Innova OBD2 Bidirectional Scan Tool 5610

I had purchased a 3100 originally, and it was totally great, but I took advantage of the trade in program to purchase the 5610! I had always wanted one. Let me tell you, this is a wonder. Totally well built and substantial. The scanner has a great anti shock body with great fit and finish. It came with a carrying case, and the instruction manual was surprisingly thick and well written. I’m looking forward to utilizing the more remarkable features of this tool. It is bidirectional! And for what this thing does for the money, it just can’t be beat.. Thanks so much Innova, I’m one happy customer.

Lo compré para mi carro CrossFox y no he tenido suerte, no aparece en los autos disponibles, tuve que pensarlo antes que es un scanner de Estados Unidos no iba a leer un carro de Brasil, tuve esperanza pero no me ayudó.

Easy to use! I own a used car dealership and it make diagnosing my vehicles very easy. Works with most to any vehicle with an ob2 port. This scanner will save you trips to the mechanic and will also save you on that diagnosing fee the value for the scanner is so good that it will pay for itself on the first use. When scanning a vehicle you get a personalized report on everything going on if anything with the vehicle and it sends the report right to your phone with everything needed to complete the repair. Also tells you around the cost of the parts so no more getting ripped off by your local shop. Even if you know nothing about cars this tool will make you look like a pro.

After a month of almost daily usage in a 2003 Toyota and 2013 Mazda, I’d buy it again. I’ll describe what the marketing doesn’t say or other reviews has discussed. Prior to this, I used Torque Pro on ELM327 since 2010. If you tinker with your car in any way, a generic OBD2 scanner is not enough today, except for basic troubles; modern cars are full of control computers, i.e., modules, finding them requires a scanner of more capacity, such as those thousand+ dollar annual license semi-pro scanners. Innova has found a niche between pro and basic consumer, in the top line model, the 5610

My primary need is to troubleshoot the drive train, to avoid being dead on the road in a long trip, repairing DIY items or confirming a pro mechanics diagnosis

Pros
It works as described and very high build quality made in Taiwan
Connection is fast and immediate vs a blue tooth dongle like the blue driver or ELM327
The cable is very long, and detachable and thus, replaceable if worn, has a light to make it easy to attach in the dark foot well were the OBD jack is, and easy not only to position in the cabin, drive the car with the OBD attached, but position it on the engine bay during troubleshooting
Optional AA battery usage so 5610 will retain data you can upload to its app later
It works stand alone to give you immediate and quick answers but can connect to an Android device via bluetooth to give you their diagnosis, save session results and provide graphing. I didn’t test Wifi, blue tooth is flawless and automatic, but requires Internet access to complete or it will abort.
Tech support online is superb and answered in a day
the LCD has bright large colored screen, makes it easy to see, but keys are not backlit

It works by loading various car maker modules that enhance functions beyond basic OBD2 capability, and will change depending on your car’s make, model and year. This makes is very hard to compare vs competitors since it ‘morphs’ to adapt to whatever car you have. It also may not cover all functions, particularly what you need, since it depends on what they were able to license from the maker, so best tested for what you need and returned if not, as you can’t buy this purely based on the marketing literature or the website compatibility list, it may have more or less. For e.g. on my Toyota, generic OBD2 covers 18 PIDs, using the Toyota module, has 74 PIDs, Mazda module has over 200 PIDs, and this is just for the engine alone; there are more PIDs for other modules like ABS and TPMS. Like a cheaper scanner, it will reset MIL as well as service reminders, but when the module supports the advance functions, such as TPMS, will reset its DTCs if not self resetting once repaired. It does live data on generic and OEM, but it will only save generic live data

It is bidirectional, in that I can turn on/off modules, if supported. This helps diagnosis when no DTC are available. For example, to test the fuel pump, I can turn it on/off, I can hear the motor actuating as well as the relay. This allows me to check pump function, its relay or check fuel pressure without having to go back to try and start the car. I can actuate the AC compressor clutch bypassing the dashboard switch, in case of a switch failure, likewise for the power windows. If you do not turn OFF a switch, it will default back to OFF after a timeout, if you disconnect the scanner, or turn the engine off; this is not described in the manual but is expected otherwise it would be a catastrophe if you forget to turn off the fuel pump with the car not running.

Lifelong license, but per tech support, updates are annually, at most. If you have a newer car than 2022, it may not support it completely. Its perfect for cars past warranty, and older the better, which may likely needs more than preventive maintenance and that an owner may attempt to DIY.

Cons
Expensive, its priced far above the ‘generic’ OBD2 scanners but less than semi-pro and pro scanners

When cars change, the response of the 5610 changes, so its unnerving at first as you don’t know if the unit broke. For example, ignition on only, my old Toyota will time out after 15 minutes and disconnect the 5610. On my Mazda, it stays on forever. On both, switching from an OEM to generic module after some time, may require the cable to be pulled and reinserted. These are not described in the users guide. I do not know if these are quirks of a normal 5610, a bug or normal OBD behavior.

No backlit keys, hard to see working in a dim cabin to select functions, so I use a headlamp.

Cannot upload OEM live data to the app, nor cannot export generic data to another app … I’ve given these as a wish list to tech support

I have purchased atleast 8 different scanners some worth double what this costs. Spent thousands trying to find a good one. All the other models from this brand I own, as well as a GM tech2 system. Out of all those scanners and systems, this is the only one I still use. I use diagnostic scanners almost daily and I never pick up anything besides this or my HPTuners MPV3. If you do alot of automotive repairs and your gunna use a scanner more then once a month then this is the one you need hands down by far.