Carly Review From and E85 Z4 Point of View

Sterling Roadster · 05-14-2020, 03:47 PM

I'm sure you guys have all seen those countless endorsements for the Carly App and tool. All over you tube and online ads. It's supposed to be able to read codes at almost a dealer level and code countless options for modules. I saw what it was supposed to be capable of and figure for 80 bucks CAD or so, why not. Even though I already had the Creator scan tool. On the website it says Universal Adapter option, but I didn't see any other options so I went with that. Now it was over 100 CAD, okay fine. So after I get the scan tool in the app, it plug into my Z4. It says download the app. Then I go to use the app and you can either pay 60 something CAD for BMW or 80 something CAD for any car. Just to actually use the 100 dollar scan tool you already paid for. At this point I figure well I already have my feet in the water. It also will auto-renew if you forget to cancel, charging another almost 100 bucks for another year of use.

I guess the idea is that they want to license it like an adobe product. Which would be fine if it was marketed that way. It just felt very sneaky to me and was kind of a turn off from the start. The coding on my 2003 Z4 is pretty limited but that's because it's an early car without as many configurable modules as an E89 for example. I did a couple cool things like re-enable the factory alarm, check for potential odometer tampering and some lighting things but that's about it probably. I bought it to clear my airbag light which it couldn't do, though I figured it out with my Creator tool ironically. I will say they have a email help service which takes about 24 hours to respond and they seem to be somewhat knowledgeable so that's nice. Just thought i'd put in my 2 cents for any E85 guys considering this!

XMetal · 05-14-2020, 05:00 PM

Thanks for the review. I don't like subscription based diagnostic tool for a home DIYer. For a shop, fine...but not for a home DIYer.

Larman · 05-14-2020, 06:52 PM

Thanks for the post - I wasn't familiar with either scanner.

Sterling Roadster · 05-14-2020, 08:11 PM

Just wanted to add, i'm not saying Carly is a bad product, it seems to do what it says. I just didn't like the buying format. And the Creator C310 is a unit you can get for less than 80 CAD on Amazon or eBay with no subscription, it will take care of the majority of diagnosing you need for BMW and MINI I believe. I don't have any affiliation with either, just something to think about before buying!

pungo · 05-14-2020, 10:28 PM

Good post about your experience with Carly. A friend told me about it and once I looked into it, I found several things that turned me off. Luckily, my friend has the grandfathered version that doesn't require an annual fee. From what I've heard, it's a great application.

Requires purchasing their expensive OBD II adapter
Very few coding options for older vehicles
Requires paying an annual fee for the privilege to use the app (just 5 years would set me back $300 USD, no thanks)

This is what I use with a laptop:

Coding:

NCSexpert and a $15 cable for E series vehicles
e-sys with a $10 cable for F series vehicles (can also upgrade firmware on modules)

Diagnostics & clearing faults:

INPA and or ISTA for E series
ISTA for F Series

KevinC · 05-15-2020, 02:18 AM

I have a similar product for my VW (also works with Audi, naturally) called OBDeleven, out of Latvia. Same concept as Carly, but no BS subscription nonsense. You buy the device, and that's all you need. You can purchase credits at a reasonable cost to do some popular one-touch changes. But this isn't required, and all that one-touch stuff can also be done via coding, which is pretty easy and intuitive.

They recently released their 2nd-generation dongle, which now supports iOS (original was Android only). Here's the kicker - they are allegedly working on supporting other makes, and BMW is up first. But no timeline on when it will be available.

But it's been a great VW/Audi tool for a while now (at least 2-3 years) and no funny games with the pricing. Once BMW support is out, I'll announce it here and review it.

https://obdeleven.com/en/

https://www.shopdap.com/obdelevenpro...scan-tool.html

XMetal · 05-15-2020, 12:18 PM

Kevin, that's great info - didn't know OBDeleven was working on a BMW version. I love it for our S3 but couldn't find anything close to it for BMW.

3002 tii · 05-18-2020, 07:00 PM

I bought it before they switched to subscription model but agreed it’s not worth it now

KevinC · 05-19-2020, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

I bought it before they switched to subscription model but agreed it’s not worth it now

Did they at least grandfather in the original buyers who bought it before a sub was required, allowing you to continue to use it without being extorted for more money? Because if they didn't - that's REALLY shady business.

3002 tii · 05-19-2020, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinC

Did they at least grandfather in the original buyers who bought it before a sub was required, allowing you to continue to use it without being extorted for more money? Because if they didn't - that's REALLY shady business.

Yea we were grandfathered which is why I still use it today

AK72 · 06-15-2020, 09:44 AM

Anyone around Toronto feel free and user my Carly for free, I have grandfathered account that gives me all for free and no subscription.

05-14-2020, 03:47 PM	#1
Sterling Roadster Second Lieutenant 68 Rep 279 Posts Drives: e85 Z4 3.0i & e92 328i Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Carly Review From and E85 Z4 Point of View I'm sure you guys have all seen those countless endorsements for the Carly App and tool. All over you tube and online ads. It's supposed to be able to read codes at almost a dealer level and code countless options for modules. I saw what it was supposed to be capable of and figure for 80 bucks CAD or so, why not. Even though I already had the Creator scan tool. On the website it says Universal Adapter option, but I didn't see any other options so I went with that. Now it was over 100 CAD, okay fine. So after I get the scan tool in the app, it plug into my Z4. It says download the app. Then I go to use the app and you can either pay 60 something CAD for BMW or 80 something CAD for any car. Just to actually use the 100 dollar scan tool you already paid for. At this point I figure well I already have my feet in the water. It also will auto-renew if you forget to cancel, charging another almost 100 bucks for another year of use. I guess the idea is that they want to license it like an adobe product. Which would be fine if it was marketed that way. It just felt very sneaky to me and was kind of a turn off from the start. The coding on my 2003 Z4 is pretty limited but that's because it's an early car without as many configurable modules as an E89 for example. I did a couple cool things like re-enable the factory alarm, check for potential odometer tampering and some lighting things but that's about it probably. I bought it to clear my airbag light which it couldn't do, though I figured it out with my Creator tool ironically. I will say they have a email help service which takes about 24 hours to respond and they seem to be somewhat knowledgeable so that's nice. Just thought i'd put in my 2 cents for any E85 guys considering this!
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05-14-2020, 05:00 PM	#2
XMetal Colonel 1131 Rep 2,866 Posts Drives: Anything Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 Z4M Coupe [10.00] 2018 Audi S3 [0.00] 2004 X5 [8.50]	Thanks for the review. I don't like subscription based diagnostic tool for a home DIYer. For a shop, fine...but not for a home DIYer.
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05-14-2020, 06:52 PM	#3
Larman New Member 2 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2006 Z4 Join Date: May 2020 Location: Redmond, OR iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the post - I wasn't familiar with either scanner.
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05-14-2020, 08:11 PM	#4
Sterling Roadster Second Lieutenant 68 Rep 279 Posts Drives: e85 Z4 3.0i & e92 328i Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Just wanted to add, i'm not saying Carly is a bad product, it seems to do what it says. I just didn't like the buying format. And the Creator C310 is a unit you can get for less than 80 CAD on Amazon or eBay with no subscription, it will take care of the majority of diagnosing you need for BMW and MINI I believe. I don't have any affiliation with either, just something to think about before buying!
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05-14-2020, 10:28 PM	#5
pungo Colonel 879 Rep 2,546 Posts Drives: Z4MC-X3-35i-525i, Corrado G60 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: MD iTrader: (5) Garage List 2011 BMW X3 x35i [0.00] 2001 BMW 525i [0.00] 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe [8.76]	Good post about your experience with Carly. A friend told me about it and once I looked into it, I found several things that turned me off. Luckily, my friend has the grandfathered version that doesn't require an annual fee. From what I've heard, it's a great application. Requires purchasing their expensive OBD II adapter Very few coding options for older vehicles Requires paying an annual fee for the privilege to use the app (just 5 years would set me back $300 USD, no thanks) This is what I use with a laptop: Coding: NCSexpert and a $15 cable for E series vehicles e-sys with a $10 cable for F series vehicles (can also upgrade firmware on modules) Diagnostics & clearing faults: INPA and or ISTA for E series ISTA for F Series
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05-15-2020, 02:18 AM	#6
KevinC your average JAMF 3099 Rep 4,093 Posts Drives: '21 M2 Comp, '19 Golf R Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Cochise County, AZ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2019 VW Golf R [0.00] 2021 BMW M2 Competi ... [0.00]	I have a similar product for my VW (also works with Audi, naturally) called OBDeleven, out of Latvia. Same concept as Carly, but no BS subscription nonsense. You buy the device, and that's all you need. You can purchase credits at a reasonable cost to do some popular one-touch changes. But this isn't required, and all that one-touch stuff can also be done via coding, which is pretty easy and intuitive. They recently released their 2nd-generation dongle, which now supports iOS (original was Android only). Here's the kicker - they are allegedly working on supporting other makes, and BMW is up first. But no timeline on when it will be available. But it's been a great VW/Audi tool for a while now (at least 2-3 years) and no funny games with the pricing. Once BMW support is out, I'll announce it here and review it. https://obdeleven.com/en/ https://www.shopdap.com/obdelevenpro...scan-tool.html __________________ '21 M2 Comp '19 Golf R
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05-15-2020, 12:18 PM	#7
XMetal Colonel 1131 Rep 2,866 Posts Drives: Anything Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 Z4M Coupe [10.00] 2018 Audi S3 [0.00] 2004 X5 [8.50]	Kevin, that's great info - didn't know OBDeleven was working on a BMW version. I love it for our S3 but couldn't find anything close to it for BMW.
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05-18-2020, 07:00 PM	#8
3002 tii Lieutenant General 2282 Rep 12,565 Posts Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: CT iTrader: (99) Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75] E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.22]	I bought it before they switched to subscription model but agreed it’s not worth it now __________________ Follow for latest mods
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06-15-2020, 09:44 AM	#11
AK72 First Lieutenant 286 Rep 399 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW Z4 m Coupe Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Anyone around Toronto feel free and user my Carly for free, I have grandfathered account that gives me all for free and no subscription.
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