Carly For Mercedes. OBD Scanning/Diagnostic/Reporting Device & App (Alternative to iCarSoft)

[gemiz]

I may have actually misunderstood your question... if you are asking if the Carly OBDII dongle will work with other non-Carly apps (e.g. the Torque app), then the answer is no. Unlike generic ELM327 dongles, the Carly dongle will only work with Carly apps.

Thank you.
Ill spend some more time in the Carly app to see if i get used to it

 

[mrbobrob4066]

Hi dude, I have E220 W213 and I see Carly OBD,but it's not usefull It can only read not write....right?????THX in advance

 

[johnsco]

Hi killerHERTZ and Everyone.
Forgive my shocking ignorance in this area .... BUT:
I'm thinking of getting some sort of diagnostics for our two MBs.
1. Is the Carly a good bet for the two cars I have listed ?
2. Reading the Carly info and this thread, it talks a lot about smart-phones.
This is something I don't have - and it is not my world.
Will the Carly work with my lap-top ... A Lenovo Ryzen 5, running Windows 10 ?
Is a USB connection possible ?

In the W203, there is a Bluetooth thingy between the front seats with a blue flashing light.
I'm afraid I have little idea what it actually is or how I might be able to use it.
The W211 E280 may have one of these - But I've never discovered it - or looked for it.

My lap-top "settings" has a section on Bluetooth.
It's not very helpful, but has the following statement:
Ok, I see that your Bluetooth is turned on.
Do I have your permission to try to enable the Bluetooth icon on your taskbar?

I also read stuff about "dongles".
Sorry guys - But I don't really understand what or why ???
Really - My question is: Can I use the Carly and all its facilities with my lap-top ?
Go easy with me ... I'm reasonably computer-literate and technically OK ... Despite serious old age.

Help please.
Thanks.
J.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

You would be better off with the iCarSoft (see my other thread)

 

[johnsco]

Thanks Kz
Is that because of my two cars - or - because of my limited grasp of the communications interface ?
Thanks ?
J

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thanks Kz
Is that because of my two cars - or - because of my limited grasp of the communications interface ?
Thanks ?
J

I believe Carly requires the Carly smartphone app to work, so without a smartphone you can’t use Carly.

 

[johnsco]

Thanks Bobby Dazzler.
I can down-load an app (like any program) onto my lap-top.
What prevents me using the lap top in much the same way as one might use a smart-phone ?
Sorry if this appears an obvious question.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thanks Bobby Dazzler.
I can down-load an app (like any program) onto my lap-top.
What prevents me using the lap top in much the same way as one might use a smart-phone ?
Sorry if this appears an obvious question.

As far as I am aware Carly only offer apps for iOS and Android, and not Windows. Maybe if you’re handy with a computer you may be able to get the app working using an emulator if some sort but it wouldn’t be straight forward.

 

[johnsco]

OK - Thanks for that explanation.
Having googled iOS, I now understand why my laptop is not going to do the works.
It's Windows-based.
I can't think of any way of making it work .... Damn !!
Thanks for your help.
I'll have to explore other routes

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

OK - Thanks for that explanation.
Having googled iOS, I now understand why my laptop is not going to do the works.
It's Windows-based.
I can't think of any way of making it work .... Damn !!
Thanks for your help.
I'll have to explore other routes

You could always buy a second hand Android smartphone, or receive a hand-me-down from friends or family. Once they’re a few years old - unless they’re something special them they’re not worth a great deal.

You wouldn’t have to install a SIM card or use it as a phone if you didn’t want to, you could just connect it to Wi-FI and only use it when you want to use Carly to read fault codes, run checks and reports, etc.

 

[johnsco]

Thanks B.D.
That might provide a solution.

 

[Bendo]

As per above, £36 for Mercedes, slightly more for all brands unlocked + the actual device (10% via my code)

All prices on the Carly site

Looks like the prices have flown up since then...

Any decent alternatives? My parking sensors have given up and want something to identify which one is the cause

 

[Numair Aidroos]

As per my closing comments in the video, the updated android app is out in a month, which allow the extra features.



The dongle can be used with the Torque app aswell I've been told.

Is the Android app available now? How deep can the SAM be diagnosed?

 

[PaulG]

@KillerHERTZ - Thanks for the video. I have one coming in the post and I am aware that it won't have the coding abilities that it does on BMW's so I won't have the disappointment that others appear to have had.

 

[pwaf13]

@KillerHERTZ - Thanks for your informative videos!

Recently switched over to MB from BMW so my usual armoury of ISTA/ESYS, BimmerCode and Bootmod3 are redundant so I’m looking at some form of diagnostics. Aware the coding days are behind me now, which is fine, just need a diagnostics tool.

Xentry would be ideal but very costly it seems.

I’m toying with either Carly or iCarsoft 3.0 (as the multi brand version is just out so I can cover my wife’s Audi too) and wondered if you feel Carly would be sufficient, or it would be worth the extra £ for the 3.0?

TIA

 

[markjay]

@KillerHERTZ - Thanks for your informative videos!

Recently switched over to MB from BMW so my usual armoury of ISTA/ESYS, BimmerCode and Bootmod3 are redundant so I’m looking at some form of diagnostics. Aware the coding days are behind me now, which is fine, just need a diagnostics tool.

Xentry would be ideal but very costly it seems.

I’m toying with either Carly or iCarsoft 3.0 (as the multi brand version is just out so I can cover my wife’s Audi too) and wondered if you feel Carly would be sufficient, or it would be worth the extra £ for the 3.0?

TIA

I have both the iCarsoft (albeit v2) and the Carly. I had the Carly for over 10 years now (upgrading the software and the Dongle over the years), and the iCarsopft for 5 years (had an Autel before I had the iCarsoft).

I think you need both... or at least I got both because I couldn't make up my mind.

The Carly is the more advanced tool, very very easy to use, and it generates PDF reports that can be stored in an online library. Plus, for a bit more you can unlock it to cover additional marques.

The iCarsoft is an old-fashioned handheld scanner, with an ancient user interface. And, unless you buy the CR version upfront, you won't be able to add more marques after purchase. BUT it is more accurate, can read more live data, and in my experience it was able to erase faults that Carly couldn't.

I no longer have the Merc, but while I did, for regular scanning, I used Carly. When dealing with a particular fault, I used the iCarsoft.

If I had to choose only one... it would probably be the iCarsoft. It's simply the more-serious tool, even if it is not as great-to-use as the Carly.

Hope this helps.

 

[pwaf13]

I have both the iCarsoft (albeit v2) and the Carly. I had the Carly for over 10 years now (upgrading the software and the Dongle over the years), and the iCarsopft for 5 years (had an Autel before I had the iCarsoft).

I think you need both... or at least I got both because I couldn't make up my mind.

The Carly is the more advanced tool, very very easy to use, and it generates PDF reports that can be stored in an online library. Plus, for a bit more you can unlock it to cover additional marques.

The iCarsoft is an old-fashioned handheld scanner, with an ancient user interface. And, unless you buy the CR version upfront, you won't be able to add more marques after purchase. BUT it is more accurate, can read more live data, and in my experience it was able to erase faults that Carly couldn't.

I no longer have the Merc, but while I did, for regular scanning, I used Carly. When dealing with a particular fault, I used the iCarsoft.

If I had to choose only one... it would probably be the iCarsoft. It's simply the more-serious tool, even if it is not as great-to-use as the Carly.

Hope this helps.

Thank you, thats very useful feedback!

I’m certainly erring on the side of the iCarsoft 3.0 when they are available over here in a couple of weeks.

Turns out my neighbour has a Carly dongle, I’ve tried it with the basic app and threw 20 errors, all seemed to point to it not being able to communicate with some ECUs, car is behaving totally fine, and of course can’t clear them without paying. Hmm, I might get the full MB package to give it a whirl and can always cancel purchase via AppStore if not cutting it and get the 3.0

Again, thanks for your help!

 

[Behindthebins]

Will Carly reset the dreaded 500 miles until inoperative countdown (which is about to run out) back to 500 miles on an Adblue fault?

 

[markjay]

After installing the new app, I emailed Carly support and asked them to transfer my license from the old app to the new app, which they did.

The New app is now showing as 'All features unlocked'. No mention of subscription period or renewal.

I am guessing that for those who, like me, purchased the full app before they changed to a subscription model, the old perpetual license will contiue to apply indefinitely - but time will tell.

Update:

The old license has apparently been converted by Carly to an annual subscription with auto-renewal...

This became clear when I received an email from Carly letting me know that my credit card has been debited for the annual fee. I asked them to cancel the subscription, however they were (unhelpfully) adamant that I should have cancelled the auto-renewal option and that there's nothing they can do (I wasn't even aware that the perpetual license was converted to annual subscription).

This is annoying because I no longer have the Merc, and for my other car, the Suzuki, Carly only offered basic OBDII which I can get from Torque with Elm BT dongle.

Anyways, I have now cancelled the auto-renewal option so hopefully I will not be charged again next year. In hindsight, I could have logged a dispute with my credit card provider against Carly, but for some reason I didn't think of it at the time.

At any rate, the Carly Dongle is for sale, if anyone wants it.... but this is the hardware only and you'll need to purchase the license for the app.

 

[markjay]

BTW, the iCarsoft is also for sale, if anyone is interested.