TOPDON CarPal OBD2 Scanner Review

So you are driving along and your “Check Engine” light comes on.  What do you do?  What you shouldn’t do is go to the mechanic with no information about the maintenance issue.   In 1996 On Board Diagnostics (OBD) scanners were made mandatory for all vehicles made in the United States.  Today I’ll be reviewing the TOPDON scanner (OBD2),  the CarPlay, currently $39.99.

When that Check Engine light comes on you simply plug this device into the OBD2 port, connect via Bluetooth to an app on your smart phone and run a full diagnostic test of your vehicle.   The results will be displayed as a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC).   This means any average user can know exactly what is wrong with their vehicle before talking to a mechanic.

Having said that, this is a device that EVERYONE needs in their car just like you need a tire gauge.  Walking into a repair shop and saying “I don’t know what’s wrong” could end up getting you taken for an expensive ride.

OBD2 (2nd generation) ports generally sit just left of the steering wheel in most vehicles.  On my  2018 Toyota Tacoma it is literally a loose wiring connection near my fuse block.

Installation

Installation is a breeze and only takes a moment.  First download the TOPDON CarPal app.

The app instructs you to create an account.  While I’m not really a fan of that it does make sense to have your reports and diagnostic data available all in one place.

Following account creation you then plug the TOPDON Scanner into the OBD2 port.  You should see a green light on the device.

You are then instructed to start the car and connect the CarPal to Bluetooth on your smart phone.  The light should now be blue to indicate Bluetooth is connected.

From there you follow the prompts.  On my Tacoma it asked if I had a Toyota or a Lexus.  Once I selected Toyota the app downloaded the necessary Toyota files.

I did note that downloading over cellular was painfully slow so I moved my truck closer to the house to get WiFI.   Once downloaded it will ask you if the VIN number is correct and then drop you to the testing part of the app.

Diagnostics

In the photo above you you simply click the big blue button that says “Full Vehicle Health Check”.   You can watch the test in real time and it takes a minute or two to complete.   It looks like this:

Once completed you even have the option of sending a report to yourself OR YOUR MECHANIC in PDF format.

There are actually 2 pages to my diagnostic report but page 2 is pretty similar to page 1, so you get the idea.

My Thoughts

I actually own several OBD2 scanners.  Always, always, always get a Bluetooth one.  I have had a couple WiFi OBD2 devices and they just are frustrating to me.   TOPDON CarPal got it right with the Bluetooth implementation.  The reports are easy to read. Additionally,  they can be emailed, sent via text, or via AirDrop. That is a heck of a convenient feature.

Summation

OBD2 is a nifty trick that I don’t think many people even know about.  Using a TOPDON Scanner such as the CarPal puts you on a level playing field with your mechanic.  Also, you can walk in knowing that your oxygen sensor dropped dead and articulate that to the repair shop.

Every single car in the US should have one of these in the glovebox or center console.

With the knowledge this device provides, you are a lot less likely to be mis-diagnosed or flat out lied to by a repair shop.  Additionally, if you send them your report they will know that you can’t be had.  Heck, in my case above with a bad oxygen sensor you might just be able to fix it yourself.  Every repair in history is probably on YouTube these days.

JOHN’S TECH BLOG THINKS EVERYONE NEEDS AN OBD2 SCANNER AND THE TOPDON CARPAL IS THE RIGHT PRICE AND EASY TO USE.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.