Greetings,
i have a few questions regarding the Scangauge/Ultragauge,
im really intrested in getting either a scangauge or ultragauge. i will make up my mind on which one after shipping costs are calculated. the problem is that i have a right hand drive MINI and the OBD ports are on the left side of the car. i originally wanted to place it in front of the rev gauge, but im pretty sure it wouldnt reach? my second option is to place it on the dash above the speedo, is the wire long enough for either placement? this may be a silly question, but do anything like obd extention cords exist? can i use an extention cord from the obd ports and just connect the gauge to the extention cord?
thanks!

 

Yes, I do believe obd extension cords exist!

Check it!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OBD-II-OBD2-Extension-Cable-5ft-J1962M-to-J1962F-/261115004236?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item3ccbaac54c&vxp=mtr

 

The cord on the Scangauge is pretty long. But you can get a longer cord like Astro showed.

 

good news! after some peeking under the dash and shining a torch all over i managed to find the port on the right side of the car! tomorrow i will be ordering the ultragauge

 

After opening my OBD port, I took some pics and now after viewing them, something seems odd, I will have a closer look tomorrow but it seems that there are 3 pins on the cap of the OBD port?! Is this what it supposed to look like? ..

 

Mine looked like that also. I removed the cap 2 years ago and have never had any issues.

 

One word of caution: For a while, UltraGauge users were finding that their cars would "wake up" in the middle of the night, powering on the electrical systems and draining the car's battery. Several things were tried to correct this behavior, but as of two years ago none had worked.

Contact the manufacturer and ask on the electronics forum here to make sure that the issue has been resolved before plonking your money down for the UG.

No such problems reported with the ScanGauge.

 

2 years with ScanGauge and no issues ever.

 

Recently installed Ultragauge. After a few on off cycles the unit figured out how to turn off - fixed on the latest version. Now I have to figure out how to configure screens.

 

The newest version of ultra gauge fixed the "sleeping" issue. Also, the cord on it is definitely long enough to reach across the car.

 

I have sent an email to UltraGauge regarding the weird electrical issues, and awaiting their reply. The Scangauge worked out at around $108 more than The UltraGauge including Shipping to SA. The latest version of the UltraGauge does seem to be much more reliable and better than the software on previous ones though. Does anyone know how many gauges it is able to pick up on the R53 or R56?

 

Less on the R53, as obd protocols were not govmt enforced until 2007.

Using my torque app, I can get quite a bit of useful stuff, engine load, rpm, manifold pressure, boost, coolant, fuel trim sensors, 02 sensors I think, and a bunch of other useless stuff IMO. No oil temp or pressure if that's what your looking for tho.

 

Thank you for that info.I have one more question, in some cars, the OBD port and the Cig lighter share the same fuse, is this also the case for MINI's ? I ask this since my cig lighter doesn't work.

 

Glad to hear that!! The UG sure looks nicer than the SG.

 

I bought an Ultragauge last June and am happy with it. Not sure if mine is considered an "old" model but the power off issue is resolved by selecting option 3 of the "power off detect modes". The only downside to this is that you can not fiddle with the Ultragauge unless the engine is running.

The gauge is very customizable with the ability to show 4, 6 or 8 readouts at once, alarms (e.g. if temp gets above a specified amount) and display settings (I can read mine even in the sun with the top down). The cord should be more than long enough for your needs. I found that the peel-n-stick adhesive they provide dissolves in the heat and you might find your gauge dangling by the wire on a hot day. I used 3M double-sided tape instead with good results. The buttons on the back can be finicky/unresponsive but its not that big of a deal once you get it set up.

I fabbed a bracket and mounted mine next to the tach to keep it somewhat away from prying eyes. It is angled towards the driver and allows me to get my fingers in behind it to access the buttons. Or I can pop it out of the quick release bracket if I want easier operation or want to stash it below the steering column if I leave the Mini with the top down in iffy places.

 

that looks really good

i have just placed an order, could be a while before i get it lol

 

I found this mount for the scan gauge and I think I might a good place for it. There should be plenty cable to reach.

 

Haha i put mine in the exact same place with some 3M velcro

 

Thanks for all the advice/replies. Im Still looking if someone can help with my question on whether the OBD port draws power from another fuse such as the Cig lighter or does it take power straight from the battery?

 

recieved the gauge, about to go test it out!

 

plugged it in, 10 mins later, still scanning.. help?

 

Did you plug it in with the car running? I had to do it that way on my '10.

 

I plugged it in on the 2nd click, just before starting the car. I will try it out with the car running when I get home, did yours also get stuck on "scanning" before you tried with the car running?

 

The starting drill is different for the gen II cars but I did not get any "loading" unless the car was running