Yaris, Scion xD, Honda Fit - no water temp gauge

I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
gauge, just an "idiot light."

Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?

Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
where the head gasket is blown?

Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs resulting
from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens, would be
several years down the road.)

TIA,
Bubba

> wrote in message
...
> I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
> miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
> vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
> Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
> gauge, just an "idiot light."
>
> Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
> temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?
>
> Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
> engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
> where the head gasket is blown?
>
> Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
> be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
> ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs resulting
> from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens, would be
> several years down the road.)
>
> TIA,
> Bubba

If you maintain the vehicle well you should not have any cooling system
problems. If a guage is that important to you you can always install an
aftermarket gauge later.

An idiot light might not come on soon enough to prevent engine damage. On some vehicles if you loose coolant pressure because of a leak the boiling temperature will be too low to cause the idiot light to come on. It is getting harder to find vehicles with gauges. Most cars I have owned had temperature, voltage, and oil pressure gauges. My Fusion has only a temperature gauge.

wrote:
>
> I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
> miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
> vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
> Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
> gauge, just an "idiot light."
>
> Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
> temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?
>
> Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
> engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
> where the head gasket is blown?
>
> Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
> be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
> ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs resulting
> from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens, would be
> several years down the road.)
>
> TIA,
> Bubba

--
Mike Walsh

wrote:
> I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
> miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
> vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
> Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
> gauge, just an "idiot light."
>
> Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
> temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?

Yes, I would.
>
> Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
> engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
> where the head gasket is blown?

It's usually an "operator malfunction" for some folks not acting quick
enough in response to a caution or warning light that is damaging. I've
heard it said many times "I saw the light but I didn't know what it
meant". I say to myself, hey, it's only money, why should you care.

If they didn't know what the light meant, I would doubt a gauge would be
any more meaningful to them. Sometimes to learn what a light means, they
see the results of driving with the low oil pressure light on in a sixty
thousand dollar car because the person (woman) did not act, they just
kept driving, until it stopped. Very instructional. Hubby was not happy.
Like I say, it's only money.

You sound like an aware type of person, so a light instead of a gauge
would be fine for you, but you could add an after market gauge if you
wanted.
>
> Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
> be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
> ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs resulting
> from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens, would be
> several years down the road.)
I've been driving a Corolla when I'm not in a truck since '03 and IMHO
they are great cars, no problems.


>
> TIA,
> Bubba

> wrote:
>I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
>miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
>vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
>Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
>gauge, just an "idiot light."

None of them have oil pressure gauges either, or what a few years ago
would have been considered normal instrumentation. You MAY be able to
ask the dealer for a "gauge package" but the number of cars available
with real gauges is slim.

>Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
>temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?

I wouldn't. But what is even WORSE are the fake gauges which you see on
an increasing number of cars. They look like real gauges, but they only
register three different levels. Apparently having gauges that move around
too much is "confusing" for the driver.

>Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
>engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
>where the head gasket is blown?

That depends. The basic idea is that they're supposed to come on well
before the point of damage. But there's really only one way to find out.

>Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
>be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
>ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs resulting
>from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens, would be
>several years down the road.)

You can always install aftermarket gauges. And not that although I wouldn't
buy a car without gauges, I'm also a luddite who wouldn't buy most any car
made today.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

> ...
> I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
> miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
> vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
> Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
> gauge, just an "idiot light."
>
> Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
> temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?

*snip*

I'll trade you the temp gauge for your tachometer! 2000 Echoes didn't have
them.

Natalie

"Mike Walsh" > wrote in message
...
>
> An idiot light might not come on soon enough to prevent engine damage. On
> some vehicles if you loose coolant pressure because of a leak the boiling
> temperature will be too low to cause the idiot light to come on.

I don't believe that is true. The coolant does not have to boil for the
light to come on. The temp sensor only senses the temperature of the water, it
has no way to determine if it is boiling or not. What may happen with a sudden
leak is the coolant level will drop low enough that the temp sensor is no
longer immersed in coolant. Being the sensor is no longer in contact with the
coolant it will not turn the light on until it is too late.


> It is getting harder to find vehicles with gauges. Most cars I have owned
> had temperature, voltage, and oil pressure gauges. My Fusion has only a
> temperature >gauge.

I know. I prefer gauges myself but the are getting harder to find.


>
> wrote:
>>
>> I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
>> miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
>> vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
>> Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
>> gauge, just an "idiot light."
>>
>> Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
>> temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?
>>
>> Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
>> engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
>> where the head gasket is blown?
>>
>> Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
>> be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
>> ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs resulting
>> from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens, would be
>> several years down the road.)
>>
>> TIA,
>> Bubba
>
> --
> Mike Walsh

On Apr 4, 12:34*pm, "Mike" > wrote:
> * If you maintain the vehicle well you should not have any cooling system
> problems. If a guage is that important to you you can always install an
> aftermarket gauge later.

How is such an aftermarket temp gauge installed - under the hood, and
how is it mounted on the dashboard/instrument panel? How much does it
cost?

On Apr 4, 2:10 pm, wrote:
> On Apr 4, 12:34 pm, "Mike" > wrote:
>
> > If you maintain the vehicle well you should not have any cooling system
> > problems. If a guage is that important to you you can always install an
> > aftermarket gauge later.
>
> How is such an aftermarket temp gauge installed - under the hood, and
> how is it mounted on the dashboard/instrument panel? How much does it
> cost?

My 5 speed 2000 Civic has/had/offered no tach not even as an option
(thank goodness it DOES have a temp gauge) - it would have been such a
pain to install an after market (tach) I learned to do without.

"Mike" > wrote in
:

>
> "Mike Walsh" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> An idiot light might not come on soon enough to prevent engine
>> damage. On some vehicles if you loose coolant pressure because of a
>> leak the boiling temperature will be too low to cause the idiot light
>> to come on.
>
> I don't believe that is true. The coolant does not have to boil for
> the
> light to come on. The temp sensor only senses the temperature of the
> water, it has no way to determine if it is boiling or not. What may
> happen with a sudden leak is the coolant level will drop low enough
> that the temp sensor is no longer immersed in coolant. Being the
> sensor is no longer in contact with the coolant it will not turn the
> light on until it is too late.
>
>
>> It is getting harder to find vehicles with gauges. Most cars I have
>> owned had temperature, voltage, and oil pressure gauges. My Fusion
>> has only a temperature >gauge.
>
> I know. I prefer gauges myself but the are getting harder to find.
>
>
>>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I've been thinking about what my next commute car is going to be. 80
>>> miles/day, it's just me and my briefcase, so thinking of a small
>>> vehicle with great gas mileage. Yaris hatchback, Scion xD, or Honda
>>> Fit would work for me. Problem is, none of them has a water temp
>>> gauge, just an "idiot light."
>>>
>>> Would you consider buying a car (brand new) that only has the water
>>> temp "idiot light", but no water temp _gauge_ ?
>>>
>>> Btw, do these "idiot lights" come on early enough to prevent major
>>> engine damage, or only after the engine has overheated to the point
>>> where the head gasket is blown?
>>>
>>> Also, the next bigger models that do have the water temp gauge would
>>> be Toyota Corolla, Matrix, or Honda Civic. But the extra purchase/
>>> ownership cost may not even offset the possible repair costs
>>> resulting from a Yaris/Fit/xD engine overheating (which, if happens,
>>> would be several years down the road.)
>>>
>>> TIA,
>>> Bubba
>>
>> --
>> Mike Walsh
>
>

An "idiot" light uses a sensor that is just a switch that flips once the
design temp is exceeded. But a true temperature gauge uses a sensor that
MEASURES the temp,and the gauge gives warning BEFORE the temp goes "over
the top". A gauge gives you more info,and sooner. A stuck thermostat may
cause your engine tempo to cycle from 'cold' to 'hot'(affecting mileage)
but an idiot light will not show that unless 'hot' exceeds the sensor
limit.But a gauge will show that variation,and will show an engine running
hotter than usual but within tolerance,showing something has changed[a
problem!],that an idiot light will ignore.
(until it's too late...)

Every car should have a temp gauge,not an idiot light.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net