How to Use the Car Odometer AB?
3 Answers
Car odometer AB is used as follows: when starting from point A, reset one of the trip data to zero and start the car. Upon arriving at point B, check the data on the trip to know the distance between the two points. The working principle of the odometer is based on the known diameter of the car's wheels. By calculating the circumference of the wheel, the number of rotations required for the wheel to cover one mile is determined. The odometer automatically records the number of wheel rotations and divides it by the number of rotations corresponding to one mile to obtain the distance traveled. The method to adjust the odometer is: 1. Unplug the odometer sensor connector of the drive shaft under the car's hood; 2. Insert the output plug of the mileage adjuster into the signal socket of the sensor; 3. Plug the mileage adjuster into the cigarette lighter; 4. Turn the car key to start the dashboard and adjust the adjustment button on the mileage adjuster; 5. Adjust the speed as needed.
When I first started driving, I also didn't understand the difference between trip meters A and B, but later found them extremely useful. The AB meters are actually two independently recorded trip mileage counters with flexible usage. For example, before a long trip, I'd press and hold the dashboard button to reset meter A, then after driving 500 km to a service area, I'd switch to meter B and reset it - this clearly separates the remaining 300 km journey. I usually reset meter A after refueling to track how many kilometers that tank lasts. The most practical use is resetting after maintenance to record mileage - you'll know whether you've driven 8,000 or 10,000 km before next service. Some cars have toggle buttons on the steering wheel, making it easy to switch even during turns - just remember not to look down for buttons while driving!
This feature came in handy during our last family trip. Before setting off, I reset odometer A to record the entire journey, while using odometer B for segmented measurements. For example, when arriving at the first attraction, I switched to B and reset it. After driving 20 km to the destination, switching back to A still showed the total distance, while B displayed exactly 20.3 km for that segment - perfect for calculating fuel consumption for that stretch. Road trips always make me nervous about losing track of distance, but dual odometer recording solves this perfectly. Note that operations vary slightly between models: German cars usually have the reset button on the turn signal stalk, while Japanese models may place it at the lower right of the instrument cluster. Hold for 3 seconds to reset (don't briefly press and accidentally toggle modes).
