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“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” The Joker wondered out loud in 1989. Today’s Joker wouldn’t ask that. He’d search Amazon for deals on bat gadgets to see inside engines or contactless temperature readings. That’s right. I’ve found some bat-tastic deals on borescopes and thermal camera. They help bring a little Lucius Fox into your home garage—I mean Batcave.
Last summer, I tested the Teslong TD450S Borescope. I was floored at how useful it was but also, how affordable they’ve become. Right now, that same borescope is on sale for $119.99 and it’s not the only thing. Around the same time, I also reviewed a thermal camera, the Topdon TC004. That’s also on sale right now for just $369.00.
What does a borescope do, and why do I want one? What we’re talking about is more accurately called an endoscope. These modern versions are basically tiny cameras on a flexible rod. In the case of the TC004, a roughly 5-foot-long rod. The head articulates through a 210° sweep in a single plane. That not only allows you to look around but also helps guide the camera while you’re feeding inside of whatever you’re scoping. A borescope is a great tool in the garage. I used it to inspect my turbo without having to do anything more than remove my air filter. You can also check a throttle body just as easily on a normally aspirated car. You can pull a sensor or vacuum line from your intake plenum and check for carbon build-up on intake valves or look at your pistons through a spark plug hole.
But, THAT’S NOT ALL! I have a lot of spaces in my engine bay, outside the engine, that are too crowded for me to see. You can feed the borescope down there and find blind fastener heads. Inspect your CV boots. Look for leaks. You can also inspect your clothes dryer vent tube. You can look inside your walls. Guide your grabber stick to get the Hot Wheels from behind the refrigerator. Look for the Lego piece you think may have flown into in the sink drain. Honestly, you’ll find a more uses for one than you can imagine. Did I mention, we also have a buyer’s guide for the best borescopes, if you need more information to make a good choice.
More Borescope Deals
Teslong Two-Way Articulating Borescope with Light for $119.99
Kinpthy Endoscope Camera with Light, 1920P HD Borescope for $25.99 with coupon
Teslong Dual Lens Endoscope Camera with Light, Teslong 4.5" HD Camera for $76.49
BOSCH GIC5-27C Professional Borescope, Adjustable LED Light, 11ft. Removable Endoscope for $462.84
Now that you know you can’t live without a borescope, let’s talk about how it’s shocking that you’ve survived this long without a thermal camera. To start, you can check out my review of the Topdon TC004 camera that’s on sale for $369.00 on Amazon. I’ve wanted something like this since I was a teenager. I was dying to check tire temperatures at track days with one. By looking at the temperature gradient across the tire’s tread, you can determine if you need more or less camber and tire pressure. At the time, you still had to use a pyrometer with a probe and touch the tire—like a freakin’ caveman.
With a thermal camera like the ones below, not only can you do tire temps, you can look watch individual exhaust runner temperatures in real time. They allow you to look at heat gradient across radiators(that includes intercoolers). You can look for leaks around your engine bay, oven door, or refrigerators. You can be like me and walk around your house looking for things that are sitting unused, but are radiating heat, meaning they are wasting electricity. Oh, you’ll also be the hide and seek neighborhood champion with one of these. I even included a FLIR unit that includes a moisture sensor to make this a “home tool,” but you can still use the thermal imager on your car.
More Thermal Camera Deals
TOPDON TC004 Thermal Imaging Camera for $369.00
TOPDON TC002C Thermal Camera, Imager for iPhone 15/16 for $229.00
UNI-T UTi120S Infrared Thermal Camera 120×90 IR Handheld Thermal Imaging for $197.99
HSFTools HP96 Thermal Imaging Camera, 3.5" Touch Screen for 199.99 with coupon
FLIR MR160 – Thermal Imaging and Moisture Meter, With IGM for $488.10
