Now I have a means of seeing my temp (scanguage II), what should I be seeing??
Any other figures would also be appreciated

 

I was literally wondering the same thing this morning.

I watched the range over the past month or so of use and my peak is 233 with average running right about 200.

It has been smokin' hot here in the South, so those might be a tad high...

ScanGauge II is pretty cool and handy...

 

What is ScanGauge II?

 

A cool toy if you have some extra cash.

http://www.scangauge.com/

 

Mine typically runs 222 to 225 degrees F.

 

Interesting tool; how do you install it?

 

Under the dash, to the left of the steering wheel, is the port for the OBC. Remove the cover, plug in the ScanGaugeII, and you are set. I've mounted mine on to of the dash with Velcro. I have a small block of rosewood that angles it upward so the light catches the face during the day. I find it hard to read if it is in the shadow of the roof when not illuminated.

It would be nice if it could be set to be illuminated all the time, rather than when the lights are on.

 

All that data and that's it?
Is it that easy to plug in the more visually appealing pod-type gauges that can flank the tach?

Lordy, I'd love to know my water temp, voltage, and other vitals...

 

Which gauges, specifically? I know that some require tapping into the engine.

ScanGaugeII will give you voltate, boost (MAP), rpm, load, mpg, and a few things I've forgotten. It displays four at a time, you choose which ones. The major things it is missing are oil pressure and oil temp.

 

Getting 225 for water

 

also check out Brockway Engineering. http://www.brockwayengineering.com/
Same concept, perhaps a bit cheaper, one or two additional options, ie shift light, 0 to 60 acceleration, exhaust temperature. And with R920, fits right below the toggle switches with no velcro!

 

Do we (r56) need the DIN model of the R920?

 

I could use one, what's the best deal anyone has been able to find on one.

 

Amazon is selling the scanguage for $159.99

 

The R920 is only compatible with 2002-2006 MINIs. They will have a new version sometime around the end of the year that will be compatible with the R56.

The ScanGaugeII is compatible with the R56 and fairly inexpensive on ebay.