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July 2025 Planes, Boats & Automobiles!

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:16:55 GMT

I really don't go anywhere without my TOPDON these days

Here's a little taster of some of the places I've taken my TOPDON recently:

Here's a pic of my TopScan Pro along side my passport on the tray table on a working trip flying over to Dublin, Ireland

and here's my Phoenix Lite 3 on the ferry across to another job on the Isle of wight

Here it is when I went to the states for a job and landed at LAX with my Top Scan Pro in hand!

Here I am flying out to a consultation in Milan, Italy and note the Phoenix Lite 3 has it's own seat as all precious cargo should

Here it is with me, and in it's own seat again on another boat, this time heading to France

and here it is fixing a problem job I was called out to Sicily when none of the local mechanics could fix it

June 2025 Feeling hot hot hot!

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:04:40 GMT

Time to test out the TC001

Thermal imaging camera time! this is where I feel like James Bond using thermal imaging to diagnose a problem, pretty cool....or hot you'll know when you scan it with the TC001!

This came in particularly handy when I needed to diagnose an issue on a van cooling system by using the thermal imaging camera to assess the cooling system and see that the thermostat was open and allowing coolant to flow around the system, I was also able to see the radiator was the same temperature throughout so no blockages etc allowing me to assess a large part of the system in a matter of seconds getting me to a speedy diagnosis!!

and I was even able to turn the camera around on myself and check how I was looking......turns out I was looking seriously HOT!! well temperature wise at least anyway!

May 2025 Current-ly testing the BT100W Battery tester - not shocked its good!

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 19:44:28 GMT

Positive results! (Pun intended)

Over the last few months I've been trying out the TOPDON BT100W Battery tester. Spoiler alert - it's great, but it can give 'iffy' results if you don't connect it correctly so one to be careful of!

So here it is, the BT100W:

Now what I like most about this is the fact it connects to your phone or device via bluetooth which is great for 2 main reasons:

Number 1 you can connect it to the battery and operate the tester from inside the car so you can start the engine and test cranking voltage, turn on consumers and test charging voltage under load etc which just makes life so much easier.

and Number 2 you can screenshot the results and then have a digital record of the test which you can send on to a customer or attach to a report etc and no wasted ink or printer paper so brilliant for the environment!

and here are some examples of the screenshots you can save from the tests I've done...

firstly battery test result followed by cranking test then charging test

I've switched from using my VW main dealer battery tester which printed out test results to this one and it's a part of the reason I recently won the 2025 Environmental award at the Car an Aftermarket Trader awards so thanks TOPDON!!

and even managed to make it into the newspaper too!

Here's the beginning and end screenshots of the digital version of the article:

or you can read the full article here on the newspaper website:

Feb 2025 - Amazing gift from Mike Zhou, CEO of TOPDON

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:15:51 GMT

TOPDON Top Scan Pro

It was so great to meet Mike Zhou, the CEO of TOPDON when I flew out to Frankfurt for the Automechanika convention. Realy great to meet face to face and chat about the diagnostic equipment in person. I was able to pass on some minor niggles I've had, which were very minor and he seemed genuinely interested and wanted to pass those observatons on to the technical team which was great to hear my input was genuinely valued! Really nice guy, he even gave me a personal gift of a TopScan Pro which although it bviously has less functionality than the Phoenix Lite 3 I think it might be my new favourite go to tool! The fact that it is so small and lightweight means I can carry it wherever I go just in case an emergency pops up!

Here it is plugged into the car, I think my initial reaction is that I'll have to be careful not to leave it in a car when I leave a job, I might have to come up with some sort of fool proof method to make sure that doesn't happen. Watch this space.......

But what I love the most about has to be how portable it is, I'm literally never going anywhere without it now, here it is on my first trip abroad since I got it on the planes fold out tray table

Another great feature I discovered when having a little play around and exploring the settings menu is how the live data is displayed, so you can actually view live data in numerical form, graph for and gauge form (the gauge form is something you can't do on the phoenix lite 3 and I think it's a really cool feature, you can probably 'gauge' my level of excitement by the fact I'm writing about it now!!

and here's an example of a test report you can create from the Top Scan Pro, there's also a great feature where you can add a photo onto the bottom of the report to authenticate it by taking a photo of the car to prove this scan is from this car. Here's a report I generated after doing a full system scan on a Porsche:

January 2025. Exciting new start to the year with TOPDON

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:09:18 GMT

2025

I'm sure everybody reading this got some exciting presents for christmas, either that or socks anyway!

Personally I got some great presents but, and hopefully none of my friends and family are reading this, or hopefully they'll forgive me if they are, nothing could match the amazing early Christmas present I got back in September last year when I became a brand ambassador for TOPDON and got the best present I have ever received. A package full of TOPDON products! I'm still loving playing with it all and exploring all the different capabilities of the tools, mainly trying out my Phoenix lite 3 on as many different types of cars as possible!

Above shown using it on a Jaguar i-pace and below on a Jaguar F-pace and an Aston Martin

And below on a Mazda, an Audi and a Porsche, as you can see I'm using all the time as my main diag tool now!! So far so good, I have to say i'm nothing short of blown away by the tool and what it can do!

I think one of my favourite stand out features is the system topology as shown below, you can quickly see which systems have issues and which don't

Doing some in depth diagnosis on a Porsche Macan and delving a bit deeper into the capabilities of the unit below

I'm really not just saying this, The TOPDON Phoenix Lite 3 is really my new favourite thing! I can't go anywhere without it now!

You know what they say - life's a beach!

The start of a beautiful friendship with TOPDON December 2024

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 18:36:57 GMT

My first few months of being a brand ambassador for TOPDON

I'm still so thrilled that TOPDON wanted to work with me and supplied me with a full set of diagnostic equipment.

Every day the fantastic kit helps me diagnose and repair jobs that bit easier. I've been an ambassador for a couple of months now and I'm still trying out different features and different bits of the kit.

I'm mainly using the Phoenix Lite 3 in my day to day work and I just couldn't be happier with it.

Here it is plugged into the first car I tested it out on, as you can see the protective film is still on the screen....

The job in hand was a 2022 Cupra Born with a warning light showing on the dash, the Phoenix Lite 3 didn't let me down and performed great on it's first job. The only thing to note really is that there is no option for selecting 'Cupra' under the manufacturers list. But if you select SEAT, the former brand name it all works as it should and if you use Autoscan function it will figure that out for you, took me a couple of minutes to figure out so posting it here to hopefully be of use to someone reading this. Otherwise can't fault it straight out of the box first go and loving it!

The other bits of kit I have started exploring include the T-Ninja Box

The T-ninja Box like a lot of the TOPDON products comes in a really cool looking flight case to keep it safe and protected so it stays in top working condition which is great. I've just had a booking for an immobiliser job so looking forward to testing it out on that!

The TC001 Thermal imaging camera

and the BT100W Battery tester

At this stage I'm just getting to grips with it all, having a little play around with the kit and finding out its full potential, keep an eye on my social media channels including Instagram and Youtube where i'll be posting regular updates and live footage of me using the kit at work as the car consultant solving problem jobs. I'm so excited to start exploring the potential fully and look forward to making more detailed blog entries about the kit, so watch this space!

Written by Edward Hunt

Published December 2024

Monaco GP Pit lane experience with Williams Racing

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 21:36:05 GMT

Forget life in the fast lane, give me life in the pit lane!

My earliest memory of Formula 1 is watching Nigel Mansell win the British Grand Prix in the Williams FW14 racing car back in 1992, when I was just 8 years old. Even back then I knew I wanted to be a mechanic, but I could never have imagined my career would one day take me to the point where I would be personally invited into the Pit lane as a guest of the Williams F1 team. Fast forward 32 years and that's where we are now! But before I describe my experience of the Pit lane, I first need to back up a little and explain how I got here.

The reason I'm in Monaco for the Grand Prix is because the weekend package of flights, hotel and tickets to the races were all supplied by DENSO as my prize for winning the League Of True Mechanics for a third consecutive year running, retaining my title of being ranked number 1 in the UK and Ireland. As a consultant mechanic, dealing exclusively with unusual and complicated issues it's vital that I stay on top of my game. I'm constantly looking for new ways to develop, enhance and maintain the knowledge and skills I have, enabling me to continue diagnosing the most complex faults accurately. Therefore entering the LOTM seemed an obvious choice, giving me a chance to not only review my existing knowledge for my own personal growth and development but to compete on a national level with the hopes of proving what I'm capable of, to instil confidence in any prospective clients. Hopefully achieving the hat trick and retiring from the contest undefeated will do that.

Cut to the day before I'm due to fly out to Monaco, the excitement and anticipation for the trip has already been building up more and more each day, when I receive a very special email from Craig Woodhouse, the head of Communications for Williams Racing, where he writes:

"Dear Edd. We would firstly like to congratulate you on such an amazing achievement and that you’re heading out this weekend to Monaco. We are delighted to be able to say that we would love to welcome you into the paddock/pit lane for a tour tomorrow"

I felt like Charlie Bucket when he got the Golden Ticket to go and meet Willy Wonka, only my golden ticket was to get me in to a place much cooler than a chocolate factory! Waiting eagerly at the meeting point I was greeted by Charlie, the teams hospitality and events manager wearing the very cool uniform of the crisp white shirt with the team name and sponsors emblazoned on. After being handed a paddock pass I was whisked off down the hill and behind the curtain, in this case the curtain being an iron door beyond which lay the paddock area. Next came the full tour, getting to see the press area, the paddock club and the row of team 'motorhomes'. I put motorhomes in inverted commas because they are not like any motorhome I've ever seen before. Imagine large pre-fabricated buildings that are transported in sections from race to race and constructed to provide a hospitality area and base of operations for the teams.

As we entered the Williams motorhome, we passed through the ground floor bar and bistro area, headed upstairs to see the racing sims and a fine dining area where I was thrilled to immediately spot the Team Principle James Vowles having lunch with some V.I.P's. We continued to the top floor, an open air rooftop bar, which overlooked the marina full of super yachts, it was quite a view I can tell you! After a quick 'pit stop' there and a refreshing drink to 're-fuel' we headed down to the pit lane. As we weaved through the paddock area, we casually passed various celebrities and drivers including Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, before being overtaken on foot by the Formula 1 legend Jackie Stewart proving he is still the flying Scot!

The pit lane itself was a feast for the senses. A veritable smorgasbord of sights, smells and sounds. The sights of all the cars & garages proudly displaying their team colours and branding brightly, the smells of the exhaust fumes as these highly tuned engines were being fired up and the incredible sounds of the same engines roaring! As we passed by the different team garages, each one was a hive of activity with teams of mechanics working hard to get the cars ready for the next race. Before I know it, we are at the Williams garage and the barrier is opened to let us in. I'm greeted by Craig Woodhouse and we chat for a bit before he introduces me to Ben Howard, the Chief Mechanic. I'm sure for most F1 fans meeting the drivers would be the ultimate thrill, and don't get me wrong, there is no doubting how cool those guys are, but for me, in my job, having the opportunity to meet and chat to the man who is the Chief Mechanic for a Formula 1 team was easily more exciting. It has to be every mechanics dream job, what Ben does week in and week out, getting to work on the actual Formula 1 cars, being part of the racing team, getting to see all the action of the races up close and getting to travel the world whilst doing so is what most of us could only ever dream of.

What struck me most about Ben was how humble and unassuming he was and also how generous he was with his time! On a race weekend when they are at their busiest he took the time to explain his job to me, how some of the processes in the garage worked and what his team of mechanics were working on right at that moment. This was just after the second practice session of three, the day before the qualifiers and already both drivers had 'touched' the walls/barriers and caused damage to their cars. Logan Sargent's car was having it's rear wishbone replaced and Alex Albon's car was being fully scanned by laser to assess damage. Evidently the part of the body that had been the point of contact with the barrier/wall looked perfectly fine to the naked eye but when it had been stress tested it did not conform to the strict regulations required for safety reasons so had to be replaced. Ben talked me through the traffic light system they have before they can even crank the engine, pointed out some of the different stations where he and the engineers would operate and explained some of the challenges they can face such as having to adhere to a strict curfew in the garage, something I have to admit, I wasn't aware of, I always assumed they would be working through the night if necessary. When Ben returned to his station, Charlie and Craig continued my Pit Lane education by taking the time to show me some of the features of the area outside of the garage. They explained about the specifics of the markings on the ground where the driver had to stop and the equipment for the mid race pit work giving me lots of nuggets of information that will definitely serve to enhance my enjoyment of watching the pit stops during F1 races on TV in the future.

The whole experience was nothing short of phenomenal and something I will never forget. The thing I will take most from this experience was the feeling of being surrounded by greatness and how mentally invigorating that was. Whether you are a fan or not, there is no disputing that Formula 1 is the elite sport of the motor industry and represents only the best of the best, or as they would say in Monaco, the crème de la crème. This really shone through with each member of the team I was lucky enough to meet, something they all seemed to share in common, was being very friendly, very understated yet exuding competence and proficiency. From the hospitality manager, the Chief Mechanic through to the Head of Communications, they all seemed to be running on very high octane fuel and driven towards a shared goal of delivering excellence, their enthusiasm and passion was infectious. As someone who has always been very passionate about what I do, it was a great feeling to be amongst like minded individuals and I came away feeling more motivated than ever to continue pursuing my own personal growth in the Motor Industry and continue striving to be the best at what I do, just as they are! I went in a Williams fan and came out wanting to work for them and wishing I could have been a member of the team myself and I think that says it all!

Written by Edward Hunt