Thinking about investing in a Carly scanner for your car? As someone who’s actually used it, I want to share my experience and offer a word of warning. Like many, I was intrigued by the promises of unlocking hidden features on my German car and having advanced diagnostic capabilities at my fingertips. However, after using the Carly scanner, I’ve come to realize it might not live up to the hype, especially when you consider the cost.
In my experience, the Carly scanner’s functionality is surprisingly basic. While it does allow for some customization options on certain German vehicles, for the most part, it operates as a fairly standard OBD-II code reader. Honestly, I struggled to see what the Carly scanner offered that a much cheaper, generic OBD reader you can find online for around £10 couldn’t also accomplish. You can get the same basic diagnostic information and clear common fault codes with these budget-friendly alternatives.
Now, let’s talk about the real issue: the subscription model and automatic renewal. I went into this purchase knowing there was a one-year subscription fee on top of the cost of the OBD adapter, which they market as “free”. What I completely missed was the automatic subscription renewal. The first indication I had was an unexpected charge hitting my PayPal account. When I contacted Carly to question this, they pointed to some obscure “German law” and stated that to cancel the renewal, I needed to do so at least a month prior to the renewal date. This felt incredibly underhanded and not clearly communicated during the initial purchase.
This poor timing couldn’t have been worse for me, as I was taking unpaid paternity leave. Being hit with an unexpected £125 charge for a product I already felt was overpriced and underperforming was incredibly frustrating. I’ve filed a dispute with PayPal to try and get the payment reversed, but I’m not optimistic.
In conclusion, the Carly scanner, in my opinion, is essentially a basic tool dressed up with a fancy app and a premium price tag. The app interface is user-friendly, but it doesn’t justify the significant price difference compared to cheaper alternatives that offer similar core functionality. I believe their business model, particularly the automatic subscription renewal, is misleading and feels predatory. Even as someone who considers themselves reasonably savvy, I completely missed the automatic renewal clause. Save your money and explore more cost-effective OBD-II scanner options; you might find they offer just as much, if not more, value without the hidden costs.
