Topdon ArtiDiag500 OBD-II scanner review

Our Verdict

One of the near capable OBD-II scanners available, the Topdon ArtiDiag500 has a large color touchscreen, Wi-Fi and the power to dig deep into a vehicle's operations. It deserves to be in your toolbox.

For

• Excellent array of diagnostic tests
• Large colour touchscreen
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Rugged design with soft edges

Confronting

• Big and heavy
• Short cable
• Cumbersome to hold
• Doesn't fit in case

Tom's Guide Verdict

I of the most capable OBD-II scanners available, the Topdon ArtiDiag500 has a large color touchscreen, Wi-Fi and the ability to dig deep into a vehicle'southward operations. Information technology deserves to be in your toolbox.

Pros

• +

  Excellent array of diagnostic tests

• +

  Large color touchscreen

• +

  Wi-Fi connectivity

• +

  Rugged design with soft edges

Cons

• -

  Big and heavy

• -

  Short cable

• -

  Cumbersome to concord

• -

  Doesn't fit in example

Topdon ArtiDiag500: Specs

Size: nine.1 x 4.9 x 1.4 inches
Weight: 1.6 pounds
Alive data: Yes
Brandish type and size: Color touchscreen, 5-inch
Number of keys: 4
Bluetooth & app: No
Handheld: Yes
Warranty: two years

I of the all-time OBD-2 automotive diagnostic scanners, and ane that straddles the line between amateur and professional person users, the Topdon ArtiDiag500 not but has a large color touchscreen and Wi-Fi capabilities simply also includes an automotive health study and can plough off the "change oil" lite.

The ArtiDiag 500 is big and heavy, and its cable is also brusk. All the same, it merely might be the best $170 a car owner can spend on a diagnostic tool. It's 1 of our ii Editor's Selection picks for best OBD-Ii scanners.

Read on for the rest of our Topdon ArtiDiag500 review.

Topdon ArtiDiag500: Pricing and availability

When you consider all the Topdon ArtiDiag500 does, its $170 toll tag makes information technology a bargain. The company sells a range of OBD-2 gear, from the $20 TD300 code reader to the flagship $3,300 Phoenix Pro professional system.

Topdon ArtiDiag500: Pattern

Aimed at both professional mechanics and wannabes, the Topdon ArtiDiag500 is one of the best horizontal OBD scanners available for the price.

The unit is 9.1 10 4.nine 10 1.4 inches, making it one of the biggest scanners bachelor. Its soft rubber edging means that it can stand up up to being dropped in a garage or outdoors. At 1.4-pounds, however, information technology'south twice the weight of many of its competitors.

(Paradigm credit: Topdon)

Despite inset grips in the back, the ArtiDiag500 tin can exist cumbersome to agree in one hand. It comes with a padded instance, just the scanner won't fit with its cable attached. Fortunately, it'southward easy to disconnect the cable when stowing the unit.

Looking like an overgrown portable gaming console, the ArtiDiag500 has a five-inch horizontal colour touchscreen that shows 1280 x 800 resolution and reliably responds to touches and swipes. It's significantly larger than the iv.3-inch non-touch screen on the other horizontal OBD-II scanner we liked, the Foxwell NT614 Elite.

Based on Android seven.ane, the ArtiDiag500's software is icon-based and e'er displays a battery indicator in the upper left corner displaying the scanner's current charge level.

The main screen has sections for Diagnose, running a I/M pre-inspection test, OBD-2 details and the vehicle's battery voltage. There are also icons for upgrading the scanner's organisation, looking at the raw information and making configuration changes in the settings.

(Image credit: Topdon)

The ArtiDiag500'due south iv-way navigation knob has an on/off switch likewise as buttons for Home, OK and Go Back. But the touchscreen is a game changer for this class of OBD-Two scanner. I found myself using the touchscreen more than the buttons.

The ArtiDiag500 can monitor the anti-lock brakes, airbags and battery, and as well brandish and graph live car information.

The scanner's battery can power it when it's not continued to a motorcar, only information technology requires a USB power source to recharge it; the device includes a USB cablevision only not an Air-conditioning adapter.

Topdon ArtiDiag500: Performance

After I plugged the Topdon ArtiDiag500 into my car'due south OBD-Two port, I started the scanner's innovative Automatic System Detection mode. It found a couple of things that needed my attention, showed me the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for each of my cars and institute the fault that I manually introduced (a asunder oil-temperature sensor).

(Epitome credit: Tom'south Guide)

The ArtiDiag500's Health study took well-nigh thirty seconds to compile and showed me areas of potential major concern, such equally the engine control computer or the ABS arrangement. Information technology besides let me pick the categories for automatic scanning and plow off the oil maintenance light.

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(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

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(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I was able to read the information stream from a diverseness of automotive sensors and colorfully graph them. Anything I retrieved could exist sent as an email via the Wi-Fi connexion. The Wi-Fi link is too for updating the arrangement's software.

Topdon ArtiDiag500: Setup

Because of its Wi-Fi capabilities, the Topdon AritDiag500 took a few actress minutes to gear up. After selecting my linguistic communication, I needed to selection my Wi-Fi network and enter the passcode. It worked fine on my dwelling house's wireless LAN as well as on my phone's hotspot.

The ArtiDiag500 took roughly 20 seconds to link with my car, only with a cable of but 47 inches, it barely reached into the engine bay. However, information technology worked well with a third-party OBD-Two extension cable.

The scanner comes with a short booklet that Topdon calls a User Transmission only getting the most out of the scanner will require some trial and error. Its ii-year warranty and lifetime updates go beyond the basic coverage that other scanner makers provide.

Topdon ArtiDiag500 review: Lesser line

Topdon'due south ArtiDiag 500 offers an in-depth wait inside whatsoever car'south operations and does a lot for $170. Its splendid array of diagnostic tests, Wi-Fi connectivity and game-changing 5-inch touchscreen are held back by the ArtiDiag500's big, heavy and cumbersome case, equally well as its too-short cablevision. Nonetheless, information technology'south a lot of OBD-II scanner for the money.

Brian Nadel is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in technology reporting and reviewing. He works out of the suburban New York City area and has covered topics from nuclear power plants and Wi-Fi routers to cars and tablets. The erstwhile editor-in-chief of Mobile Computing and Communications, Nadel is the recipient of the TransPacific Writing Award.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/topdon-artidiag500

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