Best Bi-Directional Scan Tool: One (1) Indisputable Winner…

However, the concept of something, anything for that matter, being the best is usually largely subjective. While I may believe something is at the apex of what can be obtained, another may validly think the exact opposite (and swear by it).

To avoid that challenge, I decided to carefully examine this scanner and highlight the features (and specs) that truly make it what it is, in the interesting world of OBD II scanners. In this way, it isn’t my opinion anymore: it’s what it is, generally, backed up by cold facts.

If you’re in a hurry, the best bi-directional scan tool is the Innova 5610, Innova’s flagship model.

However, if you have some time on your hands, continue reading, and I’ll explain why you should trust me, what a bi-directional scanner is, why you need one, and importantly, the numerous reasons that led me to crown the 5610 from Innova the undisputed king of bi-directional scan tools.

But first, why trust me?

Why Trust Me?

If this is your first time here, it makes perfect sense to wonder who I am and, importantly, why you should trust me.

My name’s Throttle Lan and I’m a DIY mechanic and Freelance writer.

Truth is, I wasn’t always a DIY mechanic: I loved to drink my yogurt (I don’t tolerate beer) as I waited for my favorite mechanic to fix my car.

However, as time went by, I discovered that I was more knowledgeable (about cars) sitting on the bench drinking my yogurt than my mechanic, who was actively wrenching.

Armed with this confidence, I started vehicle repairs on my daily driver at the time, and the rest, they say, is history. When I got into the world of two wheels, it was only natural that my wrench followed me there, too.

As a DIY mechanic for both cars and bikes, I’ve seen a lot and have also come across my own fair share of challenges. It’s with this reality behind me that I started sharing what I know as a freelance automotive writer.

Now, here’s the thing: there isn’t any other freelance writer that I know who soils themselves with grease and engine oil in the name of wrenching. They all dress fancifully and simply imagine what it is that they write.

This is where I come in and offer something extremely different: I share with you exactly what it is that I find when I’m testing a car, have plugged in a scanner, or when deep in the annals of a car (or bike).

My reviews (and recommendations) guidelines are covered under my product review policy.

So, what’s a bi-directional scan tool?

What’s a Bi-Directional Scan Tool?

Explained simply, a bi-directional scan tool is an OBD II scanner that works ‘both ways’. Instead of the traditional one-way operation of simply reading codes and displaying the same for you to process, a bi-directional scanner takes things a notch higher on the ‘diagnostic chain’.

Instead of only reading codes, it can ‘ping’ certain relays, actuators, etc., to try and isolate an issue.

The logic/principle is that a pinged relay, actuator, etc., that has no issue will ‘return the ping’. When a ping isn’t returned, the unit pinged is deemed bad.

But all this is simple, basic talk. What’s the real reason you need a bi-directional OBD II scanner when faced with a vehicle diagnostic issue?

Why Do You Need a Bi-Directional OBD II Scanner?

Most OBD codes are generic (or at best, can mean multiple things). For instance, the code, P0300 (random/multiple cylinder misfire), can mean more than one thing, which only further isolation can get right.

This code, for instance, only lets you know that more than 1 cylinder is misfiring. It doesn’t tell you which cylinders or what is causing the misfire (for example, a bad spark plug, a faulty fuel injector, a vacuum leak, or a compression issue).

With a capable scan tool that has bi-directional function, you can turn off the fuel injectors (and on) one at a time, ruling out injector issues.

The other possible causes can also be isolated with the right tools and knowledge, narrowing what is wrong with a vehicle without the need for exhaustive trial and error.

5 Reasons Why the Innova 5610 Is the Best Bi-Directional Scan Tool

As it’s customary with me, I won’t bore you further with preambles on why the Innova 5610 is the best bi-directional scan tool at the moment for the money.

Here, see for yourself:

1. Impressive List of Active Tests Available

I tested with a 2022 Lexus GX 460 – and I counted just under 50 active tests possible with the Innova 5610.

Deliberately, I avoided Innova’s official position and carefully tried to see just how many sensors, actuators, and relays I could test (or ping).

I was impressed, especially given that a 9th-gen Corolla offered only a handful of active tests, when I initially got the bi-directional scan tool.

This many options (if your vehicle permits) is clearly pro-level – and it hardly, in my experience, gets better than this.

2. It’s Affordable

I’ve always hammered this, all the time: the cost of something largely influences how it’s perceived, and the Innova 5610 scanner is no exception. Personally, the cost of something, especially a scan tool, will determine if I’ll consider it, irrespective of how great it’s touted to be.

Looking at the best-selling scanners and code readers on Amazon (and elsewhere), this position appears to be reinforced: the best-selling options are the units that are usually priced the cheapest (and are most affordable).

The Innova 5610 retails for less than $500 at the time of writing. If you’re lucky (read: depending on where/when you buy), its price may dangle closer to half of that cost – no questions asked.

This is (and remains) a fair deal, especially when you factor in that all modules are scanned and, importantly, you have bi-directional functions.

Affordable still does it, unsurprisingly.

3. No Subscription Fees!

I own a TopDon TopScan Bluetooth OBD II scanner – and it’s one hell of a unit. Dubbed ‘small but mighty’ (by yours truly), it does most scanner jobs easily, without breaking a sweat.

May I add that it’s super compact, and because it pairs with my smartphone, I don’t consider the extra bulk when moving around (or when I need it for inspections).

However, after every 365 days, there’s a subscription fee to worry about. This fee is roughly the same as the cost of the unit itself. While this is cheap and easily affordable, the truth is, most folks don’t want subscription fees, including me (and hopefully, you).

This is where the Innova 5610 shows its superiority as the undisputed best bi-directional scan tool for the bucks. Why the little TopScan does wonders (and for a lower, initial price point), the 5610 offers a no-subscription reality, something many who don’t run a traditional shop will immensely appreciate.

For about 50 active tests (with no subscriptions to deflate your wallet), it’s little wonder that the 5610 from Innova takes the ultimate prime spot as the bi-directional OBD II scanner of choice.

4. It’s OE Pro Level

When I shared the best OBD II scanners for DIYers the moment offers, there was something most of the units on that list had in common: they scanned things up at the peripheral level.

Got a manufacturer-specific code, good luck. Once OBD II codes went outside the realm of generic codes, things took a funny, uninteresting turn, with most of the code readers not even seeing such code, to start with.

With the Innova 5610, things are different: thanks to the manner Innova engineered its scanners, the 5610 scans manufacturer-specific codes – and offers solutions to the challenges, assuming you’re hooked up to the optional, North American-specific app.

If you’re the owner of a vehicle that loves to give a lot of trouble, you have little to worry about here.

5. The 5610 is OBD I Compliant…

Most vehicles before 1996, still on the road (for the US market), deployed the OBD I protocol. The protocol was less sophisticated than OBD II, but it worked – and was better than nothing.

With the advanced OBD II protocol today (being around since 1996), we’ve majorly forgotten all about the protocol that gave birth to OBD II, OBD I.

The reality? There are a lot of OBD I compliant vehicles still plying the roads and wondering what on earth happened to their ports to warrant their drivers abandoning their opening…diagnostics for these vehicles is largely trial and error – something that doesn’t need to be.

With the 5610 from Innova, it’s easy (with the optional adapters) to turn your full-fledged OBD II scanner into a unit fully compatible with OBD I vehicles.

Going as way back as 1982 (for some GM models and 1991 for Toyota/Lexus models), it’s a joy to finally see an OBD II scanner traversing both worlds, brilliantly.

All that is required are the adapters – sold separately, for a fair price.

A Good Reason to Hate the Innova 5610

Before I wrap up this article, don’t get the impression that the Innova 5610 is the best thing to happen to the world after sliced bread. It’s not – and there’s a potent reason to hate it, even as it has many good qualities and is, without question, the best bi-directional scan tool (there is at the moment).

It won’t work for your vehicle if it wasn’t sold in the US (or meant for the North American market). Simple, short, and sad (SSS).

Own a Peugeot? Good luck. Drive a Tata? Forget about it. Interested in what’s wrong with your HiLux? It would be easier to sell off the HiLux entirely and buy a Tacoma instead!

See the frustration?

If this reflects your reality, the TopScan from TopDon is a better option, overall, even though you need to actively run a subscription to get it to work as intended (but, at least, you have a greater chance that your vehicle will be covered, even if it was only meant for the Australian market).

Wrap Up

Without question, the best bi-directional scan tool is the Innova 5610 – and for great reasons. Below are 5 of the reasons, summarized:

• It can run an array of active tests (just under 50, on my last count);
• It’s priced fairly (and is subsequently, affordable);
• There are no subscriptions (which is rare, at this point);
• It’s OE level and
• Importantly, it’s compatible with OBD I vehicles (when used with the appropriate adapters).

Don’t be fooled, though: if you have a vehicle that wasn’t designed for the North American market, hard luck…everything else shared here falls like a pack of cards, and in that case, the next best alternative remains the TopDon TopScan.

No questions asked.

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