult to avoid any warranty issues by making it invisible.

I'll update if there are any new revelations on it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Product - could use some Accessories, August 2, 2009

By 

Mark D. Harrison (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PLX Kiwi MPG Trip Calculator and OBDII Scanner (Automotive)

Hello,

I bought this unit as I was curious to find out how good my mileage could be on my 95 Scion tC and how my driving style affected my mileage. It was not very expensive and provides a lot of information for the price. I do mostly highway commuting during the week and around town driving during the weekends.

The unit installed easily and the instructions were clear. It is very interesting to note the instantaneous mileage when you accelerate, cruise, go down hill and come to a stop. The information it provides makes you a lot more aware of how you drive. I am more careful on start ups from lights and provide more following distance in traffic to avoid having to use the brakes and then the throttle, pretty much what someone who drove a hybrid or was trying to be a hypermiler would do.

I had a couple questions about the meter and the customer support response I got was prompt (1 day email turn-around) and very helpful.

I have been using it for 4-6 weeks now and have seen an increase in MPG per tankful of between 2-3 mpg. I am now getting on average between 28-29 mpg with out much effort.

There are a couple things that would be nice to have added as options you could purchase when you buy the unit.

1) A right angle adaptor for the ODBII cable connector. This unit dangles down to where it could get tangle in your feet and if a right angle adaptor could be purchased the cable could be tucked out of the way and provide a safe and professional installation.

2) An installation plate that the unit could be mounted to and positioned in the center of the speedometer dial. This would allow for a professional looking installation and not mar any plastice with double stick foam mounts.