Considering purchasing a Carly Scanner for your car diagnostics? You might want to read this first. After trying out the Carly Scanner, I found myself questioning its real value, especially when compared to much cheaper alternatives available on the market. My experience suggests that while it presents itself as a sophisticated tool, its actual functionality is surprisingly basic.
Essentially, the Carly Scanner operates as a standard OBD2 code reader. It can perform fundamental tasks like reading and clearing fault codes, which is something you can easily achieve with a generic OBD reader that costs a fraction of the price – think of those £10 OBD readers you can find on eBay. While Carly boasts about unlocking features on certain German car brands, this functionality seems limited and not universally applicable. For the most part, you’re paying a premium for what is, at its core, a basic diagnostic tool.
My biggest issue, however, isn’t just the limited functionality relative to its cost. It’s the subscription model. While I was aware that the Carly Scanner operates on a yearly subscription basis, and the OBD adapter itself is essentially provided as part of this subscription, I completely missed the detail about automatic renewal. The shock came when I noticed an unexpected payment of £125 debited from my PayPal account. Upon contacting Carly, I was informed about their automatic renewal policy, citing German law and requiring cancellation at least one month prior to the renewal date.
This automatic renewal felt particularly unfair, especially as it coincided with a period of paternity leave where I was already financially stretched and not actively using the tool. To spend £125 on a product that I already felt was overpriced and underperforming was extremely frustrating. I’ve disputed the charge with PayPal, hoping for a reversal, but I’m not optimistic about the outcome.
In conclusion, the Carly Scanner appears to be a rather basic product dressed up with a slick app interface. While the app is user-friendly and visually appealing, it doesn’t compensate for the limited functionality and, in my opinion, questionable value proposition. The business model, particularly the automatic subscription renewal, feels predatory and lacks transparency. Even as someone who considers themselves reasonably careful with online subscriptions, I was caught out by this auto-renewal. Therefore, I strongly advise anyone considering a Carly Scanner to carefully weigh its features against cheaper alternatives and to be extremely vigilant about the subscription terms and renewal policies. There are many other OBD2 scanners available that offer similar, if not better, functionality without the expensive subscription lock-in.
