TOOL REVIEW
PRODUCT
DESCRIPTION:
The Innova 5160 CarScan PRO scan tool features
an all-systems module Network Scan, Active
Test and bi-directional controls to perform diagnostic
routines, ABS and SRS live data and maintenance
system resets for most gas, diesel and
hybrid OBD-II vehicles on the road today. Optional
OBD-I coverage is available to service model year
1982 to 1995 vehicles. It also features FixAssist
technology with patented on-screen code and
troubleshooting repair tips, and trip cycle procedures
to support technicians in the proper validation
of repairs. Users can clearly view and record
diagnostic results on the tool’s full-color 3.5”
display that provides the convenience to view
up to four live data parameters at one time. The
5160 also features battery initialization, as well
as steering angle, battery and oil light reset. The
5160 comes with a protective rubber boot and
soft storage pouch. The 5160 includes access
to the RepairSolutions Pro diagnostic solutions
resource, created to help professionals and shops
diagnose and repair today’s complex vehicles by
providing verified fixes, difficulty ratings, TSBs,
step-by-step repair instructions, resource to connect
with fellow pros and more.
Circle 206 on card, or enter at “e-inquiry”
on VehicleServicePros.com
Innova
5160 CarScan PRO Scan Tool
This scan tool offers a wealth of resources and is fast, too.
by Sara Scullin, Managing Editor
It’s amazing the amount of information
manufacturers can now pack
into one handheld tool. Scan tools
have become an indispensable workhorse
in automotive repair shops — and
for good reason. They often hold the
key to complex diagnostics and troubleshooting.
They can point technicians in
the right direction and connect them
with fellow professionals.
For reviewer Rip Patel, shop foreman
of Laguna Auto Service Center in Laguna
Beach, Calif., the Innova 5160 CarScan
PRO scan tool offered many useful capabilities.
But he was blown away by its
speed, and how easy it was to use.
Patel said the 5160 was “Awesome! …
the quickest scanner in my toolbox.” He
added the CarScan PRO is as fast as a code
reader, yet as powerful as one of his larger
OE scan tools.
Many technicians will be pleased to
hear that this scanner is ready to go outof
the-box, and from Patel’s point of view
is “very, very simple to navigate.”
Patel reports the tool comes with a soft
grip slip-on cover, LED-lit OBD-II connector
and a soft carry case.
He used the included (multilingual)
Quick Reference Guide to learn about the
tool’s functions. The features he enjoyed
the most were the 5160’s “easy-to-understand”
emission monitor readiness — in
color, battery and alternator monitor —
and oil reset function.
Technicians at Laguna Auto Service
Center put the 5160 CarScan PRO to work
daily to check monitor readiness on all
makes and models prior to performing
smog checks. They also used it to scan
generic OBD-II codes on every vehicle
with an illuminated MIL, reset oil lamps
on oil changes that require a tool to do
so, and set steering angle after performing
alignments on certain vehicles that
require it.
“These are all daily activities,” says
Patel. “I use this tool at least five times a
day and up to 20, depending on what’s in
the shop that day.”
Overall, he was “very impressed” with
the scan tool.
“I believe this tool … can keep up with
other brands us techs are familiar with
and spend thousands of dollars on. In
fact I feel it has more of an advantage …
since it is easy to use and offers all the
key features you need to get the job done,”
Patel says. He compares “learning” a new
scan tool to “learning” a new smartphone.
In this case, he feels the 5160 “cuts that
time down to nothing.”
“I even have my service writer using it
to pull DTCs for customers when they’re
at the counter and want a better idea of
what’s going on,” he adds.
www.VehicleServicePros.com OCTOBER 2017 PROFESSIONAL TOOL & EQUIPMENT NEWS 81
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