ScanGauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Computer with Customizable Real-Time Fuel Economy Digital Gauges

by ScanGauge

Product Features

• Programmable 3-in-1 automotive trip computer, diagnostic scan tool, and up to 37 digital gauges in one (vehicle dependent)
• Watch fuel consumption, cost-per-mile, coolant temperature, engine speed, horsepower, and much more in real time
• Works on all 1996 or newer OBDII cars, including gas, diesel, propane and hybrid vehicles
• Checks for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), clears the codes, and can turn off the "Check Engine" light
• No tools required for installation, small size fits nearly anywhere in the vehicle

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 2 inches ; 7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000AAMY86
• Item model number: SG2
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (337 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378 in Automotive (See Top 100 in Automotive)
  • #25 in Automotive > Tools & Equipment > Diagnostic & Test Tools

Product Description

Amazon.com

The ScanGaugeII is a 3-in-1 automotive computer that combines a multifunction trip computer, diagnostic scan tool, and up to 37 digital gauges in one small package. It connects easily to your vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic (OBDII) port and communicates directly with the vehicle's computer. Not sure if your car uses OBDII or Controller Area Network (CAN)? The unit will automatically determine which system to use and switch to it. The ScanGaugeII works on all 1996 or newer OBDII cars, including gas, diesel, propane and hybrid vehicles, as well as vehicles with the latest CAN systems. A detachable cable allows for easy transfer between multiple vehicles. Its menu-driven operation means there's no need to memorize complex sequences, and no tools are required for installation.

Expandable Add-A-Gauge Technology
The ScanGaugeII has been redesigned with expandable Add-A-Gauge (aka XGauge) technology. Add to the original 12 gauges by customizing the ScanGaugeII to monitor up to 25 more--depending on your specific vehicle's sensor design. Four gauges can be displayed simultaneously and can help determine fuel consumption rates, allowing you to adjust driving behavior and save gas. At the same time, keep an eye on coolant temperature, engine speed, and much more in real time. If there is a young driver in the house or friends borrow your car, the ScanGaugeII can record speeds of up to 158 mph and store the information for you to view later, so you will know just how fast your young driver or friend was going last night. If the unit was disconnected, you'll know: An indicator will be displayed in the trip data.

ScanGaugeII mounts easily to your dash.

Gauges include:

• Horsepower
• Fuel Consumption Rate to 1/100th per gallon/liter
• Vehicle speed (MPH)
• Fuel Economy
• Cost Per Mile/Cost Per Trip
• Manifold Pressure (not available on some vehicles)
• Battery Voltage
• Engine Load
• Coolant Temperature
• Throttle Position
• Intake Air Temperature
• Ignition Timing
• Engine Speed (RPM)
• O2 Sensor Data
• Fuel Trim
• Hybrid Battery Charge (for Toyota Prius and Ford Escape)
• And many more, depending on your vehicle's sensor design

ScanGaugeII makes diagnostics easy. View Larger

Scan Tool
The ScanGaugeII includes a diagnostic scan tool that can check for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), clear the codes, and turn off the "Check Engine" light on 99% of 1996 and newer vehicles. (However, this feature may not work on some trouble codes in Dodge vehicles.) If any DTCs are found, the ScanGauge will show how many there are as well as the codes themselves. Then you can use the Internet or repair manual to find out which is the failed part is, so you can repair it yourself or know what needs to be fixed at the mechanic's shop.

Multifunction Trip Computer
Four sets of data are automatically recorded on the trip computer: Current, Today, Previous Day, and Tank Trip. The "current" trip restarts after the engine has been off for more than 3 minutes. The "today" trip restarts after the vehicle has not moved for 9 hours, and the data from "today" is moved to "previous day" when you restart the car, so you don't have to reset the computer every time you begin a trip. "Tank trip" resets when you fill up the tank. It can provide you with "to empty" data and other useful information, which can be viewed any time during the trip. The trip computer also integrates information from the Cost Per Mile gauge. Simply enter how much you paid per gallon or liter of fuel, and the ScanGauge will automatically calculate the cost of your trips as you drive. The ScanGaugeII features 12 individually stored parameters, including:

ScanGaugeII features 63 backlit colors. View Larger

• Maximum Speed
• Average Speed
• Maximum Coolant Temperature
• Maximum RPM
• Driving Time
• Driving Distance
• Fuel Used
• Fuel Cost
• Trip Fuel Economy
• Distance to Empty
• Time to Empty
• Fuel to Empty

Personalize It
A large, high-contrast LCD display makes viewing the information easy, and both the display and keys are backlit and can be set to off, low, or high. With 63 possible colors, user settings, tank trip data, and vehicle settings that are automatically saved, and up to 10 user commands that can be stored and recalled, the ScanGaugeII can be easily customized to suit your needs.

Product Description

The ScanGaugeII is a compact vehicle computer that connects to the diagnostic connector in seconds and gives you an extensive trip computer, real time gauges and trouble code reader. It can read fuel economy as you drive, tell you how fast your friend drove your car last night, tell you when you are going to run out of fuel and dozens of other functions. Installation takes only seconds and requires no tools. It can be moved from car to car. Works on gas, diesel, propane, and hybrid vehicles. The ScanGaugeII works on all OBDII protocols including the new CAN protocol.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gives you all the information you want/need, August 29, 2005

By 

Thomas Mueller "tmspecial" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ScanGauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Computer with Customizable Real-Time Fuel Economy Digital Gauges (Automotive)

This little box is very useful. In my case it already paid for itself. I was able to clear some service codes (misfire of a cylinder). In the past I paid $69 for the mechanic to just look up and clear the code.
I really like the fact that ScanGauge displays all kinds of engine data in real time. Other devices such as the CarChip save it and then need to be connected to a computer in order to access the data.
In my opinion, the ScanGauge is worth every cent.

154 of 169 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars High Utility Factor, Intuitive Interface, but has bugs and issues, February 7, 2008

By 

Charlie (MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ScanGauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Computer with Customizable Real-Time Fuel Economy Digital Gauges (Automotive)

The installation of the SG2 is simple: attach the OBD2 connector to the DLC port and attach the RJ-45 jack to the SG2 unit. Routing the cable is really up to the operator. I chose to do it in a crude manner because I don't plan to make it a permanent addition to the car. I zip tied the cable to my HVAC vents and anchored it to the empty traction control hole behind the glove box.

I used 1 of the provided velcro kits to affix the SG2 to the top of my steering column so that it is right below the instrument panel. It actually blocks my view of the shift indicator array, although I can still see it clearly if I lean forward.

The update rate set at FAST is still rather slow and that is to be expected with the outdated OBD-II network. The "fastest" aftermarket scan tool that I have seen is SCT's Live Link for Ford / GM / Chryslers. If you want anything faster, you are going to have to borrow an OEM's scan tool system.

The X-Gauge interface is a bit cumbersome since you are restricted to using 2 buttons to enter alphanumeric characters while if you pause for anything more than 10-15 seconds, the SG2 shuts down. According to Linear Logic, they are working on an updated SG2 with datalogging features so hopefully they incorporate a PC interface to speed up programming and setup times.

I have it set to monitor instantaneous MPG, RPM, Vehicle Speed, and a gauge that I frequently switch depending on my mood. I am monitoring the torque converter slip ratio. Whenever it reads below 1.00, it means the torque converter is "slipping". Above 1.00 means the output side of the converter is spinning faster than the input side and theoretically it could just mean engine braking with some torque converter slip. You can program custom X-Gauges to monitor gross engine horsepower or torque input at the transmission.

I had previously used a Garmin Forerunner 101 to check my GPS vehicle speed and compared it to my speedometer readout (2000 Ford Crown Vic with mechanical speedometer). It revealed that my GPS speed was about 2-3 mph slower than the speedometer indicated speed. The SG2's vehicle speed readout (from the Vehicle Speed Sensor PID in the OBD-2 system) is approximately 2-3 mph slower than the speedometer reading and I am assuming this is the same readout as my GPS (I didn't get a chance to verify this yet).

Some of the gauges I like to monitor are Coolant Temperature, Intake Air Temperature, Transmission Fluid Temperature (XGauge), Torque Converter Slip Ratio (XGauge), Gross Horsepower (XGauge), RPM, Vehicle Speed, and MPG.

I still haven't been able to figure out how to work the trip computer properly to display averaged fuel economy. The instantaneous MPG is more important to me because I want to see if anything is not working right on long cruises. I have often wondered if the torque converter was locking properly when I use cruise control or when cruising on the highway.

The data collection stability is impressive. I never ran into many problems with Car Code or SCT's Live Link, but SG2 is just more convenient and compact. The backlight colors are interesting as they allow you to choose 4 different values of each RGB component (or 64 possible combinations). I have it set to R=3, B=0, G=0 so that it resembles Pontiac's interior lighting (I drive a Ford).

My only real complaint is that there's not a better way of attaching the SG2 to the car. A suction cup mount for the windshield would come in handy since I could mount it near my line of sight without relying on adhesive-backed velcro. The interface is quite intuitive but I would have liked a way to program the X-gauge more easily, like via a PC interface.

Bottom line: The SG2 is a great deal if you are interested in data readouts for your car. There are cheaper ways of pulling DTC codes, so the only real usefulness of SG2 is the "realtime" PID monitoring and the trip computer for cars that do not have such devices. If you know someone who is a bona fide gearhead and drives a car made in 1996 or newer, they may appreciate the SG2 as a gift.

UPDATE:
While the ScanGauge II provided a useful feature for cars without trip computers or onboard monitoring for various PIDs, I have noticed that it began to malfunction more frequently. The gauge readouts began to "flicker" between PIDs. For example, monitoring IGNition, the IGN began to switch rapidly between HPR. Just recently, the entire ScanGauge II shutdown while I was driving. It would refuse to reconnect with the OBD2 network. When it did find a connection, a lot of the text was garbled and it lost all of my trip data except for the total mileage. My car normally maxes out on 300 miles per tank of gasoline, so I was bewildered when the SG2 said I drove over 4000 miles. Other SG2 readers have reported similar quirks, albeit not as serious as the self shutdown and data corruption that I experienced.

Many newer cars already have features built-into the car. The Pontiac G8, and Nissan GT-R are two examples of cars that have very developed "trip computers" while many other modern vehicles like the Pontiac G6, have trip computers that can monitor most of the fuel-related data.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ScanGauge 2 Works As Advertised, November 3, 2007

By 

Gregory G. "Gaget Guru" (Queens, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ScanGauge II Ultra Compact 3-in-1 Automotive Computer with Customizable Real-Time Fuel Economy Digital Gauges (Automotive)

I've had the scanGuage II for about 3 weeks at the time of this review. I had bought the unit because I was interested in finding out about how my car, a 2002 Toyota Solara was holding up and what the car computer might tell me.

First the cons:
1. The cord is too long. The total run from the ODB II port to where the unit is
mounted is about a 15 inches, top. It would have been nice to have sockets
on both the plug and the SG II. Include a long and short cord, or just have it
so that cat5e network cable could be used.
Why? Because storing the excess cable somewhere is a problem, I ended up
storing in inside the panel protecting the steering column, and may have
created a short in one vehicle lighting circuits.

2. The velcro is too weak to hold the unit in place. I ended up using Radio Shack
LockTite fasteners (the clear ones) instead.
3. The manual leaves a lot to be desired, especially the pictures which are so low
contrast and dark they are useless. I had to go online and download the
manual as a PDF file.

Pros: The ScanGuage works as advertised. To me this is the Holy Grail of
advertising. It barely is worth repeating the items for sale that deliver what
they promise.

1. The display is large and very legible, even at night (or especially at night).
2. The diagnostics (both realtime and stored) are comprehensive
3. The codes are easy to read.

The biggest pro for me is being able to monitor my actual Miles Per Gallon
*mileage* I've changed my driving style from constant foot on the gas
pedal to gas-and-coast. A tank of gas lasts SO much longer now, because I
now know how much a lead foot costs. In fact for any given trip I can tell
how much it costs not only in dollars and cents, but also by engine load and
how far (or further) I got just coasting along.

The unit is (in my black & gray interior) inconspicuous, and the slightly
cheap look to the unit works to it's advantage: no one takes it seriously as
"a thing worth stealing."

If I had any indication that someone would understand what it does, I'd be
recommending it left and right. As it stands, it is something of a specialty
item, except you soon wonder how you ever got along without it.