Thursday, March 15, 2012

Autel MaxiTrip TP100 REVIEW

Autel MaxiTrip TP100 Meets expectations.
I bought this unit in preparation for a 5th wheel RV trip. I have recently purchased a 2002 GMC 2500HD pick up powered with a Duramax LB7 Diesel motor. Not having a clue of the most efficient way to drive this truck to it's peak performance pulling five and a half tons through mountains I decided to get a quick and dirty performance monitor.

After 2500 miles Seattle to Wausau to Little Rock it performs as advertised The MaxiTrip gives instant MPG, torque, temperature and pressure data allowing me to efficiently control the throttle and gives me trouble codes (none so far).

All in all the low cost piece of technology gives me a larger comfort zone as I learn a new rig and put it through its paces on a familiar route. If it keeps giving the right stuff for the next 2500 miles it may earn another star. 


Autel MaxiTrip TP100 Performs as expected.
I wanted a cheaper alternative to the scangauge that seems to work really well for a lot of folks. I had reservations ordering this unit because it was not clear to me that the unit is in fact back lit and that it gives instant mpg readout. It has those features and it is also well built.

Autel MaxiTrip TP100
I must say I did quite a bit of research on this unit when it came out but the price had me stray away from it. Last week I happened to be looking at the scangaue and I happeend to see it for sale on Amazon so I figured ok lets give it a try.

I received it today, unpacked it and rushed out to hook it up to the car.

First and most striking part was how similar it was to the scangauge from look of the display to the placement and the font of the words.

Then it took me nearly seconds to set it up and see what it was capable of. Now people have complained about innacuracy but this is not the case with this unit. The one I received is V1.1 and it is exact with the readings on my odometer when it comes to miles or distance traveled.

Second important feature was the fact that the unit can check vital systems in my car (2001 Cadillac Catera) and report wtih OK, NC or NA... I believe they call it readiness test. I noticed also that it was also able to read my VIN Number.

Thirdly the unit seems to have features that lack on the scangauge. For example when you are in GAUGE Mode, with the press of the side buttons you can switch between 3 or 4 pages and each one can be customized with whatever gauges you want to view.

So for me at start up I care about engine temp, open/closed loops, ignition, RPMs and intake air temp. Then once moving I can swap to the next page which shows Speed, Average Fuel Consumption, DTE etc.

Further more there are many other options under trip and settings that appear to be easy to use and well though out form user stand point.

So my first impressions of the unit is that its cheaper then my ScanGauge, its better in many ways, and appears to function as designed.

Further testing and comparisons will be performed and another review will be posted.

 Autel TP100
I purchased the Autel Maxi trip 100 several months ago. I have worked with it since then. I have version 1.1. The software is either defective or not designed for my automobile. I am trying to use it on a 2009 Nissan versa. The display blanks frequently while driving and no matter how I set the speed and mileage adjustment it is highly inaccurate. In the default mode the mileage reads only about half of my actual distance driven however the speedometer is somewhat close when I adjust so the mileage reading is closer the mile per hour is almost double actual speed. I don't know if I could actually scan for codes or not. The instrument has proved to be so inaccurate I'm not sure if any codes would be accurate or not. A software update may fix these problems but none is offered at this time. UPDATE....UPDATE>>>>UPDATE.......UPDATE
I have since contacted customer service via email and received an update to VERSION 1.2 (none was offered on the autel site) c/s replied in only a few hours! this update fixed all my problems and i can now adjust it for accurate readings and info.

Autel MaxiTrip TP100 4-In-1 Auto Computer

Autel MaxiTrip TP100 4-In-1 Auto Computer

This innovative 4-in-one automotive computer from Autel is exactly what is needed for real-time engine monitoring, failure prevention and trip tracking. The compact and intelligent gadget includes four most useful modes namely, trip computer, digital gauges, scan tool and vehicle black box. It is a compact automotive computer designed to monitor information about the vehicle in real time as well as displays useful information such as average trip MPG, tank MPG, average speed per trip, average speed per tank of gas, miles to empty, miles driven on tank and more. This maxitrip can be configured to measure and monitor up to four different sets of information simultaneously, providing real-time engine performance analysis, allowing one to adjust driving behavior as well as save gas. It works as a scan tool that is able to help one troubleshoot problems of all OBD2/EOBD compliant vehicles and works as a vehicle black box to store every trip one makes.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #3978 in Automotive
  • Size: Small
  • Color: Grey
  • Brand: Autel
  • Model: TP100

Features

  • Semi-permanent dashboard mountable design featuring four functions: trip computer, digital gauges, scan tool and vehicle black box
  • Trip computer real-time information monitoring including average trip MPG, tank MPG, average speed, average speed per tank of gas, miles to empty, and miles driven on tank
  • Digital gauge functionality featuring the ability to monitor up to four different sets of information simultaneously
  • Scan tool functionality including reading and clearing trouble codes on OBD-II/EOBD compliant vehicles, freeze frame data and the ability to turn off check engine light (MIL)
  • Vehicle 'black box' functionality including up to 300 hours of driving data storage space, covering a variety of data points