December 2022 - 22

TOPDON
Phoenix Max Scan Tool
Reviewed by Phil Fournier, owner of
Phil's Auto Clinic in Hemet, Calif.
a Ford product. It also has an option for
ALL PIDs on a Nissan, something that
other scan tools do not offer, so you cannot
always combine the PIDs you want
in a single data list, whereas this one will
let you do that.
Q: What kind of setup was involved
before using the product?
A: There is some setup required and the
instruction book is not very good. I had
to get help from product support to get
the tool in operation. The scope setup
was instantaneous; I plugged it in, and
it opened the scope app automatically.
Q: How easy was it to use?
A: I am an experienced scan tool user,
having used a wide variety of factory
and aftermarket scanners. I'd put this
one somewhere in the middle. I did have
to make a few phone calls to tech support
when I found the tool failed to record several
long data captures I made. But they
resolved the issue.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The TOPDON Phoenix Max
Diagnostic Scan Tool is an OE-level
scanner with a 13.3 " screen, housed in
a worksite-ready exterior. It's capable of
configurations on vehicles ranging from
9V to 24V batteries and features FCA
Gateway access, topology mapping,
and is ADAS compatible. The scan tool
includes a four-channel oscilloscope
to visualize signals from multiple data
sources and an updated MDCI (modular
diagnostics and communication
interface) that allows users to run CAN
FD, DoIP, D-PDU, RP1210, and J2534
programs. The Phoenix Max provides
dealer-level capabilities, two years of
automotive updates, and one year of
enhanced heavy duty coverage.
Circle 27 on card or click " PTEN e-inquiry "
on VehicleServicePros.com
Q: How did the tool function
as far as saving you time?
A: I love the scan-all-modules function
up front that identifies modules communicating
and which ones have codes.
Jumping from that screen directly into
the module is also a powerful feature that
saves time. Most other scanners also have
the scan-all-modules function, but few
have the graphical interface available on
this scanner.
Q: What features did you like?
A: The PID search function is flat-out
amazing. On a late model Ford vehicle
where you can search every PID on the
engine module and there are over 250
PIDs, the search window is invaluable.
That feature alone is enough to influence
me to use this tool over others for
This product was given to the reviewer free of charge from the manufacturer.
22 PTEN DECEMBER 2022 www.VehicleServicePros.com
Q: Is there any way you could think
to improve or add to this tool?
A: Open up a proactive pipeline with techs
working with the tool, so missing PIDs or
functions are very easy to report and make
sure that they get fixed quickly.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would
you rate this tool overall? Why?
A: I give it an eight for having the search function
and the network topology smart scan. It
would be great if the network topology could
help identify a module that was supposed to
be on the car that was not communicating. I
don't think any aftermarket scan tool has this
functionality at the moment.
PHIL FOURNIER has been the
owner/technician at Phil's Auto
Clinic for 32 years and a working
auto technician for 45 years.
Fournier received his ASE Master
Certification in 1982 and his AAM
from the Automotive Management Institute in
1994. Currently, he works as a consultant doing
diagnosis, reprogramming, and virtual instruction.
Fournier currently holds 17 ASE certifications
including ASE Master Auto and Master truck plus
L1, L2, and L3.
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2022
