Thinkcar BD6 TESTED | Honest Review

I tested the Thinkcar BD6 on my VW Golf and an older Passat 1999 to see if a €50 Bluetooth dongle can really work as a full-system scanner. Results were better than expected, especially for the price.

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Video review: Thinkcar BD6

Thinkcar BD6 is a full-system Bluetooth OBD2 scanner for smartphones. It reads every module, supports live data, pulls freeze frames, and does basic service resets. It uses ThinkCar’s big software database but with a simplified, free-lifetime plan.

It sits in the budget full-system category.
See also my Best Bluetooth OBD2 Scanners roundup.

TEST RESULTS ON REAL CARS

I tested it on real cars.
Cars used:
• VW Golf
• VW Passat 1999 TDI
• VW Passat (newer) — brief test
• Audi module structure previewed
• Additional cars not available in my testing

VW Golf

BD6 shocked me here.
Full-system scan finished in ~35 seconds. Faster than some €500 tools. Faster than OBDeleven on this car. Everything opened instantly: engine, ABS, airbag, climate, central electronics.

Live data pages load fast.
Graphing works for up to four parameters.
Data logging works but only vertical layout.

AI fault helper worked well for climate control code.

Old Passat 1999

This was opposite.
VIN auto-detect failed.
I had to enter VIN manually.
Full-system scan took ~8 minutes.
This is slower than average but not a fault — this Passat is a difficult car for any scanner.

Still, BD6 eventually scanned all modules and showed three comfort-system faults.

What worked

• Full-system scan
• Live data in every module
• Graphing up to four values
• Fault report generation
• AI suggestions
• Service reset menu
• Global OBD2 mode

What failed

• Fast VIN detection (weak on old cars)
• Auto-scan on Passat without VIN
• Landscape graph view

Scan speed

• Newer VAG: extremely fast
• Older pre-CAN cars: slow

App behavior

Stable.
Modules open quickly.
Replay of live data is basic but usable.

Coding behavior

Thinkcar BD6 doesn’t support coding.

Error messages

Only module timeouts on the old Passat during long scans. Normal.

MANUFACTURER SPECS VS REAL TESTING

Area	Manufacturer Claim	What I Saw in Testing
Full-system scan	Yes	Works on all tested cars
Scan speed	Fast	Very fast on Golf, slow on old Passat
Free lifetime updates	Yes	Confirmed
AI helper	Yes	Works on tested codes
Live data	Full-system	Many parameters, fast loading
Graphing	Multi-graph	Up to 4 parameters vertical only
Coding	Not claimed	Not available
Service resets	Few resets	Oil, EPB, throttle, brake bleed, etc.

HARDWARE / SOFTWARE / PLANS / INTERNET DEPENDENCY

Hardware is a small Bluetooth dongle. Build quality is fine.
Connection is stable.

Software (ThinkDiag Plus app) works well.
No subscriptions for BD6.
All updates are free.

BD6 relies on internet for:
• downloading brand software
• AI fault helper

Once software is downloaded, scanning works offline.

No coding in my testing.

SUPPORTED SERVICE RESETS

Realistically you get:
• Oil reset
• EPB functions
• ABS bleeding (limited by car)
• Throttle reset
• Brake pad replacement

Works best on VAG and Toyota/Lexus basics.
This is not a heavy multi-brand service tablet like Kingbolen K7, Mucar VO7, or Thinkcar tablets.

SUPPORTED LANGUAGES

Many languages in the app.
Translation quality varies.
English is safest.
For deeper meaning, users often check Google or forums.

COMPARISON SECTION

BD6 vs Mucar BT200 Max

BT200 Max costs about $20 more and adds:
• real bi-directional tests
• more service resets
• partial compatibility with some ELM327 apps (Car Scanner)
BD6 does not have these extras.

Table

Feature	BD6	BT200 Max
Full-system	Yes	Yes
Bi-directional tests	No	Yes
Service resets	Few	More
App support	ThinkCar only	DAS+ + Car Scanner (partial)
Price	~€50	~€70

If you want actuator tests or broader service menu → BT200 Max is better.

BD6 vs Knowei KDiag

KDiag is slightly cheaper and supports bi-directional tests, but its full-system coverage is weak. Often works mostly on Asian brands.

Table

Feature	BD6	KDiag
Full-system	Strong	Weak on European cars
Bi-di	No	Yes
App quality	Good	Basic
Coverage	Wide	Mostly Asia

If you want reliability on VW/Audi/European cars → BD6 wins.

BD6 vs Kingbolen EDiag Elite

Same software family, but EDiag Elite adds:
• bi-directional tests
• more service resets

However, it doesn’t work well on iPhone.
For smartphone users, BD6 is safer.

Table

Feature	BD6	EDiag Elite
Full-system	Yes	Yes
Bi-di	No	Yes
iPhone support	Good	Poor
Service resets	Few	More

If you need iPhone compatibility → BD6.
If you need actuator tests → EDiag Elite.

FINAL VERDICT

BD6 is one of the best €50 full-system scanners I tested.
Great for beginners and used-car checks.
Super fast on newer VAG cars.
Weak VIN detection on old cars, but still works.

Buy it if you want:
• full-system scanning
• live data
• simple resets
• lifetime updates
• cheap tool with no subscriptions

Skip it if you need:
• bi-directional tests
• coding
• heavy service functions

How to save money:
Best price is usually on the official website.
All plans and activations must be redeemed in your dashboard.