Carly — OBD2 car scanner Reviews

by Andreas Mätthaus

Their app/adapter helped me render my iDrive useless. I can’t even adjust the volume anymore. Can’t restore the backup. I read online that people use BimmerCode. So, I’ll give them a try. I sent requests to support, but they are useless. They tell you to submit your request a different way. You submit your request and they inform you your problem has been solved and your request was closed. Only they didn’t resolve anything other than you having an open ticket, which is now closed. And unresolved. I’ll see if I can be refunded. This was such a horrible experience. If you are considering using Carly, I suggest you do the opposite of what I did, and don’t.

They emailed me to tell me that I didn’t send in the logs correctly. Do yourself a favor: save the frustration and anger, get BimmerCode.

by XweAponX

However I have had severe problems with these kind of apps that link to a Bluetooth adapter connected to your car. So the question is, is this going to work? Because with my other devices that are similar, it takes about 100 attempts to connect to the Bluetooth device.

And then sometimes, I can’t even connect. Unfortunately in order to find out if this is going to work there is an $80 charge for the adapter and then on top of that a $60 subscription fee.

That is a little bit too steep, for now I will stick with my Innova device. Maybe I can buy a real Snap-on scanner for the cost of this thing. It would be a better use of my stimulus money.

by Lkcjjckl

I purchased the full version of the Carly app after testing with the free version as they suggested . I changed the battery In my 06 series 5 Bmw from a 110 Ah lead acid to a 92Ah agm battery the change was supposed to be easy according to Carly. However when I tried to register the new battery Carly crashed . I tried a couple of times and it did the same thing . I contacted Carly and they told me they new of the issue crashing yet they still sold me CarlyOBD2carscanner with no mention anywhere of the issue on the free version . They said they have an update for the problem . I don’t know how a lot of comments on here say their tech support is amazing , it’s not . I can’t get a date from them for the update even though I’ve tried a couple of times I just get the same generic response all the time . I have asked for a refund as they are promoting an app for a considerable price that they know does not function as described . Very disappointed in CarlyOBD2carscanner , tech support and generally everything with Carly . How can you charge someone almost $60 for an app and then have to buy the adaptor for a further $80 and you know your product doesn’t work ? Carly you should be ashamed of yourself and apple for allowing an expensive app that doesn’t do what it should be sold .

by MoonlightSurf

I have been using CarlyOBD2carscanner for almost 4 years and it gets more expensive and predatory every year.

Originally CarlyOBD2carscanner was exclusively for BMW/Mini. It offered more advanced functions for those cars. First it was $60 for the OBDII scanner (which has been updated and made obsolete several times) and $40 for the full version of CarlyOBD2carscanner . Relatively reasonable.

Then they added extra functions such as iDrive coding and battery registration which all individually cost $5-15. Useful features but it’s disingenuous to offer extra paid features on a $40 ‘full version’ app.

Now they’ve switched to a subscription model that costs $85/yr, and also introduced yet another version of their OBDII scanner. And they supposedly support every auto manufacturer now.

Not only are they demanding an absurd amount of money over only a 5 year period, but the actual functions outside of BMW are extremely basic, more or less on par with a $30 Autozone scanner. To top it off, support is absolutely abysmal. They rarely respond and when they do, it is a short email in broken English referring you to their own FAQ section.

This used to be a convenient, less expensive alternative to an expensive Foxwell unit, but now it is much more expensive and less capable. And this is to say nothing of future revisions or price hikes (which seem quite inevitable).

Just buy a Foxwell and save yourself the headache.

by Despirited

Carly costs over $80 a year and still tracks all “activity across other companies’ apps and websites”. If this were a free app I could understand the developers selling my privacy for their profit, but CarlyOBD2carscanner has zero reason to track my online data and I refuse to install any app that attempts to.

Carly’s response to my above paragraph review implied they don’t sell information collected through their app (which gives them access to all of your activity across all apps you install and all websites you visit on your phone). But their privacy notice states: “We use these technologies to secure and improve CarlyOBD2carscanner and to be able to provide advertising.” How do you provide information to advertising agencies without selling it? You give it for free.

by Zipper412

I bought this scanner to help me identify my check engine light codes and I order to do so you have to pay for a year subscription. I wasn’t aware that I needed a subscription just to use the scanner in general so I figured I’d by a month subscription just to test it out but you have to buy a full year which is quite pricy 90$ a year for all cars. And after buying it all I connect to my car and CarlyOBD2carscanner is trash and the connection works half the time if it wants to. And it doesn’t connect to the check engine light. I have an obd2 scanner and I know what codes I have but not this Carly it doesn’t work as an obd2 scanner. Waste of money. I would not recommend anyone wasting their money on this device especially since they charge you a yearly subscription to use it. Don’t buy it.

by Santiagohl

I am adding to my original review which is at the end of this new write up. I have recently been surprised by the makers of the carly app by then sending a massage on the old version of CarlyOBD2carscanner offering a free upgrade to the new version of CarlyOBD2carscanner with all features unlocked. I have not yet check all the features to make sure they are unlocked for use but i am sure they will be. I will say CarlyOBD2carscanner is very handy and with this new development where you may not have to pay every year to use it then i would recommend you get it if you have a bmw. As long as you do not need a yearly subscription and it is a one time payment i say get it other wise read my previous review below.

This company is getting greedier by the minute read my review on the old version of CarlyOBD2carscanner. This new version nothing seems to be changed except now they want to to get a subscription of 59 dollars and some change and pay that every year just to diagnose your car or to use your device you bought that also cost 85 to 99 dollars and yes it is also from them. So in other word buy the hardware then pay them 59 dollars a year to be able to use it we need to boycott all purchases until they agree not to be so greedy

by 650iam

Into the second year now and had the adapter fail. The carly team has your back no charge 0$ had it here in a couple days. Never before have i seen a group of people so deadset on making sure u are taken care of. without a doubt the finest in the buisness. You all rock...just renewed the subscription to the every brand and still no complaints. Yes is not cheap but neither was that beautiful german engineered aww inspiring machine. Nor is the dealer repairs. With this little tool you can save thousands of dollars just in the coding of what the dealership charges as a “upgrade” . BMW’s are some of the most complex electrical nightmares ever to be created. A simple .5v bulb can send you into decreased enginge performance mode. A dead battery now ya have a missfire if it starts. The carly app lets you clear it all. View live data open those exhaust flaps fold the mirrors windows up down with the fob and more .. soooo much more ... dont wait just buy it already. If ya dont like it ... well than ur weird and you prolly dont like anything else either..lol... great job carly team ..... keep up the good work....

by Tdtdgutsu

The Carly app paired with the OBD connector is awesome! Gives extremely detailed descriptions of any errors that you may have. I had some issues with my car and Carly helped me figure out what was going on! Saved me a ton of money by me not having to go to a shop and pay just for a diagnosis.

P.S. If you have any issues with CarlyOBD2carscanner or scanner, reach out to support. They replied extremely quickly and helped me resolve my issue. I spoke with Bernard from their support and he was a huge help.

by Level Standard

If you take the time to read just some of the reviews for this product, you will notice a pattern. It seens as though every 5 Star review is done by a user with a history of only one review: the one they made for the Carly For BMW app. Why is that? I suspect it is because all of the 5 Star reviews were written by one individual, Robert Prosciak, an employee of Carly in an attempt to bring the review average up from all the 1 and 2 Star reviews that are hurting sales of CarlyOBD2carscanner. Why do I believe that to be true? Because nearly every 5 Star Review mentions Robert by name.

by Patrich S.

I’ve had Carly since 2016 and really have enjoyed the flexibility and optionality the product provides to enhance your car experience.

Unfortunately my older unit would no longer pick up the blue tooth signal in my 2018 BMW F80 M3. The great folks at Carly responded very professionally to my email expressing my disappointment, and promptly addressed the issue by sending me an updated replacement unit that worked without issue. They followed up with numerous emails to ensure the unit was working and I was completely satisfied.

by Peter_Mccly

I’m just commenting on the user post above, bruh it’s only $60 a year annually that’s not the end of the world. You pay annual for a gym membership you probably don’t even use.

But just the idea of having a personal reader for ur car that can track codes plus handle i drive and few more features is great for the personal car user that knows lil to enough about cars to understand, with CarlyOBD2carscanner i feel like i would be on top of everything with the car, so i can’t wait to purchase CarlyOBD2carscanner once i pull off the lot very soon

by Omar11120811

At first I was upset with CarlyOBD2carscanner due to its price. I ran into a couple of issues coding my 2014 BMW F10 and would just leave it at that. Once I had enough time to sit down and play with the coding, I kept receiving the same errors. I ended up sending an email to the support team and to my surprise someone replied with a solution within an hour. WOW!! Talk about great customer service, the tech instructed me on how to update the obd2 and all the coding options worked as expected. I love this product, it’s worth every penny. Keep up the great work.

by Joeala

Just Recently my adapter stop working out of no where. I have been using Carly for about two years, excellent app if you like working on your own car. After emailing their customer support team about my adapter assuming that I was going to get the run around within minutes I heard back from their support team about getting a new adapter out to me. I highly recommend Carly because you’re not only getting a high quality device but you’re also getting the support behind it.

by Kurtski25

I see complaints about the subscription fee, but you get what you pay for, folks. I have 2 BMWs and a Mazda. I use Carly for all. It gives me the knowledge to make rational arguments with the service shops. I was able to diagnose a problem with my M3 last year and tell the dealer what needed to be fixed, after he couldn’t figure it out. Saved me huge $$. I have cleared intermittent “check engine” faults that would have cost me hundreds to get cleared at the dealer. And when I had problems using the Gen2 device, Carly shipped me a Universal device at no charge that fixed the problem. And the CEO followed up. Carly is the REAL DEAL.

by JF045

Handy used car check. Easy to use trouble codes check with links to explanations. Had a problem getting live data. Rouben from support gave me a work around straight away. Turns out I needed to start CarlyOBD2carscanner first, go to OBD functions, then to live data (not the one on main menu. fix to come), start the engine, then to connect. Live data streams well and can be logged for saving or emailing. It does six parameters at one time from various systems and you can watch the stream or the gauges. Have no present need for coding so haven’t used it. Battery reset and maintenance mode should prove useful though.

by Mikeyp203

I received my Carly in the mail about a week ago, and downloaded CarlyOBD2carscanner . The lite version is alright but did not suit my needs. I understand that 55 dollars sounds a little much just for a full version. After my purchase of the full version, I realized that this is just what I needed. Its a great app that comes with a lot of features and its right at the disposal of your phone. Being able to see what was wrong with my car was awesome but being able to read out real time data as I drove was probably one of the most helpful tools. I definitely recommend this purchase of both CarlyOBD2carscanner and the adapter. Saves a lot of money, time, and to say the least its pretty dummy proof.

by BrotriX86

Great experience with Carly for BMW. Gives ability to unlock numerous features that are not accessible with the stock configuration. Had issues with getting the adapter to communicate with my car at first. Reached out to Carly support and Robert was very helpful and offered to send me a new adapter. It turned out that the adapter worked just fine. It was my car that was the issue. I resolved the issue by disconnecting my car battery for 5-10 minutes. After doing this, Carly worked flawlessly. If Carly has issues connecting to the car, try disconnecting/reconnecting the battery. Of note, I also connected a basic OBDII diagnostic tool to my car before disconnecting the battery and it was having a hard time reading the car as well. So, the car was definitely the problem, not Carly. Highly recommend!

by PlatinumMedallion

I’ve been using Carly for many years now and seen them evolve. I’m very protective about my BMW. I’ve been very happy with the stability of the product. The devs are responsive and quality conscious.

Initially I would tinker around with the settings, tweaking it and customizing it.

Recent my car overheat and went into limo mode while driving in the mountains suddenly. I had the adapter, plugged it in and fired up CarlyOBD2carscanner . Within a minute it diagnosed the codes and captured something called sub freeze frames which are specific to BMW and told me what the exact problem was - a failed water pump. It told me exactly when it failed and how long I had been driving without a water pump (less than a mile thankfully). That helped me determine the next steps, I made a few phone calls to get some quotes on installing a new water pump and I had the car towed to the appropriate workshop and I knew exactly what’s needed to be done and I had the best price for the job upfront. No haggling or surprises.

That was the neat part, knowing exactly what was wrong at the right time. I knew I could wait for a few minutes for the engine to cool down and then start the car and move it off the road into the shoulder and I knew that I couldn’t drive it more than a minute. Okay peace of mind knowing exactly what was wrong.

Totally worth the lifetime subscription.

Plus the new digital garage feature is very cool

by Albert Hertz

I’ve used Carly for several years and have appreciated its ability to change my car’s settings (turn off/on daytime running lights, automatic locking, etc) and to diagnose engine faults. Its capability is continually updated and improved, even for older vehicles.

I have been particularly impressed with the customer support at Carly. Responses are fast and thorough and only delayed by my own failure to provide complete information (for example, I could have included a screen shot instead of describing it).

Overall, without question this is a 5-star product.

by J Kirbz

Boy, where do I start? If you need a reason to get a headache and just down right get mad for spending money on something that barely works, look no further! The Carly Adapter will mislead and trick you to think you can do all these cool things on CarlyOBD2carscanner and program your BMW like the pros! It’s hard to connect to the stupid adapter via WiFi. CarlyOBD2carscanner is buggy and the instructions aren’t very good either, stupid vague. I’ve never in the history of technology, have had issues like the one I’m facing with this stupid adapter/app. I’m just trying to read some codes and other things, can’t even do them because the adapter is crap. Not sure if anyone from Carly is gonna read this, but I am not pleased in any way, shape, or form.

by Pera1

Paid feature - battery registration on BMW - does NOT work. Repeated request for help from support only points me to their online help which does not resolve my issue even with repeated explanations that I followed it to a T. Even worse, they claim premium support but all I get is - go to our online support which frankly does not resolve the issue. Oh and their response time - goodluck as it takes them forever to respond.

I spent $83 for the paid version and it has not been useable, I am asking for refund but likewise has not gotten any response if it’s possible or not. Way too expensive experiment.

So you have been warned !!!!

by Sheistheki

Folks don’t buy CarlyOBD2carscanner total unethical company. They offer you to buy CarlyOBD2carscanner and then they will make you buy their obd2 adapter which is at a ridiculous price and then they upgrade adapter so you have to buy it again or you can’t use CarlyOBD2carscanner and all of its functions. Plus recently they have slowed down the communication speed with adapter I have had for years and now CarlyOBD2carscanner doesn’t even connect what kind of stunt is this? Then they charge you fees for various things you want to do to your car. Buy Foxwell, Torque plus, trust me as a 30 year BMWCCA member with many previous and current BMW’s this is the worse form I’ve encountered since 1990. Apple get rid of them!

by Speedracerindy

I’m done with this product. Wish I hadn’t wasted my money on CarlyOBD2carscanner and the adapter. Getting CarlyOBD2carscanner to connect with the adapter (that I purchased from Carley) is nearly impossible. And when it does connect, it will conveniently lose the connection to the adapter just before you are ready to upload adaptations. As a last ditch effort to recover my investment I updated CarlyOBD2carscanner and now it won’t recognize my original purchase and wants me to pay another $60 to use it. After several years of use with very spotty results, I won’t be paying any more money. It’s a great idea, but appears to be poorly executed. 5 minutes with Carista’s adapter and app were significantly more productive.

by BSchnitzer

I bought the original Carly for BMW app, the adapter and unlocked some of the modules by paying additional, totaling nearly $200. It worked great at the time. Then CarlyOBD2carscanner forced me to update and when it did, it reverted to the lite version. Meaning I do not have CarlyOBD2carscanner , the functions or the modules I paid for. Instead it asks me to pay an additional $60 for CarlyOBD2carscanner to work. On top of that, it says it will bill me every year! I tried the restore option and it did not change anything.

I am a private user, not a BMW shop and the $200 itself was a bit of a stretch to shell out in the first place for its occasional use. But now I can’t even use what I paid for. If this doesn’t look like a rip-off, I am not sure what is.

by Hey..hey

I was just about to purchase CarlyOBD2carscanner and the adapter from Carly when i realize that you have to pay extra for several services involving coding including just registering a battery. Im ok with the adapter price and the yearly subscription but if i have additional, ongoing, recurring, unpredictable costs to use this, then i cannot justify the purchase.

I leave this review so that the owner knows precisely why they are not getting a revenue stream from me. If this policy changes then i will definitely purchase. For now i am pursuing other more complicated but predictable options

by ReallyIneedtodothiswhatawasteoftime

For what this device can do the price is outstanding. I’ve used it on three of my cars and it’s saved me hundreds on service fees, additionally I’ve unlocked the potential of my cars. Why BMW doesn’t preprogram the comfort features, or allow management of the features through iDrive I don’t get, but Carly gets it done. Great support too. I’m upgrading the Head Unit, Screen and idrive and tech support is there to help.