Multifunction in-car OBD-II LCD Display 

Hey, thanks for this, your comments are very much appreciated. Hopefully I'll continue to provide useful/interesting content for you. If you let me know what kind of things are particularly interesting to you and you colleagues I'll try my best to cover these again.

@LookItsRiceCake That is the Fatigue reminder. It can be set-up to remind you to take a break after a pre-determined period of continuous driving. It beeps (as long as beep hasn't been turned off) and flashes up the message "Please do not drowsy drive"

I never dreamed that it might be possible for mere mortals like me to able to tap into a cars OBD. This is sensational. Thanks for posting another great video.

You're not the only one who constantly confuses OBD with ODB. I mess it up like every time I say it. Probably because of my usage of databases and so I associate B and D with DB and that's just they way it has to be. It's fun to see someone else make my mistakes. :)

On diagnostics board

you go through cars like crazy, we've had our Lexus LS300 since '99

That really is deep!! I'm going to learn your comments by heart, and quote you.... ....but, also thanks to the technomoan mainman, I've just found the site, and have spent 6 Hrs. absorbing everything you discuss. Technology is brilliant, but the price we pay for what essentially is low grade electronic design has to be seen to be believed; Which is where You come in....And your approach is practical and educational in a way that many a tutor/instructor would envy.

Techmoan you should read books on tape.. your voice is so plesant lol

So for the all too bothered to do a little thiking this is how you convert this case of metric into imperial.As a study case i'll take this one.First the 8.8L = 1.95 GAL for UK and 2.32 for US (another reason for you to use metric to avoid the confusion). Then 100km divide with 1.95 and you get 51.28 km/gallon.Divide them to 1.6 and you get 32.0 MPG .Hope i helped.Like this for every to see.

I enjoyed this. Since this video was made, there have been a lot more modern versions of these made (there was even a color screen version out around the time this video was made.) I would be Very interested in seeing you review some of these newer units...or at least one every once in a while. Love all your vids!

@Battery9876 Well it doesn't really do anything electronically to reduce fuel consumption - it just makes you aware of how your driving affects it. So you can set little challenges for yourself - such as keeping the economy below a certain amount for a journey etc. I found that I got an extra 10mpg (approx) from the last tank just from being more aware of the affect my actions have.

@benny5825 I've just got the MX5 and the Smart now. It's quite possible that the MX5 will have to go....but we'll see.

I've got an OBD-thingy from kiwi with bluetooth. With that I could use an app on my smartphone. There I was able to switch from metric to miles. That helped me knowing how fast I was / I had to go when I was visiting England a couple of months ago. Greetings from Germany. :)

The money question was a good one actually.Cuz the amont of money for all things you reviewed even if you get discount for reviewing them(cam's and other gadgets from chinavasion) or they sell you for free to review with or without returning it , i guess it easly go intro thousands so as you're able to aford it you're either a bank manager or you own a construction firm.Still great you do it cuz we can see the bargain part of things and the strenghts of every object.Thanks for doing that :P

Made, I write and maintain an OBD package written in C# and I still say ODB every time, so don't fret about it. :)

Why do people still continue to use miles and gallons? Its called Imperial measurement for a reason.. its ancient

And again, great review, honest, straightforward, you should become an affiliate for these companies. They should pay you big money!

Gotta love those "On Doard Biognostics" systems

On doard biagnostics :p

Thank heavens for people like you who helpfully share their experiences. Good reviews, too. Must be a fun way to spend your time, At least, I hope so.

I went for a bluetooth OBD dongle that I pair with my Android phone. Using that and the 'Torque' App, I can get a nicely cusomisable display, as well as log the data if I feel like it. Since I already had the phone, it works out cheaper than buying a single-purpose device, and using the phone's sensors, you can get even more information.

I'll make sure we get right on that.

@locouk You can use an Android device with a Bluetooth ODB-II device - but IOS devices need a WiFi connector. Look at the PLXKiWi website for info about their app and WiFi dongle.

@uzibeatle That's why I'm here. Glad you saved your money.

Well, like boiling a frog, we get used to it. You pay for fuel in litres in the UK but still use miles. mpg is a natural comparative to what we already know. I'm already fully metric with instant and long read outs.. It's an electric car!

@Battery9876 Yes, that's pretty much it.

we have... for a while... we use MPH, Celsius, its a weird mix...

As far as I know, OBD2 does not transmit car MPG's, but has to calculate them. With that in mind you have to enter the full car specs which include engine type and size, car weight and more to get a accurate reading. Personally I like my $15 OBD2 Bluetooth unit for my android phone over units like this.

Torque for Android is very useful, assuming you have an Android of sorts to use and it's only $5-$6 american for the program. Pretty much does all this and more, but most of us probably already knew that, but I mention it for anyone that didn't know.

5:20 FagDrive Set??? OMG hahahahaha!!! ROFLMFAO!!! Best Chinglish EVER. ...Great Review so far.

THANKS...FOR SAYING IT DOES ONLY METRIC...I GREW UP WITH ENGLISH UNITS....AND MY CAR STILL DOES...BUT, IT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY COOL TOOL TO HAVE...I LOVE THE SENSOR MONITORS....WOW!

strangly enough that this is still the current model for more than a year.

Sorry i asked earlier if it has miles before finishing the video but then i noticed you mention it at the end of the video that it does not. You should get the Ultragauge it is awesome and has Gallons,miles,etc and a lot more features just Google Ultragauge and it costs less.

Nice little device, I wonder if the instructions show how I would wire it in to my 1970s wiring loom. To be honest I don't want to see my MPG, I'll just scare myself and crash. Great review as always.

hey ringo :), I think you missed the setting to change it to mph at 5:50, vehicle speed sensor.

Keep the good work mate! You`re reviews are great!!!! congrats from Brazil!

It looks like you may be able to change to imperial units in that menu you were in at 5:36 by pressing OK on the Mileage and Fuel Consumption options

Ok, I take that back about the mic - I agree it's rubbish! I do however believe this might just be the camera I'm looking for to install in my car. The recycle recording is much needed but I just need a way to make it start recording automatically when the ignition is turned on. I think the Contour HD video video is better but no recycle record. The Hero 2 has just come out here too with vastly improved video but that's $300 :( Still think I may have to build summon with an Arduino.

Thanks for the review. I was rather interested in it until you mention it is metric only. Oh well!. You saved me a good lump of cash. None of the other vid reviews of this on RU-vid or the site that sells these mention that major detail. You did a public service. Signed, Not Metric from Texas.

I think metric time is a great idea. No one has come up with a standardised system, however.

This guy sounds like James May! But it was a brilliant review!

@SpheredShadow An ever diminishing amount.

I realy like Your comments about device! Thank You!

this is what i call a review!!!! tnx... chinavision shoud put this on their site.

UK uses imperial, we in the US got that system from them.

Metric for the win! Another great video!

I made a handy chart which inter-converts L/100km - USMPG - IMPG. I keep it in my car.

Check out the Ultra Gauge, it's nearly the same as the only in your video, but I swear by it

@cloggsy1971 Mines definitely not posh.....second hand 2009 Passion 999cc Petrol.

on 5:37 you CAN change from KM to MILAGE

I know your comment is 8 months old but if you're still interested, you can get a non-metric device very similar to this called an ultragauge for about $60.

As Theo Wink Said, you CAN change this, it's clear in your video at 5:37....

I'm sold! I love this kind of tech stuff, is there a way of using an ipad or iphone as the interface?

Very cool demo! In tour mode, can you make it to show the engine temperature?

I'm sorry your video on the HUD by Actisafety no longer accepts comments. I decided to post here since both videos refer to the OBD connection. Regarding the reflective sheet: try wetting the sheet, then wiping the sheet against the windscreen with a damp cloth or sponge. Years ago, a commercial bakery printed characters on their bread bags. These were called "Fun-Ups". The idea was to cut them out of the bread bag and stick them on your window or refrigerator. The bags were made of low density polyethylene, with no special clinging properties. However the above instructions were given and these appliqués stuck very well.

@heroineworshipper Just the two so far (and a bike).

the ideal is about 4-5 l/100km, a Bus consumes 25-35 l/100km and a Peugeot 206 with a 1.4 diesel engine consumes about 3.4 l/100km.

That device would work well for me here in Australia as we use km’s & litres.

@Techmoan Your reviews as always are a knockout mate. On the advent of this piece of tech, if you get the urge would you have a gander at the ELM327 wifi OBDII reader module that can be used with iOS devices please. For about £40 from eBay they seem ok... I could buy and try but wouldn't be able to review it nearly half as well as you, and I think that it may benefit some peeps on here. Cheers for this and all the other reviews. "Thanks for posting"...

Hi techmoan, I like watching your videos. Recently i have been trying to automise my car with after market chinese products and to be frank your reviews have helped me a lot on deciding the correct models. I use my cell phone alot for various things. One of them being car navigation. Now is it possible to review a cheap bluetooth gps receiver that i can install permanently in my car. I want this because 1. the phone gps sucks too much of battery 2. Rate of discharging is more than rate of charging by car phone chargers 3. Phone gps takes ages to lock onto satellite. Not to mention if u r moving at high speed with no inyernet connection. 4. Phone becomes very hot. I will be very thank full if u could suggest something. I have seen garmin glo but its too damn expensive. I dont want that expensive. Thanks in advance and keep up the good work. Also make more car related videos u do a good job at that.

Oh , get it now.Really bizare the weight imperial units from us i agree.Like stone wich is supposed to be 6.5 or something like that , KG.The weird thing is how the hell did they agreed that 1 stone should weight around that :)

Good review. Interesting item.

I like your car accessories reviews. Have you considered doing a review on one of the cheap chinese gps double din head units, like the Lanzar or Ouku ones?

Metric system ftw ^^

Love them smart cars ,do still have the mazda and the 500cc honda?

I wonder if your OBD actualy works. How can you drive so fast and have 9 degrees temperature on the display? That should be at least 65 degrees.

Another great video!

ahh i never knew a gadget like this existed, shame it is in metric though, would have bought it

really nice video!

I found that converting ml to km is near as complicated as solving a rubik cube.

Agree :D I see you're Aussie or Australian ( if you guys feel offended by the Aussie one - never new if you do :-? ) I thinked that as yo drive on left as UK you use the imperial sistem.Are you using the Metric?:D

So there's no way to change the speed to mph or fuel to mpg?:/ In the settings it said speed, did you try modifying that?

You sound like James May.

Nice review. I've owned the ScanGauge for about 5 years. I've always calculated mpg in every car I've owned since my first car in 1970... every tank, mind you. The ScanGauge has only been accurate +/- 4 mpg on each tank. The gauge calculates the fuel flow using the throttle position sensor which is not accurate as opposed to an actual fuel flow meter which is used on planes I fly. But, as a driving tool to increase gas mileage it is useful. I, too, don't understand kg/m, or whatever??????

what are the odds. i was looking for such a device and i happen across a video for a youtuber i sub to that also has the same car as i do.

i got a 93 g20 van alot of things going on with it first it would blow out smoke and water out the exaust , now it dont like moving for less than five ten minutes shuts off dont want too start , before that the fuel pump wasnt wakeing up before that it shot a spark plug at me while driving little scary too drive would a aurduino help watch everything cause it has the old key computer in it .

Well metric is not the standard , its the only measuring sistem in the world , the imperial one were created by each country just to be different , thats why the UK galon its 4.5L and the US one is only 3.8,and as i consider the UK a preety inteligent country and as you guys have 30 countries as neighbours who all use metric , as the 95% of the world does,you should get used to converting , its preety easy.I tell you what a 8.8L/100 km = 32.05 MPG wich is a large saloon consumtion not 0.6L smart

@Techmoan What do you do? You drive more slowly, you accelerate less and you try to coast?

That's a shame that it is metric only. That eliminates 2 large markets, the US and the UK. Other than that it seems like a nice device. In the US a lot of people want to be able to change the backlight to match the car's dashboard, and that is a feature I would want myself. I will hold out for a device that uses SAE/Imperial units.

Great review thx!

Hi, An Important Question! Is your V-Checker OBD-II LCD Display - still working? As, it is a Chinese make, how is it performing and has the plastic started chipping off? Thanks in advance!

@MrRivii I bought SKU# 42825 at DealExtreme. It's a bargain at $22 in my opinion.

Why not just buy a bluetooth adapter off ebay for £20 and download torque for your android or iPhone?

Thanks.. for sharing out

Have you been able to improve your mileage with it? If yes how do you do it?

1 mile is equal to about 1.6 kilometres.

"get with the times and go metric" that's quite funny and a glaring oxymoron. There is no metric version of time. Km/h is a metric distance counted over an imperial measurement of time. Milliseconds are a metric division of an imperial measurement.

My OBD2 port is located in between the seats so ... i kinda need a long cable :)

this thing would be pretty useful for me, but i don't think my 97 Renault Clio have a standard OBD connector :|

Is there anything up-to-date serving the same purpose?

I never understood the British resistance to automotive use of the metric system, particularly now that you have the Chunnel connecting you to a fully-metric continent. Are you in the EU or what? Canada, on the other hand, shares the world's longest bi-national border with that parochial monolith with its miles and gallons. Yet in Canada, our speedometers and speed limits are in km/h, our distance signs and odometers are in km, and we sell gasoline (petrol) by the litre. So, what's Britain's excuse?

Will this thing work on a motorbike with OBD2? Can this show Gear information, also?

The UK should get with the times and go metric - Australia did and everything is fine and dandy.

Looks like the UltraGauge but not as good.

what was wrong with the other car ?

Never learned how to use metric. Don't care and don't need to learn it. All I know is that everything is divisable by 10.

Can you switch it to miles or is it kilometers only?

8.8 l/100 km? that is high consumption for a Smart, i presume is a petrol engine.

Your car is Metric no? I'm thinking that device only reads what the car puts out, Possibly plugging it into an American car, It would put out The US Standard Meausrements

does it show the horse power?