We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›
There was a time that I’d walk into the service department at a car dealership and they’d either recognize me or my car from the magazine I worked for. They’d make small talk about the last issue they read before asking me how they could get my job. Even then, when I didn’t have to pull the “Do you know who I am?” schtick because they had already told me they knew exactly who I was, I still got horrible, and expensive, service. But, with most modern cars, you have no choice but to go to dealerships because of the number of things you can’t do at home. At least not without a scan tool like this Artidiag Pro from Topdon.
I know some of you are assuming this is just a $500 OBD2 reader. While it does read and reset codes, that’s only scratching the surface of its abilities. I’ve reviewed more OBD2 readers than I can count. While this isn’t the first time I’ve used a scan tool, this is the first time I can remember writing about one. Let me start by saying, that I’ve done a lot of wrenching throughout the years. I’ve worked in engineering for a car company. I’ve worked as a machinist and fabricator. But by no means, at all, am I a certified or professional mechanic. So I both expect and want those of you with far more experience than me to get in the comments below with all the things I’ve probably never considered and/or if you have hands-on experience with one of these, let me know what you think.
What are the specs of the Topdon Artidiag Pro
What you’re looking at is essentially a 7-inch tablet with a 1024 x 600-pixel touchscreen running Andriod 10. It uses a 4-core 2.0 Ghz processor with 2 gigs of RAM and has 64 gigs of memory. Besides not being an actual mechanic, I’m also not an actual computer guy either. Still, those sound like fairly normal tablet specs to me—OK the screen resolution is low in comparison to most modern tablets but we’re not gaming on this.
The Artidiag Pro is rechargeable, and I have played with this for quite a while, ran several different tests and I was probably 10 hours into it over a few sessions when I plugged it in at about 30% showing. When I played with it for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, it’d lose a couple of percent. Topdon claims it can go over 14 hours on a full charge and I do believe them. It doesn’t seem to charge too quickly, so if you pull it out dead when you need it, you may be waiting an hour to get some real charge in it.
The unit is fairly large, roughly 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches and weighs nearly 2 pounds. The carrying case, however, is the size of a small briefcase. It holds the cables that work with multiple different car brands, the OBD2 plug, a charger, and the whole thing is foam-lined and I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel like I’m the tech geek in a heist movie every time I open it up. “Don’t worry Charlie, I’ll have this electronic lock cracked in three minutes.”
What does a scan tool do that my OBD2 reader can’t?
Do you want to know why dealerships get so much for swapping out rear brake pads now? I mean besides pure greed? It’s because they can. All of us with electronic parking brakes can’t do a brake service because we can’t back the pistons into the calipers. That is unless you have one of these. Suddenly that $500 isn’t sounding so expensive, right?
Let’s start at the beginning, this will do everything your OBD2 reader will do. You plug it in and it will read and report the codes. You can reset your check engine light, just like that $20 reader. However, it will also reset your service light that the reader won’t. It’ll also scan codes for transmission, ABS, immobilizer, and pretty much every other system in your car, that your current scanner might not show you. You can store the codes and save them to a file if you want. Topdon says this has support for just about every car manufacturer you’re likely to see. It even assured me it would work on Seat and Skoda, so I can take it with me to scan my rental car next time I’m in Europe.
I’ve had a couple of OBD2 readers that could view some real-time data, but it’s hit or miss on what they can see depending on the make and model of the car. I’ve been using the Topdon to view every channel of data available. You can choose four to be displayed at the same time on the screen. You can even record them, so you can throw the scan tool on the floor and drive without having to worry about watching it.
Besides diagnostics, you can program new keys, reset immobilizers if you need to replace the ECU or gauge cluster, recalibrate ADAS, cycle ABS, calibrate throttle bodies, test for emissions readiness, it can even do long coding. I have been looking into some of the options I have with VW Tiguan with the long-form coding. My drivetrain is shared with the Audi A3. Apparently, some things like throttle maps, traction control settings, and other tuning differences are all sitting in my ECU waiting to be activated. The downside is, screwing it up could result in turning my car into a garage ornament. Like I said, I only play a mechanic on the internet and that would be an embarrassing and expensive trip to the dealership if I brick the thing.
What is it like to use the Topdon Scantool?
Right out of the box, the Artidiag Pro requires about 10 minutes of setup. It’s the usual, pick your language, connect it to wifi, register it, etc. Like any electronic device, it requires updating. Even my Traeger smoker requires software updates so I am now numb to it. The Artidiag need about an hour to update, then you can choose what brands of car manufacturer software you need. While I was tempted to just hit, “Yes, all please,” I downloaded four. I walked away from the device, but when I came back in a half hour, it was done.
Using the device is as easy as any tablet and a lot easier than most of the OBD readers I’ve used. With a lot of the cheap readers, I found the interface so convoluted I would end up taping menu flow charts to the device, so I would know how to do the simplest things like reading codes and resetting the CEL. (Insert all your VW owner CEL jokes here, please.)
Luckily. Surprisingly. Uncharacteristically? I didn’t have any problems with my car during the time I’ve had this. Well, I have something going on in the front end, a vibration I’m trying to track down, but sadly, the OBD system won’t track that down. I unscrewed the gas cap, light came on. Read. Cleared. I did use the live data functions and those work as advertised. I have a couple of readers that will do this as well. Even though those are brand-specific, they don’t have as many data channels available.
Topdon Artidiag Pro Scan Tool: A Verdict
I want to start with the value proposition. Back in my tuner days, I remember techs at shops proudly showing off the new third-party scan tools they had just bought for THOUSANDS of dollars that would do everything the real factory scan tool would. Then, that would have cost them fifteen grand. There are now several of these available from all sorts of manufacturers with varying levels of capabilities. To get something from Snap-On will cost you over 3-grand. Harbor Freight has a remarkably similar-looking scan tool that is $800. BIG BUT HERE, all of these will require a software subscription. The Topdon comes with 2 years of software service with all the car brands included. This is a new unit, none of them need to resubscribe yet, so the price isn’t set. The other Artidiag products are between $100 and $250 a year.
| TOPDON ARTIDIAG PRO | |
|---|---|
| Value | 10/10 |
| Ease Of Use | 9/10 |
| Durability | 9/10 |
| Quality | 8/10 |
| Value | 9/10 |
When I asked how much the dealership would get for just rear pads on my Tiguan, I was quoted “around $400.” That’s a pad slap. I can get pads, good ones, for 50 bucks. I’m also going to need a new battery soon. Some of you may have noticed the voltage in the pics. Normally, I couldn’t do the installation myself, so another $150 saved. If I would need a key replacement, the part, and programming would cost about $400 at my local dealership. I’m beginning to think anything outside an oil change is a minimum of $400. So this, and the software updates in a couple of years, will pay for themselves quickly.
This feels like a quality, ruggedized Android tablet. It never felt like I was using a knock-off or a budget copy of a more expensive device. My biggest concern with devices like this is if the company stops supporting them. I’ve said before, I had a drawer full of OBD readers that were just dongles and I could no longer get the app. You know you’re at least getting two years of service out of this since it works as a stand-alone device. Topdon has been around since 2017, which isn’t that long, but it sells a ton of products, so it seems relatively permanent. No, not as permanent as a company like Snap-On, but you roll the dice on any electronic product.
I have barely gotten into the capabilities of the Artidiag Pro. Everything I have used it for was simple and straightforward. I will continue to use this, as you may have guessed, I do have a brake service coming up shortly, and I will update this review as I use it more. This scan tool won’t let me update the ECU or TCU, I can’t update the infotainment system. This isn’t “Get Out Of Dealership Free Card” but for those 10,000-mile services that are anywhere from $300 to $1,000 glorified oil changes, you can do them yourself and reset the service light. If you’re a decent home mechanic, and you’re confident you will be able to stop yourself from bricking your car, this could be a whole new dimension in DIY for you.