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I will be a praying the review and information. Please read the latest post for the latest information.
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated, employed, or compensated by Carly.
Summary for those not looking to read the entire post:
Overall the Carly for BMW is a potentially great tool but as it appears to not be fully operational for the E39 I can't give a huge recommendation for it. At this point there doesn't appear to be functional parameter display or other goodies that we need/want (or at least I couldn't find a wheel speed sensor display) and it is rather expensive (US$123). However, as the connector is updatable through the app and the app receives continuous updates for ever, I am not returning it. Hopefully I can provide some updates in the future and definitive recommendation as Carly works to improve this. And my neighbor has an 07 335, maybe it is more functional on his and I can help him out.
"Complete" review:
Looking for another tool in the arsenal of diagnostics for my 2003 540iA M-Tech/Sport/whatever, I came across the Carly system. This is a OBDII connection that is supposed to enable standard OBDII diagnostics, BMW specific fault codes, ecu/module coding, and display/read additional ecu information. In theory allow for live reads and displays of the standard items (O2, rpm, throttle, etc.) but also capture additional fault information (mileage, conditions, etc.). Figuring it would be a nice addition I purchased it from the Amazon distributor ($78) and used my gathered change in a CoinStar machine to get the iTunes gift certificate to buy the app ($45). So here is what I have experienced thus far...
The OBDII connector is a small unit utilizing a wifi signal (self generated) to connect to the iOS. Packaging is rather nonexistent but that is okay, I am not paying for that but for the functions.
The interesting thing about this: as it is also generating a wifi signal the operator needs to start the vehicle to avoid battery drain. While nothing "wrong" with this, it does present an inhibitor to doing a quick check for codes.
On to the app: overall nice and easy to follow, for the most part it has simple screens.
On launch of the app you get a simple home screen where you get to choose your vehicle and make initial connection.
Unfortunately it appears there is a communication error with my ecu. This may be because the e39 area does not have engine/ecu selection, instead it is "all" engines. Carly is supposedly adding more engines so perhaps my 2003 M62TU is still under development.
This is the first clue that Parameters is not going to provide anything but more on that later.
Going into diagnostics there is a lot to see.
Of course all of these are not valid for the E39 but there are plenty enough for fault codes.
The return of the codes is rather easy to follow as is the display and clearing.
The coding portion is nice and allows SOME of the elements to be controlled. Again rather easy to follow and execute.
The nice part is this system creates a backup file so if the coding fails or you have set it incorrectly you can revert to your previous settings. There is also a file with "recipes" for the coding (ensuring the correct elements are active to enable your function).
The Parameters is what I was really going for. Not only is it supposed to be a live display (graphs, numerical, or dashboard) but you can also export the file to excel for better analysis and viewing. Here are some of the parameters available.
You can set 6 up at a time here, I grabbed a random few just for s&gs but as it doesn't work I can't show what the graphs or displays look like.
Overall a potentially great tool but as it appears to not be fully operational for the E39 I can't give a huge recommendation for it. At this point there doesn't appear to be functional parameter display or other goodies that we need/want (or at least I couldn't find a wheel speed sensor display) and it is rather expensive (US$123). However, as the connector is updatable through the app and the app receives continuous updates for ever I am not returning it. Hopefully I can provide some updates in the future as Carly works to improve this. And besides, my neighbor has an 07 335, maybe it is more functional on his and I can help him out.
More info available on the Carly for BMW system from website.
http://www.mycarly.com/product/bmw-app/
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated, employed, or compensated by Carly.
Summary for those not looking to read the entire post:
Overall the Carly for BMW is a potentially great tool but as it appears to not be fully operational for the E39 I can't give a huge recommendation for it. At this point there doesn't appear to be functional parameter display or other goodies that we need/want (or at least I couldn't find a wheel speed sensor display) and it is rather expensive (US$123). However, as the connector is updatable through the app and the app receives continuous updates for ever, I am not returning it. Hopefully I can provide some updates in the future and definitive recommendation as Carly works to improve this. And my neighbor has an 07 335, maybe it is more functional on his and I can help him out.
"Complete" review:
Looking for another tool in the arsenal of diagnostics for my 2003 540iA M-Tech/Sport/whatever, I came across the Carly system. This is a OBDII connection that is supposed to enable standard OBDII diagnostics, BMW specific fault codes, ecu/module coding, and display/read additional ecu information. In theory allow for live reads and displays of the standard items (O2, rpm, throttle, etc.) but also capture additional fault information (mileage, conditions, etc.). Figuring it would be a nice addition I purchased it from the Amazon distributor ($78) and used my gathered change in a CoinStar machine to get the iTunes gift certificate to buy the app ($45). So here is what I have experienced thus far...
The OBDII connector is a small unit utilizing a wifi signal (self generated) to connect to the iOS. Packaging is rather nonexistent but that is okay, I am not paying for that but for the functions.
The interesting thing about this: as it is also generating a wifi signal the operator needs to start the vehicle to avoid battery drain. While nothing "wrong" with this, it does present an inhibitor to doing a quick check for codes.
On to the app: overall nice and easy to follow, for the most part it has simple screens.
On launch of the app you get a simple home screen where you get to choose your vehicle and make initial connection.
Unfortunately it appears there is a communication error with my ecu. This may be because the e39 area does not have engine/ecu selection, instead it is "all" engines. Carly is supposedly adding more engines so perhaps my 2003 M62TU is still under development.
This is the first clue that Parameters is not going to provide anything but more on that later.
Going into diagnostics there is a lot to see.
Of course all of these are not valid for the E39 but there are plenty enough for fault codes.
The return of the codes is rather easy to follow as is the display and clearing.
The coding portion is nice and allows SOME of the elements to be controlled. Again rather easy to follow and execute.
The nice part is this system creates a backup file so if the coding fails or you have set it incorrectly you can revert to your previous settings. There is also a file with "recipes" for the coding (ensuring the correct elements are active to enable your function).
The Parameters is what I was really going for. Not only is it supposed to be a live display (graphs, numerical, or dashboard) but you can also export the file to excel for better analysis and viewing. Here are some of the parameters available.
You can set 6 up at a time here, I grabbed a random few just for s&gs but as it doesn't work I can't show what the graphs or displays look like.
Overall a potentially great tool but as it appears to not be fully operational for the E39 I can't give a huge recommendation for it. At this point there doesn't appear to be functional parameter display or other goodies that we need/want (or at least I couldn't find a wheel speed sensor display) and it is rather expensive (US$123). However, as the connector is updatable through the app and the app receives continuous updates for ever I am not returning it. Hopefully I can provide some updates in the future as Carly works to improve this. And besides, my neighbor has an 07 335, maybe it is more functional on his and I can help him out.
More info available on the Carly for BMW system from website.
http://www.mycarly.com/product/bmw-app/
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
