For BMW enthusiasts and owners looking to personalize their ride or troubleshoot issues themselves, the market offers various coding and diagnostic tools. Among these, Carly has emerged as a popular option. I wanted to share my personal experience with the Carly unit for BMW coding, hoping it provides helpful insights for those considering it.
Initially, my primary reason for purchasing Carly was quite straightforward: clearing a couple of airbag fault codes on my BMW. In a moment of DIY enthusiasm, I had disconnected and removed both front seats without first disconnecting the car battery. This resulted in the dreaded airbag warning light illuminating on the dashboard.
The Carly OBD2 adapter itself was an affordable purchase at just $50 from Amazon, with the added convenience of same-day delivery. The Carly app, essential for using the adapter, required a separate subscription, costing another $50.
While some might hesitate at the subscription model, for me, the investment has proven to be worthwhile. A local dealership quoted me $120 simply to clear the fault codes. This felt excessive, especially knowing the process is relatively quick, but they insisted on charging for a full hour of labor. Knowing my tendency to tinker with my car and potentially trigger more fault codes in the future, having a tool like Carly seemed like a wise investment.
Setting up Carly was incredibly user-friendly. After downloading the Carly app on my smartphone, I plugged the Carly adapter into the OBD port of my BMW. The connection via Bluetooth was virtually instantaneous and seamless.
My first task was to address the airbag fault codes. Using the Carly app, clearing these codes was remarkably quick, taking only about 5 minutes. In my view, this single action justified the cost of the unit. Any additional functionality would simply be a bonus.
Intrigued by Carly’s coding capabilities, I began to explore its other features. I experimented with recoding several vehicle settings, and I’m pleased to report that every coding modification I attempted was executed flawlessly.
One of the first things I customized was the iDrive system’s shutdown behavior. I preferred the iDrive to power off as soon as the driver’s door is opened. I had never quite adapted to pressing the start/stop button twice to completely turn off the system, often exiting the car and inadvertently leaving the stereo playing – a minor but persistent annoyance. This single coding adjustment, for me, almost made the Carly purchase worthwhile on its own due to the daily convenience it added.
Next, I enabled the feature to automatically fold and unfold the side mirrors when locking and unlocking the car. It always seemed puzzling to me why this isn’t a standard feature on a vehicle in the luxury price range. Carly easily rectified this oversight.
I then proceeded to code the windows to operate with the remote key fob. Now, by holding the lock button, all windows roll up, and by holding the unlock button, they roll down – a particularly useful feature in warmer weather to vent the car before entering.
Finally, I coded the door locks to automatically unlock as soon as the vehicle is turned off. Similar to the start button and iDrive behavior, I never grew accustomed to having to pull the interior door handle twice to unlock and open the door. Carly allowed me to streamline this process to my preference.
These seemingly small coding adjustments have collectively enhanced my daily driving experience and made the car feel perfectly tailored to my preferences. The coding process itself was exceptionally straightforward and, as mentioned, functioned without any issues.
In conclusion, based on my experience, the Carly BMW coding tool has been worth every penny. It not only quickly resolved my initial problem with airbag fault codes but also unlocked a range of customizable features that have significantly improved my ownership experience. For BMW owners interested in DIY diagnostics and personalization, Carly is definitely a tool worth considering.
