How to Turn Off Trip on a Car? Simple Ways to Operate Odometer

You can turn off the trip by pressing the trip computer button shortly - this will turn the screen to Trip 2 or Trip B and then, after another click, to overall mileage. If you need to reset the trip meter, you just need to hold that trip computer button for about 5 seconds. This will make the trip mileage zero again and you'll be able to count the miles again.

Dashboard software problems highlights

• Howcommon:notreallycommon
• Mainreasons:voltage anomalies, software glitch, initially wrong software
• DIY diagnosis:impossible
• DIYrepair:impossible
• Solutions:if settingsdon'thelp, have software updated in dealership
• Can you drive?yes
• Price in dealership:$200 - $450

What are the trip mileage meters in your vehicle?

So, every modern car has a trip computer. In some vehicles, it's a very detailed and helpful tool that stores all the needed information about your trips. In older or cheaper vehicles, this is a simple computer that tells you about several most important features like mileage, fuel consumption, distance to the empty tank, etc.

Among these features, you will find at least one trip mileage meter. While the overall mileage can't be reset, the trip mileage meter can reset to zero when you need this. In many vehicles, there are two such meters: Trip A and Trip B or Trip 1 and Trip 2.

Here's what they are aimed at:

• you can measure how many miles you go within one trip;
• also, you can measure the mileage within a certain period of time like a week or a month;
• you can set one of the trip meters to count the miles from the last oil change;
• sometimes, the meters may be set to reset automatically using some preset scenarios;
• very often, people use trip meters to control real fuel consumption;
• one of the meters is often reset when the vehicle is refilled with gas to know how many miles it goes with the full tank;
• you can also use the trip meter to measure the precise fuel consumption of your vehicle.

When it comes to fuel consumption, the trip computer is not always precise and correct. If you suspect that it shows the wrong MPG, you can measure the consumption on your own. Here's how you can do that.

Fill the full tank in a certain gas station, reset the trip meter, and keep driving. When the tank is almost empty, go to the same gas station and fill it again to the full. See how many gallons you filled in the tank. Also, look at the mileage that the trip meter shows. Now, you can easily count how many miles per gallon your vehicle actually can drive.

How to operate trip meter in your vehicle?

While every car model can have its own features in operating trip mileage meters, there are still a lot of common features that are thought to be industry standards. There are three most common ways to operate the trip meter:

• with the help of a knob that's located directly on the dashboard;
• with the button on one of the stalks, usually on the left one but this may differ from one model to another;
• with the help of the button that's located on the steering wheel of your vehicle.

Also, some cars have special joysticks or touchpads in their central consoles. You may operate the trip computer like it's a laptop and you are using a mouse or a touchpad on it. Though, in most vehicles, the trip computer operation is possible with the button that has three possible locations described above.

There are usually two functions in this button. One function is to shortly press it and the other is to press and hold for 3-5 seconds. The functions have different effects on the trip mileage meter.

Here's what happens:

• the short press of the button or knob leads to flipping through different meters and screens of the trip computer;
• holding the button for several seconds leads to resetting those meters that are possible to reset.

You can reset to zero Trip A and Trip B mileage meters but you can't reset the odometer readings. Don't worry - even if you press and hold the reset button when your main mileage is on the screen, nothing happens.

Here's how you can reset the trip meter mileage:

• use the trip computer button to get the needed trip meter on your screen - make sure you now see exactly the mileage you want to reset;
• press and hold the trip computer button until the mileage says zero;
• release the button and start driving to count those miles from zero again.

Also, if you fail to do this in your car, you will have to read the driver's manual first. This will help you easily understand how to operate the trip computer and how to reset the needed mileage. Without this, you won't be able to deduct the method that the car manufacturer thought would be logical and understandable.

In some vehicles, especially European ones, resetting something in your trip computer is so hard that without the driver's manual, you can't even approach this task.

Why is it important to use the trip meter?

I know hundreds of drivers and the majority of them don't use any features of their trip computers but the overall mileage to know about oil changes. But some do use the trip meters and are glad they know about this feature.

It helps you control the mileage of your trips, understand how many miles your kid has driven this month, and get an idea of fuel consumption.

One example of the importance of this feature is gas mileage. If your gas mileage suddenly goes down and the fuel consumption deteriorates, you should immediately pay attention to the problem. Otherwise, the issue may get worse and your engine may be eventually broken.

Also, you can have some weekly or monthly stats about your vehicle and understand how your driving habits change.

One more important thing is that with the right use of trip meters, you won't forget about the oil change interval and will be able to maintain your vehicle at the right time.

Here are some examples of cool use of trip mileage screens

Although this feature may seem simple and straightforward, there are some strategies that make it advanced. All you need to do is to know these strategies. I've already told you how you can measure the real fuel consumption with the help of the trip meter and now you can check if the trip computer shows the true consumption.

Also, you can try the following tricks:

1. Oil change intervals

You can use your Trip A or Trip 1 for short intervals and daily tasks while your Trip B or Trip 2 may be used for service intervals. Reset this screen once you have the oil and filter changed in your car. Then, you will just look at the mileage and understand when it's time to change the oil again. This will obviously help you keep the car in good condition and care about it.

2. Trip mileage for your holiday

Use your trip mileage meter to get the stats about your holiday mileage. For this, reset the trip mileage before you start your journey and check its readings when you are back home. It can be quite surprising to understand how many miles you actually drove during your holiday trip.

3. Business use

If your company pays for fuel when you use your personal vehicle for business trips, the use of trip mileage is vital for your budget. Use the trip mileage meter every time you travel for work and then write it down in your notes. This way, you can get every single mile compensated by the company. Otherwise, you will only approximately know the actual mileage you traveled for work.

4. Break-in after repair

If your engine or transmission were repaired and the mechanic tells you the rules of the break-in, they will also outline the distance that you should drive calmly and carefully. Reset your trip mileage to easily know when it's no more needed to be extra careful with your gas pedal. This is much easier than trying to remember the overall mileage and make all those nasty calculations in your head every time you are behind the steering wheel.

Final thoughts

As you see now, the trip mileage meter is an important feature in your vehicle and it's quite important to use it correctly. If you know how to operate this function, you have several important benefits in your everyday driving.

If you still have any questions or want to add something, please write in the comments below.