Warning: Grille block overheat

[jamesqf]

ScanGauge! My experience, anyway, driving the Insight in mountains, is that the dash display lights up the "normal" 5-6 bars when the coolant temp hits around 140 F, and stays that way until at least 210 or so (as hot as I've had it, IOW). I don't think it's the temperature sensor itself, since that shows reasonable behavior, climbing gradually to the 195 F thermostat opening temp, and staying there unless the engine's working really hard in a climb. Has to be in the software that drives the dash display, turning it into an idiot gauge.

I don't know why they couldn't do a sensible display, with a digital readout of actual temp, and a red LED or two to blink on overheating...

[COcyclist]

They do it so people don't go running into the dealership the first time they are stuck in stop-and-go traffic and the gauge on their new car goes just above normal. The temperature gauge in my VW reads 195 even though the Scanguage shows temperatures ranging from 185 to 205. In newer cars they have "idiot-lighted" the temperature guage. I rely on the digital readout of actual temperature on the Scanguage to feel comfortable with grill blocking on my car.