Coolant Gauge - P3 Review

[Jrfly9]

As all of you (I would hope) know that our cars did not come with a Coolant Gauge, which is a very uncomfortable feeling for anyone who like to drive spiritedly. While I know there are methods to have the coolant read out on the dash, but I was not as keen on this method as some other have been.

So on I went looking for a solution and the only clean one I found was by a company called P3 gauges and here is the link (http://www.p3cars.com/shop/bmw/bmw-1...p3-vent-gauge/). What sold me on this product is how clean and functional the solution is, opposed to mounting a gaudy gauge on the dash. There are two options from P3 gauges, one that you must mount into your car’s vent yourself or you can buy an OEM vent with the screen pre-installed, I went with the latter.

I’m going to keep the install description short, well because the install itself was short and clearly explained by their video online. The install was an absolute breeze, about 15 minutes start to finish, absolutely no issues and a perfect fitment (it is an OEM vent after all).

Below are some images of the product uninstalled, installed and functioning. I’ve had this in my car for a couple weeks and absolutely love it. I mostly keep it on the coolant temp read-out, but I also find it interesting to look at the ignition timing and exhaust temp. When it gets nicer out I may give the 0-60 timer a few tries . The whole list of functions is on their website for those who are interested.

Also, not sure why the images are appearing sideways on the forum, but vertical on my computer, anyone know how to fix this?


To be transparent, I am in no way affiliated with P3 Gauges and was simply a customer looking for a solution to a problem and think the forum could benefit from the feedback.

[KNS]

I have one in my 128i. Pisses me off that BMW would eliminate the gauge so I bought the P3 kit. It's better than the dummy water temp gauges in contemporary cars because it tells you precisely what your temperature is (or volts, etc).

I think it is overpriced for what it is (I'm sure they'd sell more if they dropped the price a bit), but I like the idea.

[E91WAG3N]

Any reason why you guys went with the p3 vs. a 135 cluster swap (that would give you oil temp)?

[Jrfly9]

Originally Posted by ubersteuer

Any reason why you guys went with the p3 vs. a 135 cluster swap (that would give you oil temp)?

I viewed this as an easier option (albeit more expensive) since it doesn't have to be coded in.

I also like the other functions, but especially the CEL read out. The functions did not make or break my decision, just thought this was a super easy and clean solution.

[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by Jrfly9

I viewed this as an easier option (albeit more expensive) since it doesn't have to be coded in.

I also like the other functions, but especially the CEL read out. The functions did not make or break my decision, just thought this was a super easy and clean solution.

Fair enough, I still can't decide! Thanks for the input.

[MAMSport]

I'm considering this as an option to gain full gauges but also to have a built-in code reader. I guess the first concern is whether the display is in a good place and is easy to read. It's sort of out of the line of vision as opposed to within the cluster.

When the P3 shows OBD II codes, does it display the BMW codes, generic OBD II codes, or something else? When I used a Peake Research tool, it provided hexadecimal codes; the user had to cross reference a table with a list of conversions depending upon the year/model of the car being read.

[desertman123]

Originally Posted by ubersteuer

Any reason why you guys went with the p3 vs. a 135 cluster swap (that would give you oil temp)?

How much would you reckon a 135i cluster swap/coding would cost?

[JimD]

Another option would be to put Torque on your phone and get a little OBD to Bluetooth adapter. It would work best if you have your phone mounted where it is visible anyway. With torque, you can have a guage or several gauges in any of several styles.

I ran it for awhile on a tablet but what I learned is BMW has the temperature controlled to a high temperature during steady cruising and then lowers it if we get to having fun. The higher temperature gives better gas mileage. But I think it would bother a lot of people to see their car running hot. That is my guess as to why they deleted the gauge.

Torque costs about $5 and the adapter is around $20. It also resets the check engine codes and reads those codes. Handy app.

[MAMSport]

While I'm a 'full gauges' fan, please post again in a month or so just so that we can get an idea how useful this is - how often you look at the information, whether it displays anything unusual or simply 'buffered' temperatures, etc.

Thanks in advance - again, considering something similar!

[Olgeezer1]

I use a Scan Gauge, velcro's nicely on the steering column. Gives what sounds like all the same info., clears codes etc. and not expensive, no install hassles. And yeah, these things really run hot. My other cars run around 85 Celcius, this one's over 100 pretty much all the time.

[ivad32]

Originally Posted by JimD

Another option would be to put Torque on your phone and get a little OBD to Bluetooth adapter. ...

Torque costs about $5 and the adapter is around $20. It also resets the check engine codes and reads those codes. Handy app.

What OBD adapter did you use?

Thanks

[_Ryan_]

I've had one for years- would buy again.
You do have additional inputs if you need them.