Just a tip for you and anyone reading this speaking of bricking modules. If using an Autel we have 608's, 508's and a KM 100 on a Honda for key programming and it asks to verify the date after you went through vehicle make model and year selection ALWAYS choose NO even if the date verification is correct or you will brick the BCM. The Autel writes incorrectly to the BCM. Autel knows about this and has not fixed it. They also denied it at first. Now they admit it. Honda has a bulletin about after aftermarket programmers bricking the BCM's. In my experience Autel is the only one I know of that bricks them. This happened to us and another locksmith. He used a 508 and we used a 608. When choosing no it will say programming failed but in some cases actually programmed the key. We avoid using Autel's on Honda now and use an Advanced Diagnostics Smart pro which writes correctly to Honda BCM's and never asks for a date verification.
Autel's quality has dipped in recent years. I work on Euro cars only, and it used to be great, but the quality started to dip about 3 years ago. He motivated me to just get OEM tools.
Jake, I really appreciate you taking your time to do this review. In a former life as a programmer I found out that een though in your mind you've put together the best product on the planet, its the follow up with users that 1) makes you swallow your pride and 2) gives you the opportunity to go back and create a really really remarkable product. It sounds to me like TOPDON is the kind of company where those efforts are being made and well worth investing a few dollars in their product. Thanks for Sharing!
Thanks Jake ! That was a GREAT review . Thanks for taking the time to get us up to speed on this tool from someone who is certainly very knowledgeable about it .
great review, I have the thinktool pro s, which I believe is the basically the same as the launch, topdon. I have set imperial and get G/sec display for massair!, cant complain as I am not a pro, works good for my gmc and infinity and honda cars, there is no perfect scan tool, easier to use over factory tools.
Geez Jake, thanks a lot for the review. I actually have a new Smart coming in tomorrow. I have an Autel Ultra but needed a second "good" scanner. I actually ordered the "Smart" after seeing the videos you've included it in. Your reviews of this scanner were always positive, so I decided to go with the same. Thanks again for your input!
Thanks for the review and for mentioning the problem with the MAF pid; it is kind of frustrating. I think I might have to upgrade from the phoenix elite to the Smart because it can do heavy-duty vehicles.
I 100% agree with you on the maf readings, I have the topscan and it does the same exact thing I mostly work on gm’s and it drives me nuts it’s not G/S. Ive got a independent shop and am thinking hard about a autel or the phoenix smart. Your video was super helpful and informative thanks.
👍 I have a Phoenix Plus. Have issues with communication on several Jeep Liberty vehicles. Unfortunately that is half of my fleet that I need to maintain. Glad they are responsive to issues. Been a great tool overall. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent review Jake! Lots of good information and unbiased. I have had some issues with TOPDON support but hearing you explain it, maybe it's just a communication issue due to translation on both of our ends. Overall, I like the TOPDON and I think they make a good product. Thank you for the review! 👌🏼👍🏻
Awesome review Jake! Takes some patience when dealing with the tech help. Most the issues you've already mentioned.. But I just feel like all the scan tools coming out of China use the same tech help center.. same generic replies or troubleshooting steps. All done via email. lol Can be very frustrating. But all in all yes it's a good tool to have in the arsenal. Recommend at least 2 scan tools for working in the aftermarket industry. Preferably multiple different brands due to potential PID or configuration issues with the software. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the review. I have been researching scan tools for about a year now making sure I understand what they can and can't do so I can make the best decision possible, for obvious reasons. Since that tool uses the Launch software, when you make a suggestion, and they make the adjustment, is it Topdon doing the change or is it Launch? So if the change is made, does that get extrapolated to Thinkcar as well or once they have the software any changes made stay with Topdon? It also begs the question, if that tool runs the Launch software, why not just buy a Launch tool? I watch all of your videos as well as Ivan's and he uses the Thinktool pros almost exclusively. He refers to it as his workhorse. That is an older model so I'd imagine the newer models would be at least as good if not better. I was thinking seriously about the Thinktool Platinum S10 Pro model, but I wanted to wait until you reviewed this tool. My budget for a tool is around 2K. I want to get as much scanner as I can and if I have to spend a little more now so I don't screw myself in the long run I'll just have to make it work. I can only imagine how many people ask you what scanner they should buy, and that would be easy for me to do as well because I respect you as the truly gifted diagnostician that you are, but I'll make the decision and a little input from you on the questions I have would go a long way in helping me make a decision. One of my favorite sayings is, indecision is a decision, it's just the wrong one. Thank you for all the phenomenal videos you make. The information and training I get from them is priceless.
Ivan's Thinktool Pro S is equivalent to the topdon Phoenix Plus. Topdon is focused for the US market (especially their support) while Thinktool and Launch are more international.
Thanks jake ! It looks like I missed watching this video. It just poped on my UA-cam list, surely bacause I am considering buying a high end Topdon and I was trying to find which one is the best choice. I really wish you talked about the ADAS capabilities of the Topdon smart as this criteria is very important to me. I don't expect that my comment will reach you , but I will keep my fingers crossed 🤞
I don’t do hardly any adas stuff, those vehicles are just not in my area. For the things that do require static calibrations I just use oem software. As for my day to day the Smart is my go to scantool 90% of the time.
What a great review for us and the company. Thanks for going over the real world issues. By far the best review I’ve seen, I’m a huge fan of topdon now! I’m really wanting the tornado9000 to start, would this discount apply for reserving it as well? Thanks again, I’m just that guy trying to save as much money as I can appreciate the shout out and discount code lol
Hello, if you do a prescan that does populate all available modules, can you please scroll through the full TOPOLOGY listing with a quick pause as you scroll down if needed as when we pause the video sometimes its out of focus based on your scroll speed, so we can count or even ID all the modules, if something is not communicating prior to repairs, can you please do a post-scan to show all available modules after repairs, this is important to some who do not have such a nice listing on their other scanners, yes the exact model can make a difference but this is a good baseline, thank you for all your great videos Jake
@@WorkWithCesar the launch pro3s+ that I use a lot has a nice metric imperial button at the top of the data pid’s to quickly switch between them. It’s not a fix in the way I wish but it’s a very good solution.
Just purchased a new Zeus plus and it is now a windows 10 based platform. Operates exactly as a windows based laptop with the snap on interface operating as a standard application. I am able to download oem diagnostic applications and operate them as a standard laptop
@@autodiagyt I agree, not the cheapest purchase, but I think it depends on your dealer as well. I purchase mine during a special offer for $8300 with no trade in. Came with a free 24" touch screen monitor and thermal imager. My dealer took the thermal imager as a $1,000 trade in since I already had 1, so I was out the door at $7300 plus tax
Hi Sir thank u for ur videos I’m from Cape Town South Africa and I appreciate ur videos and recently purchased the Topdon smart and its been great what additional Topdon add on do u recommend
I’m a technician I can’t decide between this TopDon Phoenix smart or the Launch Torque 5. I was going TopDon but I’m leaning towards the Launch because of the HD truck Add on capability and other add ons available. TopDon is nice though. I found smart for $1600 the Launch is $1999
I agree that topdon will go out of their way to correct things. I tried to use the smart for all our fleet f150s. There was no support for f150s. I three days they fixed that. Unfortunately the hardware limitations are unacceptable. There is no way to power the tablet externally. Using the tablet and scope together will exceed the input from the charging brick. They include external hookup cables. Cig lighter and battery alligator clamps. But the tablet doesn't have the ports to plug them in. I get about 4 hours battery time. Around 5 hours if I plug in the charger.
Yes running the scope does take alot of processing power. It's great for testing things that you find in less than 30 minutes. It's definitely not meant for staying connected for long periods of time.
Only buy an iscan if you do european. I have the iscan,topdon smart,matco maxflex pro (launch),autel ultra,snap on solus and the autologic drive pro and the iscan is usually only used when I need to coding or programming on bmw and VAG products.its very good at that. I will have to say the topdon is lacking on bmw. But it is good VAG and decent on mercedes
Hi Jake I am interested in the Phoenix Smart after seeing your review. From the review, it seems that you can record scan data. I have the following questions about that. 1) Can it be played back on the tool for review? 2) Can it be exported to CSV and then saved to a thumb drive? Thanks!
I have a Phoenix Smart and successfully used my MDCI as a J2534 device to run FDJS. Vehicle was a 2008 Fusion 3.0 AWD. I was reprogramming the transmission solenoid codes.
Metric temps is super easy that's why the rest of the world uses it. Just think 'WATER' - 0 Deg Celsius/Centigrade is freezing & 100 deg Celsius/Centigrade is boiling (Modern Scale). And with distance everything is a proportional in 10's. 10mm = 1cm, 100cm=1m, 1000m=1km, and backwards 1000 microns = 1mm, 1000 nanometer=1 micron. Engine bores are actually measured in metric. so 1 size oversized pistons would be 500 micron or 1/2 mm.
Jake, if you can ask them: can you move the software (and its license) to another tablet if the current tablet gets damaged/dies? I would assume their answer will be “no” but with hardware being so poorly made it would be nice to reinstall the software on a replacement non-TopDon hardware if needed. Thanks!
I wouldn’t ever recommend using aftermarket cloud based programming. There is a lot that can go wrong. I have a Mercedes video showing how it can go wrong. Now you can use it as a jbox and use most OE software with it. The cloud based programming should be a last resort with the expectation you are buying a new module.
I am not at all a fan of the page view function you spoke of. Extremely annoying to navigate when going from bottom of page to bottom of page, instead of starting back at the top of the next page.... Or if going backward, then... From the bottom.
Just a tip for you and anyone reading this speaking of bricking modules. If using an Autel we have 608's, 508's and a KM 100 on a Honda for key programming and it asks to verify the date after you went through vehicle make model and year selection ALWAYS choose NO even if the date verification is correct or you will brick the BCM. The Autel writes incorrectly to the BCM. Autel knows about this and has not fixed it. They also denied it at first. Now they admit it. Honda has a bulletin about after aftermarket programmers bricking the BCM's. In my experience Autel is the only one I know of that bricks them. This happened to us and another locksmith. He used a 508 and we used a 608. When choosing no it will say programming failed but in some cases actually programmed the key. We avoid using Autel's on Honda now and use an Advanced Diagnostics Smart pro which writes correctly to Honda BCM's and never asks for a date verification.
Thanks a lot for the PSA (Programmer's Service Announcement 😉).
Great info.
Autel's quality has dipped in recent years. I work on Euro cars only, and it used to be great, but the quality started to dip about 3 years ago. He motivated me to just get OEM tools.
You are fast-ly becoming one of my favorite diagnosticians . Thanks I know how hard it is to do it.
Jake, I really appreciate you taking your time to do this review. In a former life as a programmer I found out that een though in your mind you've put together the best product on the planet, its the follow up with users that 1) makes you swallow your pride and 2) gives you the opportunity to go back and create a really really remarkable product. It sounds to me like TOPDON is the kind of company where those efforts are being made and well worth investing a few dollars in their product. Thanks for Sharing!
Thanks Jake By far the best scan tool review I have seen
Thanks Jake ! That was a GREAT review . Thanks for taking the time to get us up to speed on this tool from someone who is certainly very knowledgeable about it .
great review, I have the thinktool pro s, which I believe is the basically the same as the launch, topdon. I have set imperial and get G/sec display for massair!, cant complain as I am not a pro, works good for my gmc and infinity and honda cars, there is no perfect scan tool, easier to use over factory tools.
Geez Jake, thanks a lot for the review. I actually have a new Smart coming in tomorrow. I have an Autel Ultra but needed a second "good" scanner. I actually ordered the "Smart" after seeing the videos you've included it in. Your reviews of this scanner were always positive, so I decided to go with the same. Thanks again for your input!
How's the scanner going?
Thanks for the review and for mentioning the problem with the MAF pid; it is kind of frustrating. I think I might have to upgrade from the phoenix elite to the Smart because it can do heavy-duty vehicles.
@@autodiagyt 💯I recently got a subscription to Michell Heavy Duty, it really helps, but I still need a decent scan tool.
I 100% agree with you on the maf readings, I have the topscan and it does the same exact thing I mostly work on gm’s and it drives me nuts it’s not G/S. Ive got a independent shop and am thinking hard about a autel or the phoenix smart. Your video was super helpful and informative thanks.
👍 I have a Phoenix Plus. Have issues with communication on several Jeep Liberty vehicles.
Unfortunately that is half of my fleet that I need to maintain.
Glad they are responsive to issues.
Been a great tool overall.
Thanks for sharing.
Excellent review Jake! Lots of good information and unbiased. I have had some issues with TOPDON support but hearing you explain it, maybe it's just a communication issue due to translation on both of our ends. Overall, I like the TOPDON and I think they make a good product. Thank you for the review! 👌🏼👍🏻
nice bit of kit mate . have to say i just got an x tool d9 pro and to be fair it’s pretty darn good 👍
Awesome review Jake! Takes some patience when dealing with the tech help. Most the issues you've already mentioned.. But I just feel like all the scan tools coming out of China use the same tech help center.. same generic replies or troubleshooting steps. All done via email. lol Can be very frustrating.
But all in all yes it's a good tool to have in the arsenal. Recommend at least 2 scan tools for working in the aftermarket industry. Preferably multiple different brands due to potential PID or configuration issues with the software. Thanks for sharing!
Don't know where you are but Topdon has EXCELLENT phone support in the U.S. The best of the lot. Xtool is the one that's only email.
Thank you for the review. I have been researching scan tools for about a year now making sure I understand what they can and can't do so I can make the best decision possible, for obvious reasons. Since that tool uses the Launch software, when you make a suggestion, and they make the adjustment, is it Topdon doing the change or is it Launch? So if the change is made, does that get extrapolated to Thinkcar as well or once they have the software any changes made stay with Topdon? It also begs the question, if that tool runs the Launch software, why not just buy a Launch tool? I watch all of your videos as well as Ivan's and he uses the Thinktool pros almost exclusively. He refers to it as his workhorse. That is an older model so I'd imagine the newer models would be at least as good if not better. I was thinking seriously about the Thinktool Platinum S10 Pro model, but I wanted to wait until you reviewed this tool. My budget for a tool is around 2K. I want to get as much scanner as I can and if I have to spend a little more now so I don't screw myself in the long run I'll just have to make it work. I can only imagine how many people ask you what scanner they should buy, and that would be easy for me to do as well because I respect you as the truly gifted diagnostician that you are, but I'll make the decision and a little input from you on the questions I have would go a long way in helping me make a decision. One of my favorite sayings is, indecision is a decision, it's just the wrong one. Thank you for all the phenomenal videos you make. The information and training I get from them is priceless.
Ivan's Thinktool Pro S is equivalent to the topdon Phoenix Plus. Topdon is focused for the US market (especially their support) while Thinktool and Launch are more international.
That operates and looks very similar to the Launch scan tool we have at work.
love mine had an issue with gm and bmw but got that fix. great video
thanks for review >>> i need to choose between Autel maxisys 909 and this scan tool which one prefer plz
This video is really important because I wanted to buy this scanner 😊
Thanks jake ! It looks like I missed watching this video. It just poped on my UA-cam list, surely bacause I am considering buying a high end Topdon and I was trying to find which one is the best choice. I really wish you talked about the ADAS capabilities of the Topdon smart as this criteria is very important to me. I don't expect that my comment will reach you , but I will keep my fingers crossed 🤞
I don’t do hardly any adas stuff, those vehicles are just not in my area. For the things that do require static calibrations I just use oem software. As for my day to day the Smart is my go to scantool 90% of the time.
@@autodiagyt Thanks !
ASTUTE Automotive Diagnostics & Programming
👍
Brilliant information video
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 ⏰️ 20:59pm Good Evening
What a great review for us and the company. Thanks for going over the real world issues. By far the best review I’ve seen, I’m a huge fan of topdon now! I’m really wanting the tornado9000 to start, would this discount apply for reserving it as well? Thanks again, I’m just that guy trying to save as much money as I can appreciate the shout out and discount code lol
what is the difference between topdon phionex max and topdon phionex smart? and how much does the annual license cost?
Hello, if you do a prescan that does populate all available modules, can you please scroll through the full TOPOLOGY listing with a quick pause as you scroll down if needed as when we pause the video sometimes its out of focus based on your scroll speed, so we can count or even ID all the modules, if something is not communicating prior to repairs, can you please do a post-scan to show all available modules after repairs, this is important to some who do not have such a nice listing on their other scanners, yes the exact model can make a difference but this is a good baseline, thank you for all your great videos Jake
Did "they" fix your problems adopting this mercedes doors. It's kinda important to not brick modules?
Will cloning modules with T-Ninja require registering with NASTF (eventually)?
No
I have been thinking on this vs launch
Have they fixed the metric/ imperial mass air flow readings? And psi.
I’m not sure lol I can’t remember the last time I had to look at a mass air data pid lol
@@autodiagyt that’s the only thing keeping me from buying haha I can’t find a video of anyone mentioning it
@@WorkWithCesar the launch pro3s+ that I use a lot has a nice metric imperial button at the top of the data pid’s to quickly switch between them. It’s not a fix in the way I wish but it’s a very good solution.
Just purchased a new Zeus plus and it is now a windows 10 based platform. Operates exactly as a windows based laptop with the snap on interface operating as a standard application. I am able to download oem diagnostic applications and operate them as a standard laptop
@@autodiagyt I agree, not the cheapest purchase, but I think it depends on your dealer as well. I purchase mine during a special offer for $8300 with no trade in. Came with a free 24" touch screen monitor and thermal imager. My dealer took the thermal imager as a $1,000 trade in since I already had 1, so I was out the door at $7300 plus tax
Hi Sir thank u for ur videos I’m from Cape Town South Africa and I appreciate ur videos and recently purchased the Topdon smart and its been great what additional Topdon add on do u recommend
The scope would be a good add on if you don’t have a scope.
Why did you choose this over the other Topdon's?
Can I do all the programming, coding and software updates with this device on my bmw?
I don't use the aftermarket programming features. ISTA is only $30 for a day so no real reason to try aftermarket files that might work or might not.
Topdon is there any training I can receive for your tools please
They post a few things on there UA-cam channel.
I’m a technician I can’t decide between this TopDon Phoenix smart or the Launch Torque 5. I was going TopDon but I’m leaning towards the Launch because of the HD truck Add on capability and other add ons available. TopDon is nice though. I found smart for $1600 the Launch is $1999
You can add the HD package to the smart. I added it to mine.
I have a 2013 chevy volt and I need to reprogram the hybrid battery modules what is my best and cheapest option thanks in advance
To program with GM you'll need to use the mvci as a j2534 passthrough with gm software and a vin subscription. I have a video on gm programming.
Como a china toma conta de tudo. Como pode nos EUA não ter esta opção do escrever vin. Voces por ai não usa o passthru no site das montadoras ?
Yes
I agree that topdon will go out of their way to correct things. I tried to use the smart for all our fleet f150s. There was no support for f150s. I three days they fixed that.
Unfortunately the hardware limitations are unacceptable. There is no way to power the tablet externally. Using the tablet and scope together will exceed the input from the charging brick.
They include external hookup cables. Cig lighter and battery alligator clamps. But the tablet doesn't have the ports to plug them in. I get about 4 hours battery time. Around 5 hours if I plug in the charger.
Yes running the scope does take alot of processing power. It's great for testing things that you find in less than 30 minutes. It's definitely not meant for staying connected for long periods of time.
Grasias
This tool looks like a launch tech scan tool. Does anyone know if this is basically same tool?
@@autodiagyt main reason why I ask is because I got a matco maximus 3.0 aka launch. And I don't want to buy a second launch tool basically.
@@autodiagyt got one already. I'll probably get an iscan. I generally have 3 aftermarket scan tools and then OEM interfaces.
@@phillipzan2005 Where do you recommend buying an iScan from? I'm thinking about getting one too.
Only buy an iscan if you do european. I have the iscan,topdon smart,matco maxflex pro (launch),autel ultra,snap on solus and the autologic drive pro and the iscan is usually only used when I need to coding or programming on bmw and VAG products.its very good at that. I will have to say the topdon is lacking on bmw. But it is good VAG and decent on mercedes
@@laurenbush1665 I do Euro. A lot actually because not too many shops mess with them.
I believe the inability to browse to pre-scan pdf is within shop software, rather than topdon tool issue.
No it’s the tool. It only allows access to curtain folders because it’s a closed OS
Hi Jake
I am interested in the Phoenix Smart after seeing your review.
From the review, it seems that you can record scan data. I have the following questions about that.
1) Can it be played back on the tool for review?
2) Can it be exported to CSV and then saved to a thumb drive?
Thanks!
Sold me on it too
I have a Phoenix Smart and successfully used my MDCI as a J2534 device to run FDJS. Vehicle was a 2008 Fusion 3.0 AWD. I was reprogramming the transmission solenoid codes.
Metric temps is super easy that's why the rest of the world uses it. Just think 'WATER' - 0 Deg Celsius/Centigrade is freezing & 100 deg Celsius/Centigrade is boiling (Modern Scale). And with distance everything is a proportional in 10's. 10mm = 1cm, 100cm=1m, 1000m=1km, and backwards 1000 microns = 1mm, 1000 nanometer=1 micron. Engine bores are actually measured in metric. so 1 size oversized pistons would be 500 micron or 1/2 mm.
It’s just hard when you didn’t grow up with it to know a reference to it in a daily use.
@@autodiagyt Fair enough... I get you.
Jake, if you can ask them: can you move the software (and its license) to another tablet if the current tablet gets damaged/dies? I would assume their answer will be “no” but with hardware being so poorly made it would be nice to reinstall the software on a replacement non-TopDon hardware if needed. Thanks!
Metric is eazy 😊😊
Will this update software, modules, specifically the DME on BMWs like how ISTA+ does?
I wouldn’t ever recommend using aftermarket cloud based programming. There is a lot that can go wrong. I have a Mercedes video showing how it can go wrong. Now you can use it as a jbox and use most OE software with it. The cloud based programming should be a last resort with the expectation you are buying a new module.
Launch throttle 3 the best
Hi just I order the new Lunch scanner 👍
I am not at all a fan of the page view function you spoke of. Extremely annoying to navigate when going from bottom of page to bottom of page, instead of starting back at the top of the next page.... Or if going backward, then... From the bottom.