Kingbolen Ediag Link Review: The Cheapest Bidirectional Scanner, With One Catch
Published: June 10, 2026 · Last updated: June 10, 2026
The Kingbolen Ediag Link is the cheapest way to get real bidirectional control and service resets onto your car. It’s a Bluetooth dongle that runs off the Ediag app, and for around $40 to $50 it does things a $20 ELM327 clone cannot touch. The catch is the model. Everything works free for the first year, then full system scans, resets and bidirectional control sit behind a subscription. Go in knowing that and it’s a smart, low risk way to try a proper scanner before you commit to a tablet.
I earn from qualifying purchases and sometimes get tools for free (full disclosure). It never affects my scoring.
Kingbolen Ediag LINK
The Kingbolen Ediag LINK is cheap but packed with features like bi-directional testing, full-system scan, service resets and even some programming but requires subscription after first year..
- Cheap
- Easy to use
- Very advanced features considering the price
- Subscription after first year
Service functions (10+)
Scores
Specs
| Tool type | Standalone device |
| User level | Advanced |
| Vehicle focus | All makes |
| Free updates | 1 year |
| Subscription | Required ($30/yr) |
| Locked features | everything except global OBD |
Support & resources
| Need help with tool? | Open tool support page ↗ |
| Will this work for my car? | Open coverage check page ↗ |
| Supported languages |  |
What it’s actually good at
The thing that surprised me most is bidirectional control straight from my phone. On a Nissan Micra K12 I fired the wipers, kicked the cooling fan on, and switched the fuel pump relay on and off, all from the app. On a $40 dongle that is genuinely rare. Most tools at this price only read codes.
It also does coding it never advertises. The listing says nothing about coding, but once I was inside the modules I found flash and hidden settings, auto lock behaviour, battery saver, ISO coding, even configuration coding for module replacement. So it quietly does more than the spec sheet promises.
The smaller win is layout. Service resets live in their own menu, so you don’t have to crawl through a full diagnostic scan to reach an oil or brake reset. Live data is there too, with real graphs for the values that are actual numbers.
Where it falls short
The subscription is the real story. You get everything for the first year. After that, if you don’t pay, you’re left with basic OBD only. Engine codes, clear the check engine light, some engine data. Same as a cheap ELM327. Full system scan, resets and bidirectional all stop. Keeping them runs about $7 a month or roughly $30 a year.
Full system scans are slow. On that Micra the scan took about six minutes, because the app pings 30 plus possible Nissan modules even though the car only has six. Right after, the fault report feature crashed the app on iOS. I’ve run this app heavily on Android without that, and I’d just moved to iPhone, so I can’t say yet whether it’s the adapter or the iOS app. Either way, budget for patience.
It is not a key programmer. It showed me Nissan key registration menus and I did register keys, but only because I already had the immobiliser PIN. The tool can’t read that PIN for you. Treat the key menus as a curiosity, not a feature.
Who should buy this
Yes, buy it if:
- You want to try real bidirectional control and resets for a year without spending tablet money
- You do occasional diagnostics and don’t mind a cheap subscription, or paying for one year and then moving on
- You’re stepping up from an ELM327 and want full system access without committing $500
No, look elsewhere if:
- You hate subscriptions and want lifetime updates, get a no subscription tool instead
- You want key programming, this isn’t it
- You need fast full system scans on module heavy cars
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Final word
For around $40 the Ediag Link gives you a year of genuine bidirectional control, resets and hidden coding on a dongle that costs less than dinner for two. Just treat year two as the real decision point. Either pay the small subscription, or step up to a tool you own outright. As a cheap first taste of a proper scanner, I’d buy it again.
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