REVIEW: CARLY OBD SCANNER
The bluetooth dongle that'll turn you into a mechanic
As the old adage goes, “knowledge is power.” And yet, despite the proliferation of smart phones and the internet placing the entirety of human knowledge at our fingertips, there are still situations where most of us are as clued-up as a slow loris in a science lab.
A visit to the vets; a meeting with the builder; a trip to the mechanics. We show up, nod sagely and accept anything they tell us without question.
Car engine’s got the flu? No problem! Add it to the bill.
The wheels aren’t round enough? Charge me for the circle machine!
The axellator isn’t pumping the engine’s fuzzbox enough? Sounds legit! Thanks for sorting it.
When we were offered the chance to write a Carly OBD Scanner review, they tapped us up at an opportune moment. Despite shelling out for a less-than six year old motor from one of Germany’s most respected auto-brands, it’s not proven to be the most reliable ride. A few pricey repairs over the first year of ownership paved the way for the exact same repairs a year later, and now my dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree to tell me I’m in the market for yet another visit to the mechanic.
Just to keep things interesting, the battery is now showing its age, presumably under the strain of all those warning lights it’s been powering over the years.
In short, I know there are problems under that bonnet, but I’m mildly terrified that a trip to the garage will open me up to a long list of repairs for hidden problems - and an eye-watering bill to accompany it.
So, where does the Carly OBD Adapter enter the conversation? Well, you know that dreaded Diagnostics Report that costs close to a hundred pounds before a mechanic has even laid eyes on the engine? Well, this nifty little machine does it for you at home.
Essentially a bluetooth dongle, it plugs into the OBD socket in your car, which is usually hidden away in the driver’s footwell. Once we’ve located ours, it takes a few seconds to connect with the Carly app on our phone - where we’ve previously downloaded the data for our specific car model - and just a minute or so later, a full diagnostic report lands in our inbox. It’s impressive in its simplicity and begs the question why this would ever cost a hundred pounds at a garage, but such is the murky world of capitalism.
We start out with the free version of the app, which still delivers an impressive amount of data. Our vehicle status is ‘moderate,’ with eight issues detected. Having expected my phone to explode under the pressure of hundreds of incoming warnings, that’s a good result already.
The email gives us a little more info - a list of those eight faults with their respective codes, which are manufacturer specific. Frustratingly, seven of those are accompanied by the line ‘Internal generic fault code,’ while one states that the ‘Communication with control unit “Multifunction camera” has a malfunction.’ Confusingly, that one’s attributed to the left headlamp which, to my knowledge, doesn’t have a camera unless I inadvertently bought my car from MI5.
With Google offering up very little in the way of easy explanations for these codes, I’m left none the wiser as to what’s actually wrong with the car, but crucially, I could stroll in to any garage with a diagnostics report in hand, saving myself £100 and letting them know that there’s no room for skullduggery when it comes to those repairs.
I upgrade to the premium version of the app, which costs a smidge over £50 per year for a specific manufacturer, or less than £74 to cover all makes and models.
It’s a small price to pay to unlock the wealth of information now available. For less than the price of a coffee every month, I’ve unlocked a whole range of new features and head back to my motor for another shot.
This time, the same alerts appear (which is a good sign), but I’m treated to in-depth checks and advice to help find solutions.
Although the information can still be a little overwhelming, as car manufacturers insist on providing codes rather than, y’know, actual information, Carly offers a ‘Smart Mechanic’ option, where somebody in the know has provided a beginner’s guide to what that number really means. There’s also access to a community of fellow Carly owners, who provide helpful updates on how they solved similar issues.
It seems that most of my car’s problems are linked to the battery which, given my warning light has been on for a few weeks, isn’t a huge surprise. But Carly can deal with that, too, offering a specific Battery Monitoring function, whereby it spends 24 hours checking all aspects of its health, including how it stores charge over time, the remaining amount of charge left in the old dog, and its general condition.
Perhaps the biggest complaint - if you can call it that - about the Carly is that is offers such a wealth of information and options that it’s difficult to know where to start.
The website offers valuable help, too, including a brilliant ‘costs’ checker, which prompts me to input my car’s model and year before ticking all symptoms I’ve noticed, ranging from a smoking exhaust, to weak battery on startup (welp), flickering lights or issues with the air conditioning. It then identifies potential problems on the horizon, and offers a guide to the prices I should be paying to fix them. The prices are pretty firmly aligned with the quotes I receive from both my local Halfords and Kwik Fit, too.
Added benefits of the Carly
The benefits of knowing your own car are clear enough, but there’s a hidden bonus that comes with the full premium offer: No more tyre kicking or guessing at the health of a new motor before you buy it.
Having read this far, it’s probably no surprise that I’m starting to search the market for a new car, which comes with its own problems - namely, unscrupulous dealers and sellers who don’t even know what’s underneath the bonnet of their own motor.
As a fully paid up member of the tyre-kicking club, it’s reassuring to know I can access information without having to know a manifold from a gasket.
Whether it’s a private sale or a dealership, you can simply plug in your Carly, wait for the report and then make an offer with full knowledge of the vehicle’s health, straight from its own system.
Is it worth the cash?
Whether you’re a car aficionado or a complete novice, the Carly Scanner is a no-brainer for anyone who owns - or wants to own - a vehicle. At under £65, it’s cheaper than a single diagnostics check at your local garage, and even with the added cost of a premium package, you’ll see savings as soon as you need to visit a mechanic for the first time. For the vast majority of car owners, it’s all about peace of mind: Knowing what’s wrong, knowing how to make minor repairs at home, and knowing what to expect when you do have to put your car in for repairs.
No more cost anxiety and no more stressing about whether that little rattle is the start of catastrophic engine failure or just a Kinder-egg toy your kids have hidden in the footwell.
While most major car brands are covered, it's worth checking the Carly website before purchasing - notable absences include newcomers to the market, such as BYD, Tesla, Jaecoo and the like, and features may vary depending on your car make and model.
But as to the question: Is it worth the cash? We think it might go further than that - if you're even thinking about becoming a car owner, we think this the Carly OBD Scanner is a necessity.
Carly OBD Scanner, £64.99 Buy Now
Premium package from £53.89 per year, car-brand dependent.
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