UltraGauge Automotive Information Center and OBDII Scan Tool


I use it on my land rover and it tell you everything.

 

That looks good. I think I'll get one.

 

Lol'd at the "pages of gauges" link.

 

That's pretty cool. Of course, if we all bought all the cool gadgets and meters out there our pillars and dash would be one big block of numbers and dials flashing in our faces. :b

 

Can certainly recommend it. Very handy tool, easy to use whilst driving even. Also good that it can show several sensors at the same time. You can also have it connected all the time, and set for instance alarms from certain sensors (like the Temp sensor for instance).

 

Avos, does this mean it works on EU (non OBDII compliant) cars?
If so did you get yours directly from the US?

 

avos
Can you set this unit to work with UK gallons or is it US gallons only? Or maybe you are using litres as europe?

 

I need to look, but it does have several options such as that. The web site has the owners manual.

Most of the guys on my Landy club use it. You can see everything as it happens and you can also check out the health of your O2 sensors etc.

 

Thanks have downloaded manual and looks like you can calibrate MPG/Fuel to the car and even set a calibration factor.
Would think fairly straight forward to work out that factor using "there are 1.200949857 US gallons to 1 Imperial (UK) gallon"

 

Am not sure about the exact regulations of ODBII oher than it was US regulated and in the EU they called it EOBD. The car is basically the same. So this tool can be used from 1996 XK8s upwards, and I have used it on 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005 models without any issues.

I really like it as it is so small, so you will always have it with you (contrary to tools that need to use a PC), and can use it when needed.

The basic live sensor info will also be of great help for diagnosing issues, so all in all I think it is very much worth it.

I did buy it directly form the us, and with taxes/shipping it was just about 80 or 90 eurs iirc.

 

I am currently using the Ultra Gauge in my 2000 S-Type (connected all the time) and it works great. As for using it in my 1999 XK8 it did not function properly the first and second time I plugged it in. What I did find out is that you need to force protocol to make it work properly. I have not done this yet but understand it will work properly.

 

I bought the ultraguage and put it on my 1999 XK8. I read Gus's posting on the problems he had, but thought I'd try anyway as I needed a new code reader.

It worked great for months on my XK8, then I forgot to remove it for our Texas smog test. When I plugged it in I got CEL faults. I reset it and things went well for another month or so then I picked up another set of ABS, transmission fault, and one other. I then reset the codes, pulled the guage and don't use it on the Xk8 anymore.

I bought my new Android Galaxy SII phone and the "Torque" app, and I'm happy with that.

Regards,

Don

 

Can one of these be moved from car to car (different mfgrs) and be cleared each time for each vehicle?

 

yes

 

A review of the UltraGauge. Take it for what you want.

I bought one of these and installed it about 5 days ago. I did not like it! I returned it.

The customer service @UltraGuage was useless, they just kept saying read the manual. 5 times. The gauges arrive with no manual or instruction other than to go to their website and read the the PDF manual. 55 pages long, of course since most of the instructions have to be used with the gauges installed you will need to print the manual.

The UltraGauge itself does the computations that I want, need or can understand. There are a lot of "gauges" 47 out of 76 in my XKR 2001 but in most cases I have no idea what they mean and unless you are a schooled auto mechanic or engineer you most likely won't either. It does the normal things like MPH, MPG, Distance, Engine Temp, Avg. Fuel but the car does most of that stuff within it's own gauges.

The things I don't know about or really care about such as EGR flow%, Absolute throttlePosition %, Evaporative Purge Bank one and Bank Two Catalytic Converter, AFR Commanded Ratio and many others. Most gauges are like this, some in the know will love it but I suspect most have no clue what the readouts mean. information overload.

I thought the display was very boring Black and White and had a impish look to it. Unless you have perfect eyesight you will need glasses to read any of the readouts.

The gauges can be VERY distracting while driving , I guess this is why you have to sign, initial (6 places) and send in "their" documents to get the rebate. Stating you promise not to ever use the gauges while driving??

Some may think it's great but it is not for me.
The UltraGaugesit just does not look good in a Jaguar's interior, add's clutter and does not have an impressive look.

 

I can certainly agree with your review if you don't use it to diagnose your car, it’s pretty useless then imho (like all obdii readers).

But if it is not for diagnosing, may I ask why you actually bought a OBDII reader?

 

The UltraGauge, I don't think is actually meant to be a OBDII reader persay,(although that is where it gets it's information from).

It is meant to be a extra set of car gauges while driving so the driver can see what is going on with the car, it gives real time info.

Just the info is useless to me as I do not know what it all means.

The UltraGauge is only $75.00 and I thought it would be fun.
To me it is a colossal waste of time, just helping others to not waste theirs!

INFORMATION OVERLOAD!!!!

 

Well after reading this ancient thread and some other posts I took the plunge and bought UltraGuage EM 1.2 and I must say I'm pleased.

International delivery to UK was very fast (4 days) and there were no FedEx or customs charges to pay after i took the manufacturers' advice and registered for a personal FedEx account .

Setup was straight forward - scanning detected my 2001 XKR with 9141 protocol and a few dozen gauges were found as the manual described.

Only been in the car for a short while so now I see happy hours configuring and changing page settings but so far so good.

Steve

 

Hi Steve

I have been using one for about 2 years and find it one of the most useful items I have added to the car.
Make sure to set up an alarm for coolant temperature. As I'm sure you know, the Jaguar gauge is a bit fake.
It also works as a basic fault code reader, there is an alarm on that to let you know if there is a fault code set too.
It is a bit complex to set up at first, with all the options.

 

Hi Derek
Hit a "snag" this morning when had loads of warning lights and check engine light on with restricted performance - seems a common issue on the FAQ and down to non-strict OBD protocol use. Cleared all the issues and forced the ISO protocol as per manual so I'll see how it behaves on the way home. If still issues I'll get one of the specific ISO 9141 cutout cables they offer.
Also removed it from the centre dash panel as just doesn't look right so looking for an alternative place - will probably install in the centre coin tray adjacent to the soft top power button
Steve

Edit: Forcing the 9141 protocol and turning off auto page change has sorted all the issues with check engine light etc. Just driven 20 odd miles with no probs. I ordered one of the special cables anyway.

Yes, I really bought this for the engine/coolant temp gauge - seems to be pretty stable at 96*C (204*F) around town and in queues - briefly went up to 98*C (208*F) on fast dual carriageway but rapidly dropped back to 95 so all seems good. I have set the alarm at 110*C