No programing? What about Spikes quote "It is a PIA to set up but worth it.
I took my laptop out to the truck to enter the numbers onto the web site to set it up." Ill take your word for it, just want to know what Im getting into.

PS: Can the UltraGauge be used on multiple vehicles? One after the other?

 

Would imagine that is yes, but may have to change some setups. You can plug your basic scanner into many vehicles, and get raw data. If you have customized the display and alarm points on an ultra gauge, those could be different vehicle to vehicle. However, I suspect that once you have it, you'll want to keep it in one vehicle.

Like a lot of computerized infernal gizmos, those inclined toward that sort of thing will think it simple and cool, but those of us in the Depends generation would appreciate plug and pray. Of course, if Rover had spent more money on instrumentation and less on alarm immobilization, we would all be better off.

Now good instrumentation allows the DIY to see immediate results when tuning, tinkering, or tampering; as the case may be.

 

Yep, Ultragauge can be used in multiple vehicles. It's a PITA to set up your user interface. It comes pre-programmed to monitor certain sensors, if you want to change them, it involves a lot of clicking, nothing complicated, just extremely tedious. If you can work a cell phone, then you can work this

 

Just like BamaBoy said, it is ready to go out of the box, almost, it needs to run a self test and you have to tell it what type of OBDII system you have, i.e., Ford, Genaric, Euro, etc.
It tells you in the owners manual what system you probably have and once you plug it in it figures it out and you just need to hit enter to confirm.
But it is ready to go out of the box, it was a PIA for me because I was setting pages up the way I want them, it is simple, just tedious and time consuming.
I have yet to calibrate mine for distance so it gets its miles off of the trucks VSS.
It can be calibrated to actual miles and not odometer miles, so if you have larger tires your odometer will be off and you can calibrate it for the tire size so it will read actual miles and not OD miles.
I have not done that and I dont know if I will or not.

 

Alright works for me. Good to have all the extra information available and the ability to erase codes however my primary intention with the UltraGauge is to monitor the actual amount of fuel in my gas tank and to be able to calculate how many miles until I need to refill. Naturally The fuel gauge in the cluster should provided the above mentioned information however my fuel gauge is not functioning properly so the UltraGauge is a must until I resolve the problem with the fuel gauge.

Thanks Spike and all others for the input. Good thread by the way.

PS: Have to ask. What DOES the ScanGauge offer over the UltraGauge?

 

The ScanGauge offers a higher price, more compatibility and a smaller screen.
The Ultra-Gauge may not work with some diesel trucks, like Fords with the Powerstroke.

 

I have a 98 disco1 and scangauge. It's great for engine temp, voltage, o2 sensors etc... But does not work with mpg. I had to enter a correction factor of over 3000% and still, The values are inconsistent. As you drive at constant speed, it keeps going up to 99' then counts down until it goes up to 99 again. I called them for help, tech support was very friendly but could not solve this problem...

 

I bought the UltraGauge early this year and have been very happy with it. It does, however, have its limitations, but what doesn't? You just need to determine whether or not it meets your needs.

The UltraGauge and the ScanGauge are both limited based on what information the ECU sends via the OBDII port. DIIs use what is now a somewhat outdated, primitive protocol that DOES NOT SEND FUEL TANK LEVEL DATA. The Distance To Empty displayed is therefore only an estimate based on full tank capacity as entered by the user. I used the spec from RAVE (25.5 gallons). I can only say that in late May I couldn't find a gas station and got down to around 12 mi. DTE and did not run out of gas.

Also, either unit displays only whatever coolant temp the ECU reports via the OBDII port. It's not the accuracy of the display unit, it's the accuracy of the sending unit as interpreted and reported by the ECU. It's like your TV; it reports whatever information is sent to it (football scores, weather reports, etc.).

Spike said he prefers the UltraGauge mounting system to the ScanGauge. I didn't like the UltraGauge mount at all so I came up with my own system. Both the UltraGauge and the ScanGauge plug into the OBDII port, so I decided to route the cable behind the drop-down panel under the steering wheel and then up the left hand side of the dash to the top of the dashboard. I then cut a narrow strip of Velcro to fit the bottom of the UltraGauge and positioned it at an angle between the left-hand side of the instrument cluster and the A-pillar. The UltraGauge leans against the A-pillar. I left enough slack in the cable so that I can easily pull the UltraGauge off its Velcro mount to be able to operate the buttons on the back of it. The extra cable loops out of view between the end of the dashboard and the door. This has worked very well for me

 

I have the ScanGuageII. I like that is fits on the top of the steering wheel bezel discreatly. Depending on how tall you are and at which angle you have your steering wheel tilted. The Scanguage does not standout. It glows green as the other instruments at night and there is an exact match to the Rover Green. Its use is simple, but has read all the codes I have ever needed. Plus I have read codes from many other cars with it. My normal Guage display is:
RPM F Air Temp
VOLTS F Water Temp

It great to monitor voltage and coolant temp. I keep my eyes glued like the tri pass using your rear view mirrors. But now make it a 5 view pass. Left mirror. Oil Pressure guage, Scan Guage, Rear View. Right mirror.

 

I LOVE(ed) my ultra-gauge however some AHOLE broke into my Disco by busting out drivers side door and stole it! the factory alarm still working as it should by not going off unless a door is opened... WORTHLESS ok 20% worth... lol anyway, the low price of the ultra-gauge and my local salvage yard yielded me about a $100 repair ( my labor) an all is ok! this next ultra-gauge will not be mounted on windscreen !