Maxitrip for $100

[cfg83]

taredog -

Originally Posted by taredog

Sorry, mixing subjects on the thread, just frustrated.

Yes I have checked the "remember me" box. It does not remember me and windows doesn't offer to remember the password. Maybe it"s a local problem with my browser. I just have to give ecomodder my undivided attention when posting.

As far as my "cryptic" comment, a lot of replies here make assumptions that everyone knows what the author is talking about. It can take a lot of time and searching to get the answer for those of us who don't know. Sometimes the answer can't be found. On the other hand, I hate to ask questions that have been answered before.

Rats. I was hoping the remember function was the issue, .

Everyone's different. I usually break out the acronyms like AFR (Air/Fuel Ratio) because I assume there is a lurker that doesn't know anything about cars (aka me pre-2006, and I still don't know much today). If you have a question and the search option doesn't address it, then ask away.

CarloSW2

[Ricketts]

Originally Posted by taredog

I have not tried the USB function other than to plug it in and seeing if the software that comes with it will recognize it is there. I have yet to plug it in to a lap top while it is hooked up to the OBD port. Maybe Ricketts has done more with that?

As far as the “current MPG” reading not going to max when coasting in drive, I am not sure my truck's fuel injectors do shut off. That needs more research. Maybe a 60 mile road trip to Sunset Point. Coming back down Black Canyon with it's 10 mile 1500 foot elevation change oughta tell me if the maxitrip will ever read 9999.

I never actually tried the USB connection, so I'm no help to anyone there.

taredog, my Ford Ranger VERY seldom ever shut the injectors off. From what I read an automatic will only shut off its injectors when in torque converter lockup (but my wife's Venza seems to do it quite often, and its an auto). The only time mine would shut off is when I was coasting down a steep hill over 50mph. I don't know anyone with a manual Ranger to compare to.

Rick

[taredog]

I was out over the weekend running errands. It was probably around 110F. I don't pay attention anymore.

I stopped just long enough to fill the tank and when I restarted, maxitrip did not come on. Don't know how hot the maxi trip got but it was in the sun due to the angle I was parked at.

The next day, similar temps, I took a thermometer and put the maxitrip on the dash in the sun while in a store. When I returned the temp on the dash was 143F and the maxitrip did not come on. It started immediately after unplugging and plugging in the RJ-45. Next stop I put the maxitrip back on the steering column where it normally lives and stuck the thermometer next to it. 113F when I came back and when I started the engine it came on. Not as bad as the problems Ricketts has reported, but still a cause for concern about quality.

Once again my Nuvi 370 was stuck on the windscreen during all this and kept ticking away. Never realized I was abusing it so!

This morning I decided to get back to the "Vehicle Black Box" function. This function does not appear to save any MPG info, just time and distance and speed stuff. At that time I discovered the clock was about 26 hours slow. Likely a result of the heat/restarts. Then I discovered that following the instructions for resetting the "trips" in VBB doesn't work. It was time to go to work so I haven't messed with it any more.

Bottom line? Save the extra money for a scanguage. This thing is buggy.

I gotta check out amazon's return policy.

[Xen2050]

When the Maxitrip turns off in the heat and does not turn on, do you mean it doesn't turn on by iteself when you turn the key to "on" or start the car? Will the Maxitrip turn on if you press one of the buttons? Or only when it's unplugged and plugged back in?

I've got one, but don't regularly drive a car with a obd2 port so have only tried it out a little bit, and it seems to like going to "sleep" mode pretty often if the engine is not running.

[taredog]

Xen: I guess it would be more accurate to say it will not come out of sleep mode when the key is turned to on or the car started. Pushing buttons does not wake it up, only unplugging the cable and plugging it back in which removes the power from the device will bring it back on in the high temp condition. It has never shut down while I am driving but I always run the a/c so it doesn't get that hot in the cab.

Something else I noticed this week is that my 14+ mile trip to work is registering as under 10 miles in the "trip-distance driven". After I noticed this I reset the thing to defaults and re-entered the required information. the distance driven function is still 30 something % low.

Any problems like this with scan gauge?

[Xen2050]

Maybe they were thinking ahead by putting in the usb port & getting ready to release the "updates" to the stable software, hope so!

I think while I was playing with it, one time it went to "sleep" and wouldn't wake up without unplugging it, so maybe it's not heat related at all. But I think that was after I turned the car key "on" to wake it up, then turned it off & took out the key completely (Toyota's send power to the OBD2 port all the time apparently)

The manual does have a section on calibrating it to your true vehicle speed, says use a GPS and adjust it until it reads the true speed you're moving, has examples for tires & gears that would be 30% off... on page 14/15 of the PDF manual online. I'd assume scangauge has a similar adjustment for similar tire/ratio changes, but I don't know.
"The adjustment does not affect the vehicle speedometer or
odometer readings, but the auto computer indicated speed
and distance only."

[Ricketts]

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere, but pretty cool...if you have an iPhone:

http://devtoaster.com/products/rev/index.html

I wonder if it works with the iTouch?

Rick

[taredog]

Originally Posted by Xen2050

Maybe they were thinking ahead by putting in the usb port & getting ready to release the "updates" to the stable software, hope so!

I think while I was playing with it, one time it went to "sleep" and wouldn't wake up without unplugging it, so maybe it's not heat related at all. But I think that was after I turned the car key "on" to wake it up, then turned it off & took out the key completely (Toyota's send power to the OBD2 port all the time apparently)

The manual does have a section on calibrating it to your true vehicle speed, says use a GPS and adjust it until it reads the true speed you're moving, has examples for tires & gears that would be 30% off... on page 14/15 of the PDF manual online. I'd assume scangauge has a similar adjustment for similar tire/ratio changes, but I don't know.
"The adjustment does not affect the vehicle speedometer or
odometer readings, but the auto computer indicated speed
and distance only."

Thanks X but been there, done that. The speed tracks my GPS fairly well. The mileage is still way low, about 30%. I think it's a problem. About 30% is close to the difference between miles/kilometers so maybe it is confused. (yeah, I know .625 which is 37.5%, I said about) It has corrected the speed by about 1MPH but the distance travelled is still way off. I have checked everything in the set up/trip/fillup modes and I think it is a program problem and basically the Maxitrip needs work. A POS in other words.

[dragonzealot]

I had this gauge for about 2 weeks and returned it.

Distance travelled is about 20% under. The gauge was calibrated using my GPS so I know the gauge is not reporting the correct distance.

Instant MPG is about 30% over as well compared to my MPG history.

Also the trip MPG stays about the same all the time it is always the same as the tank MPG.

It failed to wake up once and I had to unplug / replug the cable. Here in Canada it is no where near the temperature in southern States.

[biggy boy]

Hi guys
I too have a Maxitrip AKA Maxicrap
I got mine at Princess Auto about two weeks ago.
I am finding the same problems with distance being to low.
And the current trip litres per 100 KM average is the same as the total.

Do you think if we use the English setting (MPG) instead of the metric settings
the mileage would read out correctly?

This thing is driving me nuts! I'm thinking of returning it and getting a Scanguage II.
I have sent two Emails to the manufacture Via there website, instructing them of the problems and asked when they will be releasing an update. I have not heard back from the MF's yet. The first Email was sent a week ago.

Glen