RE: Carly Car Check app launched
Thursday 12th October 2017
Even with reams of history, a discerning owner and all possible checks completed, buying a used car is always a slight gamble. How has it been driven during those miles? Is something about to expire that I've not been told about? What if it's clocked?
"Hang on, this 335d ISN'T mapped?"That could be about to change though, with a new app promising to deliver the most detail yet for used car buyers, by accessing the car's diagnostic port. The Carly Car Check has been created in Germany - so it's only available for BMWs, Minis, Mercedes and VWs currently - and uses an adapter and mobile app to deliver a diagnostic and mileage report to your phone on any prospective purchase. Perhaps send the seller in to make a coffee at that point...
Time to reveal some secrets...The Carly app interrogates up to 50 control units, providing fuel economy data, fault codes and journey times too. We'd all rather buy a car that's been used for longer journeys rather than just shunting around town, right? Now you can know! In addition, the app can apparently be used to clear fault codes - so there is an advantage for sellers too, if they're feeling sneaky - as well as begin DPF regeneration in diesel cars. Yep, what would have once required a long drive can now be initiated via your smartphone. That's assuming anybody is left buying diesels at the moment...
Carly Car Check app launched
Want every detail before making a used purchase? This OBD-based adapter and app combo might be just the thing
"Hang on, this 335d ISN'T mapped?"
Carly's research with 300,000 cars revealed that 23 per cent of Minis tested had some kind of mileage manipulation, with 27 per cent of E60 5 Series too. Of all the BMWs analysed, 15 per cent had some kind of discrepancy detected by the app; 90 per cent of those were mileage related, the rest "concerning manipulating the vehicle identity itself."
Time to reveal some secrets...
All sounds very clever then, and a useful tool for used car buyers - you can read more about how it works on this BMW forum. Prices start at £44.90 for the adapter, with the 'Lite' version of the app free from wherever you source your apps. The 'Pro' version of the app costs £43.99, and that's what you're going to need to access the features described above. More expensive than downloading Angry Birds, yes, but then it could save you an awful lot more than the purchase price further down the road.
??[Sources: CarlyCarCheck??, Bimmerfest]
Discussion
It's been discussed elsewhere but would be slightly dubious about letting somebody poke about with the ECU... guess if it was a read only device then would be safe enough but I'd be wary of letting anybody plug in anything that could do any more. Wonder how long before some enterprising gang figure they can clone this system and use it to glean data under the false claims they are perspective buyers then come back later and take it for free.
Or is that tin hat material...
Or is that tin hat material...
I have the Carly app, and adapter, it's a fantastic tool that lets me code, and diagnose. (coding out bulb checks for replacement LED's etc)
And it sucessfully diagnosed a borked ABS unit letting me get it repaired rather than replaced at a cost of around £300 all in rather than the £2500k+ BMW wanted.
I'll look forward to receiving this update!
And it sucessfully diagnosed a borked ABS unit letting me get it repaired rather than replaced at a cost of around £300 all in rather than the £2500k+ BMW wanted.
I'll look forward to receiving this update!
Davie said:
It's been discussed elsewhere but would be slightly dubious about letting somebody poke about with the ECU... guess if it was a read only device then would be safe enough but I'd be wary of letting anybody plug in anything that could do any more. Wonder how long before some enterprising gang figure they can clone this system and use it to glean data under the false claims they are perspective buyers then come back later and take it for free.
Or is that tin hat material...
Absolutely. Carly & bimmercode (I have both) let you change aspects of the cars functionality. I wouldn't hold it against a seller if they didn't want to let a prospective buyer go near their car with these.Or is that tin hat material...
Also these apps are limited by their application - i.e. they only do a small range of vehicles.
Torque Pro however is a largely read only OBDII reader that allows you to look at stored ECU faults (and if you have the pro version - clear them also). The other advantage with torque pro is as long as the car has an obd2 connector this will work and it'll work with both bluetooth and wifi adapters (the other two either don't support both or have limited functionality with bluetooth),
I have all three and they all have their uses!
QuattroDave said:
Torque Pro however is a largely read only OBDII reader that allows you to look at stored ECU faults (and if you have the pro version - clear them also). The other advantage with torque pro is as long as the car has an obd2 connector this will work and it'll work with both bluetooth and wifi adapters (the other two either don't support both or have limited functionality with bluetooth),
I have Torque Pro app with the OBDII dongle and it's ok to keep in the glove box for basic jobs... reading codes, clearing codes and viewing basic live data which I'd be happy to show any perspective buyer but I wouldn't be happy to let somebody roll up with their own gear and start scrolling through assorted menus and such like. Not that I have any thing to hide, but it's just too easy to do damage with these systems... hell, even bending a pin as you ham fisted shove the dongle in can be an expensive day out. It's all getting a bit too 'big brother' these days, more so checking drive cycles and such like. GTF! as an avid VCDS user I can see advantages to the buyer for this and have on a few occasions plugged in with the owners consent to have look around when buying VAG stuff, but I wonder how long before an Innocent seller has his car borked by one of those either deliberately for cash to unbork it or by some person who doesn't understand exactly what they're doing...
Note to anyone using one of these, have a note book and write exactly what you do down in case you have to go back! been there and had the Oh F*CK moment lol
Note to anyone using one of these, have a note book and write exactly what you do down in case you have to go back! been there and had the Oh F*CK moment lol
OBD 2 is very limited now as most makers use proprietary stuff for as much as they can without breaking the rules. I purchased torque and a obd2 reader on my honda and whilst it was of some use, the good stuff could only be accessed by honda as there was no plug in for them that could unlock those features. I doubt that they'll be the only manufacturer that doe this.
Hmmm. Anecdotal reports of Carly app corrupting modules when attempting coding procedures makes this story kind of ironic. The makers of Carly have reverse-engineered the protocols used by proper BMW tools and they don't always get it right. The code operations may work but leave traces behind that can be detected by dealer diagnostics such as INPA.
As someone who does car diagnostic work 'for a living', it's certainly possible to screw-up stuff using these tools BUT I'd not be too worried so long as someone can read the instructions
Moreover - I'd also say most of what this reads will be worthless as people won't understand what they're seeing AND won't see half of what they need to see.
Most devices which can access body control/ABS/Airbag and other modules are generally proprietary and expensive - they come with 4-figure pricetags and subscriptions for updates - I'm not sure how this would get around the need for that even on the limited range of manufs??
Things like Torque can only read OBD2/ECU data - which is just-about-worthless to a new buyer - you want all the body/ABS/Airbag codes because they are FAR more interesting (although they still don't really tell you if a car is worth buying, perhaps)
As for causing problems, so long as it's connected BEFORE the ignition is activated and properly disconnected thereafter, you should be fine. One thing you MAY encounter is that a lot of these devices (see also the Bluetooth dongles people use with Torque etc.) will do protocol scans which can leave 'codes' in the ECU when the device is disconnected (which can usually only be cleared with better tools). There are ways of avoiding this - RTFM etc.
p.s. I realise everyone wants a magic way of telling if a car is worth buying but this really isn't that - at best it's some info you won't understand, at worth it could deter you from a good car or trick you into buying a bad one. The only tools which will tell you what a car's worth are experience and common sense (sadly things we don't value as much as we seem to value apps and other s
t)
Moreover - I'd also say most of what this reads will be worthless as people won't understand what they're seeing AND won't see half of what they need to see.
Most devices which can access body control/ABS/Airbag and other modules are generally proprietary and expensive - they come with 4-figure pricetags and subscriptions for updates - I'm not sure how this would get around the need for that even on the limited range of manufs??
Things like Torque can only read OBD2/ECU data - which is just-about-worthless to a new buyer - you want all the body/ABS/Airbag codes because they are FAR more interesting (although they still don't really tell you if a car is worth buying, perhaps)
As for causing problems, so long as it's connected BEFORE the ignition is activated and properly disconnected thereafter, you should be fine. One thing you MAY encounter is that a lot of these devices (see also the Bluetooth dongles people use with Torque etc.) will do protocol scans which can leave 'codes' in the ECU when the device is disconnected (which can usually only be cleared with better tools). There are ways of avoiding this - RTFM etc.
p.s. I realise everyone wants a magic way of telling if a car is worth buying but this really isn't that - at best it's some info you won't understand, at worth it could deter you from a good car or trick you into buying a bad one. The only tools which will tell you what a car's worth are experience and common sense (sadly things we don't value as much as we seem to value apps and other s
t)Edited by 406dogvan on Thursday 12th October 21:33
Edited by 406dogvan on Thursday 12th October 21:34
Carly has been around for a long time, there is also Carista and I have used this for some basic coding (gps digital speedo etc). Getting the right adapter is the key bit.
These apps are far more useful than the basic obd2 tools as they do read most of not all ecu's and use manufacturers specific codes, not just the generic codes. A combination of this and Google search means that most problems can at least be identified.
These apps are far more useful than the basic obd2 tools as they do read most of not all ecu's and use manufacturers specific codes, not just the generic codes. A combination of this and Google search means that most problems can at least be identified.
I was wondering about the limitations of browsing the OBD port for comprehensive insight on a used car, and comments above addressed my concerns (sending a virtual pint your way, 406dogvan).
Leaving behind, for the moment, the matter of "checking" a used car, I do like this sort of technology in another use case. For example, the following.
Automatic
Vinli
Zubie
Leaving behind, for the moment, the matter of "checking" a used car, I do like this sort of technology in another use case. For example, the following.
Automatic
Vinli
Zubie
treetops said:
SpunkyM said:
Given the Carly Pro app has been out for ages now, I'm not clear what this article is about?? Are you saying there is a new update out or is this a brand new app?
It's an advert! Matt
If I had a used car for sale, and a buyer strolled up and asked if he could 'just plug my laptop into the OBD port', I'd tell him exactly where to go.
Nothing to hide, but isn't there a danger that someone could simply clone a key with that sort of technique, and just come back later when it's dark?
Or am I just being a bit tinfoil hat?
edit - ...errr... perhaps I shouldn't have skim-read the comments first. I blame the stupid comments/no comments layout...
Nothing to hide, but isn't there a danger that someone could simply clone a key with that sort of technique, and just come back later when it's dark?
Or am I just being a bit tinfoil hat?
edit - ...errr... perhaps I shouldn't have skim-read the comments first. I blame the stupid comments/no comments layout...
Matt Bird said:
treetops said:
SpunkyM said:
Given the Carly Pro app has been out for ages now, I'm not clear what this article is about?? Are you saying there is a new update out or is this a brand new app?
It's an advert! Matt
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