Most of my time in the shop is spent buried in ancient steel—real cars, not these wheezing modern things laced with silicon and shame. I hot rod, goddammit. I take something that works, rip out the compromises, and replace them with speed and danger. And I do it all with tools, not a laptop. So when Innova emailed me asking if I’d like to review one of their OBD2 scanners, I laughed. Out loud.
“Wrong guy,” I told them. I don’t own anything new enough to need one. My shop is where computers go to die.
They sent it anyway.
And that’s when the universe winked. A buddy rolled in driving a Porsche 996—German, computerized, and offended by the concept of simplicity. The check engine light was glowing like the devil’s eye. So I thought, “Hell with it,” and plugged in the Innova 5610. Nothing. Flatline. The scanner couldn’t make sense of the Porsche protocol—couldn’t even get past hello. A total failure. I cursed the whole ordeal, boxed the thing up, taped it shut, and flung it into the back of my truck like radioactive waste headed for disposal.
Then, a week later, my phone rang.
My daughter was stranded at the gym in her Bronco Sport. Wouldn’t start. I ran down there with my trusty Noco Jump Box, got it started, and realized I was eyeballs deep in another 21st-century electronics nightmare. The dash was lit up like a Christmas tree with warning lights. And then I remembered… that scanner’s still in the bed of the truck.
I fished it out, plugged it in, and this time—miracle of miracles—it sang. The 5610 got along just fine with the Ford, fed me a clear list of codes, and gently suggested some sort of low voltage situation. I then noticed a “battery test” function on the main menu and clicked on it. After a series of steps, I was told the battery wasn’t accepting a charge as it should.
Lucky for me, I was parked across from an O’Reilly’s. I confirmed the diagnosis with their clunky in-house tester, bought a new battery, and began the ritual disassembly of the Bronco’s engine bay to get the old battery out—in a YMCA parking lot, sweating, swearing, and thinking about weed and whiskey. Cuz that’s where we are these days fellas…
Look, I’m not the guy you want reviewing diagnostic gear. I’m more at home with a vacuum gauge than a firmware update. But I can tell you this: I didn’t read the directions, I didn’t know what I was doing, and the Innova still made sense from nonsense. It told me what I needed to know when I needed it—and that’s more than I can say for half the people in my life.
It costs $350. Maybe that’s cheap. Maybe it’s highway robbery. Doesn’t matter. It got me through the fire and let me look like a hero to my daughter. That’s worth something.
Hell, I might even keep the thing. So props to you Innova – I appreciate this little glowing idiot box more than even you thought I would.
More details of the thing here.
***
UPDATE: We’ve partnered with Innova Electronics to bring an exclusive deal to the GarageJournal community.
The Offer:
- Product: Innova 5610 Bidirectional OBD2 Scanner (Use This Link)
- Discount: 15% OFF on Amazon
- Coupon Code:
INNOVA5610GJ
PLUS, a FREE Bonus for GJ Members:
With your purchase, you’ll receive two free tools (a $200 total value!):
- FREE Innova Circuit Tester ($100 Value)
- FREE Innova Inspection Camera Borescope ($100 Value)
How to Redeem:
- Purchase the Innova 5610 on Amazon using code
INNOVA5610GJ. - Send a Private Message (PM) to the user “Innova“ on the forum.
- In the PM, provide your Amazon Order #, Full Name, Shipping Address, and Phone Number.
They will ship the two free devices directly to you. Enjoy!
