3rd Generation (2015+) Say hello to the newest member of the Fit family. 3rd Generation specific talk and questions here.

Temp Gauge Poll

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 06:26 AM
  #1  
troyinpdx's Avatar
Thread Starter
|
Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 72
From: Portland, Oregon
Temp Gauge Poll

Does it bother anyone besides myself that this Fit does not have a temperature gauge?

GM crappy cars from the 70's and 80's didn't have temperature gauges either and I hate not having a temp gauge. Get rid of that stupid MPG meter and replace it with a gauge, IMHO.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 08:01 AM
  #2  
rodney's Avatar
Member
5 Year Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 450
From: new friggin york
although most recent temp guages in cars, are nothing more then guaged idiot lights, i still prefer them over just the simple idiot light we have in the fit.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 12:28 PM
  #3  
DrewE's Avatar
Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,199
From: Vermont, USA
I think the MPG indicator is handier than a proper temperature gauge—my opinion.

It seems to me the idiot lights provide the information you really need—your engine is too hot and you should let it cool down, or it's still cold and the heater won't do anything useful. Anything more would be rather like a tachometer on a car with an automatic transmission—interesting eye candy, perhaps, but not especially useful in actual practice.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 12:31 PM
  #4  
rodney's Avatar
Member
5 Year Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 450
From: new friggin york
Originally Posted by DrewE
I think the MPG indicator is handier than a proper temperature gauge—my opinion.
i think the second half of the MPG indicator is useless. should not go above 45, maybe 50mpg. 90 mpg? really?
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 03:27 PM
  #5  
MyFreakFit's Avatar
Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 101
From: Florida
Yes, I wish there was a full temp gauge. It's much nicer to be able to see if the car is STARTING TO GET hot then to just suddenly get a tiny red light that I might not notice right away saying that the car IS hot.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 06:17 PM
  #6  
Padawan's Avatar
Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 32
From: United States
5 Year Member
I agree with DrewE's assessment. The dash lights do a perfectly adequate job of informing me of the coolant temperature status (cold, normal, hot). I find the MPG gauge far more useful.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 06:44 PM
  #7  
SLVR6's Avatar
Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 44
From: USA
I am torn, I like more information (liked my cars that had oil temp and pressure also), but the statement that most of today's gauges are just an idiot light is all too true. I remember people getting upset (high management) on a vehicle we finalizing and we had to get the gauge movement electronically damped so as to not alarm the customer.

Too bad we can't get electronic gauges on the display screen like many are doing now with the performance cars (G meter, all the gauges, etc). That would be a great hack/update.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 07:23 PM
  #8  
andre181's Avatar
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 415
From: Nebraska
5 Year Member
The GD didn't have a temp gauge and I didn't have an issue. So I don't expect the lack of a temp gauge in the GK to be an issue.

I much prefer the MPG gauge.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 07:27 PM
  #9  
MyFreakFit's Avatar
Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 101
From: Florida
I'd like everybody who says they don't want a temp gauge to indicate if they have ever had a car overheat on them or had a thermostat go bad. If not, then you don't really know how useful a temp gauge actually is.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 07:38 PM
  #10  
andre181's Avatar
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 415
From: Nebraska
5 Year Member
I have had a car overheat.

IMO, the temp lights give you all the information you need them to.

Blue = Cold Engine.
No lights = Normal operating temp.
Blinking Red = Engine temp higher than normal. Drive easy and stop asap.
Solid Red = Seriously overheating. Stop engine now.

The car also chimes when the red light comes on to alert the driver to an issue.

What more do you need? Seriously, what more does a gauge tell you that a light doesn't?
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 08:54 PM
  #11  
DrewE's Avatar
Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,199
From: Vermont, USA
Originally Posted by MyFreakFit
I'd like everybody who says they don't want a temp gauge to indicate if they have ever had a car overheat on them or had a thermostat go bad. If not, then you don't really know how useful a temp gauge actually is.
I did have a thermostat go bad. I think that car had a proper temperature gauge, but I don't recall. It didn't matter one whit for me anyhow, as the thermostat died in the open position in the dead of winter. Overheating was not a problem; having no heat, on the other hand, was extremely inconvenient.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 09:10 PM
  #12  
Fit_as_a_butchers_dog's Avatar
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 385
From: SoCal
I don't care about temperature gauges, they're not accurate anyway. And there's an idiot lite to take its place so no worries there. You'll see it when the engine is cold.

I love the MPG gauge. It's about one of the best features of the car!

Fit is best car ever. Had a great drive today. So much fun.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 10:43 PM
  #13  
spreadhead's Avatar
Member
5 Year Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,104
From: Chattanooga
I had a Honda rep tell me they were getting engine overheat failures and customers saying why didn't the light come on, stupid Americans! I wanted a temp guage and got a Scanguage.
 
Old Jan 17, 2015 | 10:45 PM
  #14  
tbFit's Avatar
Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 647
From: San Diego - Carlsbad, CA
5 Year Member
You can buy a bluetooth OBD2 transmitter that will show you a variety of temperatures on your Android smartphone with the Torque app. Its pretty slick and costs about $20 for a decent transmitter and the basic app is free.
 
Old Jan 18, 2015 | 11:33 AM
  #15  
DArkk's Avatar
Member
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 342
From: Modesto, CA
5 Year Member
Originally Posted by tbFit
You can buy a bluetooth OBD2 transmitter that will show you a variety of temperatures on your Android smartphone with the Torque app. Its pretty slick and costs about $20 for a decent transmitter and the basic app is free.
Yep, I have one of those. Someone even used a android tablet as a center console on a different car. Pretty cool!

The app tells you alot about the car. I need to hook it up to my Fit and see what it reports. I've used it on my 2012 Hybrid and it even reports the voltage of the big batteries.
 
Old Jan 18, 2015 | 05:03 PM
  #16  
MNfit's Avatar
Super Moderator
iTrader: (8)
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,380
From: Minnesota
Originally Posted by andre181
I have had a car overheat.

IMO, the temp lights give you all the information you need them to.

Blue = Cold Engine.
No lights = Normal operating temp.
Blinking Red = Engine temp higher than normal. Drive easy and stop asap.
Solid Red = Seriously overheating. Stop engine now.

The car also chimes when the red light comes on to alert the driver to an issue.

What more do you need? Seriously, what more does a gauge tell you that a light doesn't?
A proper gauge can tell you lots of fun stuff. While the light can only give you very vag info about your cars temp, a proper gauge can tell you exactly what temp the car is. With a gauge I know what water temps should be under normal driving, under aggressive drive or when I am sitting in traffic on a hot summer day. If will see water temps claiming at an alarming rate and hopefully be able to take action well before some silly light decides to tell me There might be something wrong with the car
 
Old Jan 18, 2015 | 06:48 PM
  #17  
Bmidd's Avatar
New Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2
From: Chattanooga
Old Jan 18, 2015 | 11:21 PM
  #18  
DArkk's Avatar
Member
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 342
From: Modesto, CA
5 Year Member
Love that app on my phone. It tells you alot about your car and the gauges are user adjustable.

Didn't think about the possibility of installing a car mount for the phone and use the app to keep me posted about the car's vital stats.
 
Old Jan 19, 2015 | 12:27 AM
  #19  
mecevans's Avatar
Member
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 229
From: Monterey
Most all new cars including the Fit have a thermostat monitor. If there is something wrong with the performance of the cooling system the CEL will illuminate.

Digital or analog, idiots will still keep driving.
 
Old Jan 19, 2015 | 12:27 AM
  #20  
festiboi's Avatar
Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 230
From: Los Angeles, California
Count me in for wanting the temperature gauge. This is the first car that I've ever had without one, and even with the idiot lights, it's nice to be able to keep an eye on the needle just in case things are warming up more than they should.


The Fit is not the only culprit for skipping the temp gauge, and I often wonder how some of today's cars will be treated by future owners as they age. When the car's new, there's little concern about a car overheating, but once that car is 20 years old and has 150k miles+, it's a good idea to keep an eye on an analog gauge and not depend on an idiot light that may come on too late
 



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:04 AM.