ScanGauge Alternatives

[Old Tele man]

Originally Posted by THX_FOR_ALL_THE_FISH

Have a look at UltraGauge. Less expensive than all the units you mentioned and as many features as both.

Have a look and decide for yourself. ultra-gauge.com
Let us know which you choose and what was the key deciding factor.

...I did a little 'digging' for information:

..Product: UltraGauge
Company: Nexzor, Inc. (incorporated in Wyoming on 4/21/2010)
....Owner: Bruce Melvin
..Address: 104 Rio Encanto Court (a residential address...nice pool!), Roseville, CA 95747-5907 (near Sacramento, CA)
....Phone: (916) 765-0742
..website: Ultra-Gauge.com

...the downloadable 'Users Manual' is easy to read (not a Chinese translation!), and appears to be rather thorough.

...interestingly, the unit is stated as being "...not_metric..." but requires engine size to be entered as "Liters" rather than "cubic-inch-displacement (CID)."

[boxchain]

This actually looks interesting, and for the price, might be worth checking out. Of course, I JUST got my SG last week :/

This, however, may be a dealbreaker for many of us. From the FAQ

Will UltraGauge work with Hybrids?

Yes. However, the number of available gauges is vehicle dependent. Also, as the vehicle starts and stops the gas engine, UltraGauge may automatically turn-off to conserve power. When the gas engine is again started, UltraGauge will automatically turn-on.

[Phantom]

I was wanting to get a ScanGaugeII but did not want to shell out $150 so I just bought now the UltraGauge. The total was $56.81 and there is a $9 rebate. The good thing was my paypal account had $35 in it from selling some of my stock radio so if it sucks I'm not out much.

I will post my thoughts on it after testing.

[Old Tele man]

...anybody heard the term "AstroTurfing"?

[Phantom]

I looks like the UltraGauge should be in today or tomorrow. When I get a chance I will post about it but classes just started today and I have a night class today and tomorrow so it might take a little time to get something up.

[Phantom]

I received it last night and hooked it up after my late dinner it seems to work well but I have not owned a Scangauge to compare it to. It will take some time to get the location just right where I want it and finish selecting the readings to display. The windshield mount works well so far the mast is a bit stiff so I might velcro it some where later to keep things off the window. The unit is light weight and smaller than a GPS unit.

I wish that there were a few more gauges for my car mostly EGR.
Biggest complaint from first use is changing pages when driving is a bit slow or seems to not want to change at first. That could just be me not knowing if I should hold the button in or tap it.

On the way home tonight I may try doing an EOC to see how it reacts, although it might not like the fact that my car drops the MPH to 0 on restart till I put it in drive and tap the gas.

[cfg83]

Phantom -

Originally Posted by Phantom

I was wanting to get a ScanGaugeII but did not want to shell out $150 so I just bought now the UltraGauge. The total was $56.81 and there is a $9 rebate. The good thing was my paypal account had $35 in it from selling some of my stock radio so if it sucks I'm not out much.

I will post my thoughts on it after testing.

Interesting. Instead of limiting the OBD-II access to a subset of gauranteed parameters (what the SG does), it gives access to all of them. I noticed this variable :

Mass Air Flow Sensor 2 – Calculated

That makes a lot of sense to me, since the MAF is needed for MPG calculations, and not all cars have it. Sooooo, why not make it available?

I like the bigger LCD display. It will be interesting to see how well it works over time. The biggest fault with other gauges has been their reliability and accuracy.

PS - I don't think OBD-II supports the EGR parameter.

CarloSW2

[Old Tele man]

...OK, here's an update:

19-Aug = ordered via PayPal
20-Aug = shipped (...from ZIP: 95747)
24-Aug = USPS Priority Mail arrives (...label ZIP: 97526-8445)

...so, shipping is prompt, but I also did some more "digging around" and noticed:

ZIP = 95747 (where it was really shipped from) is a Roseville, CA, location.
ZIP = 97526 (USPS label address) is a steel shed named 'Alternate Power and Machine' adjacent U.S. Highway 5 up in Oregon.

...does anybody *else* smell something fishy...ala' "...something rotten in Denmark?"

[Phantom]

I will have to check the address on the box when I get home tonight to see what mine shows for the address, I will also see what address they have for the rebate form.

As for EOC the ultra-gauge stayed on but everything showed 0, on restart the unit went back to functioning normally. It does not bother me not having it work for EOC as I do not use that since I have an auto-trans and do not do EOC.

I know that my OBD-II car does have an reading for EGR but I'm not sure if it is standard for OBD-II. How I know this is I can scan it with my HPtuner and many people have used the input to connect a wideband O2 in its place for readings.

Old Tele man: I can't wait to see your review of the product especially if you have a scangauge to compare it to. Also about it not being in metric is just that they do not display readings in Km or L, I assume the reason that they have the engine size in L is that is what every one measures the engine in and the common public might have a hard time figuring out that the Buick 3.8L is 231ci.

[Phantom]

I just went over to cleanmpg.com and found they have a discussion on the UG also New Ultra-Gauge: First Impressions, Quick Hits, and quick comparisons to ScanGauge-II - CleanMPG Forums