Seems that every decent area around the TCH's dash area has been taken with one knob/fan or another... for those that have a ScanGauge installed, where did you put yours?

On top of the steering column right behind the steering wheel itself (in between the speedometer and MPG needle) seems the best place so far, but makes it very hard to see / dangerous to operate when steering (duh!!!!!!!). On top of the dashboard looks rather tacky (and not so handy around summer, especially not in the South/Southwest), plus you have to contend with that darn connection cable flayling around one way or another.

So.... Any description/picture of how you set yours up would be truly appreciated! Thanks!!!

I looked up the ScanGauge II on the web - what does it do for you, exactly? The display didn't show anything I'd necessarily want to know, but that's just me.

Sorry I don't have an answer to your question. We had difficulty deciding where to put my Sirius receiver. It's just sitting loose behind the shift knob right now. Not many good places to mount anything, are there?

Not directly relevant to the TCH, but...

I have been using the fugly ScanGauge-I since last March and I keep it right on top of my dash. Yes, it looks tacky. Yes, I have to be very careful to put the sun shade up every time I leave the car in the summer. But it's convenient and I wanted to put it as close to my line of sight as possible so that I don't have to take my eyes completely away from the road to glance at it.

Wendy- the ScanGauge plugs into your OBD-II port and allows you to monitor a range of operating parameters in real time as well as track averages over the course of a tank, day, or single trip. Beyond that it also functions as a code reader in the event that your "check engine" light goes off. As far as fuel economy is concerned, this is mainly geared at people like me who drive a car without a sophisticated trip computer. I can't even begin to tell you what that feedback has done for my driving. I believe it is also used by people who do have trip computers but don't find the OEM feedback to be completely satisfactory. Not only does the SG give you more options, but it allows you to tune the calculations to match your calculations at the pump, reducing discrepancy between what you think you are getting and what you are actually getting.

To each his own. I have no idea what kind of feedback a TCH gives you so it's tough for me to say what it would add to your experience.

Wendy -- Yes all TCH's come with the integrated trip computer, but I don't have a NAV... so I miss out on some FE readings/facts available to those with NAV (trip MPG vs. just tank MPG average comes to mind: very useful for gauging your daily commute's FE over time). Plus I do compare the instantaneous speedometer/MPG/odometer readings from both 'computers', trying to decide which one is more useful/accurate (and which one I'll rely on in the future). Finally, it also provides me with other scans that I peruse once in a while (RPM, voltage, overall load), teaching me a quite bit more on how the ICE portion of my HSD truly operates at diff't times/conditions. Very interesting discoveries, if you're into these kind of things...

HybridFan — I originally mounted my ScanGaugeII on top of the steering column housing close to the steering wheel itself. This way it allowed use of the full range of the telescoping steering column without interference. But I found that it obscured the bottom row of information lights in the dashboard's display (I'm short — you may not find this to be the case for you). So, I moved it back towards the dashboard, just past the point where the steering column's top cover steps down a bit. Now it's easier for me to get at its buttons, and doesn't obscure the display lights, but the telescoping steering column can't be pushed in all the way without hitting the ScanGaugeII. That's not a problem for me, and so that's where I've left it.

Stan

For the uninitiated such as myself, does this device allow you to change the many electronic options that can be customised? Things like the time the headlights stay on when you leave the car, i.e. the ones the user manual tells you to have the dealer modify?

If this device cannot make these changes does anybody know if there is a reasonably consumer price device that can be used to make these modifications?

I have been thinking about getting one just for the additional items that Peter mentioned. Knowing what RPM the engine is running at and what kind of load it is under are things that I am interested in. I have NAV, so I don't really need it for the FE info, as my display sits on the consumption screen about 90% of the time (the othe 10% is a mix of maps when finding a new place or audio settings when flipping thru stations).

I don't think it can be used to change any settings in the computer. I believe it is a read only device with the simple ability to clear codes if desired.

No. The only thing that this device can do to the car is clear trouble codes. Best bet, the only place you can find a device that will change those settings is a Toyota dealer. Auto manufacturers keep that kind of thing pretty close to the belt.

Too bad!

One of the few things I did like about the Pontiac Bonneville SSEi I'm about to trade is that the options can be programmed on a screen in the car by the user. Even the options you can change on the TCH such as the door locking sequence requires a very "Mickey Mouse" procedure, a complicated button pressing sequence while standing on one leg! Okay I exaggerate slightly! You would think they could have done better with all the readout screen's available.

The Pontiac G6 I rented a few weeks ago had the same capability. It was all accessible from a "Menu" button on the radio. A nice touch but it begs the question: what the heck do I do when I decide that the stock GM sound system is garbage and want to swap out the head unit for aftermarket?

....not that this has anything to do with the TCH or the ScanGauge