Carly has been shaking up the diagnostics world by offering drivers the opportunity to get a look into the state of their own vehicle. Does this signal the death knell for garage-based diagnostics? Unlikely. So, what and who is it for and how will it impact independent garages who already have a tough time with know-it-all customers? That’s what editor Kieran Nee met up with Carly’s UK country manager, Daniel Meeghan to find out.
Hi Daniel, thanks for talking to me today. Could you start by giving our readers a bit of background to Carly the company and its main product?
Carly connects drivers with the information hidden inside their cars. The game-changing Carly OBD II scanner and app provide simple solutions to empower car owners to perform detailed car diagnostics and maintenance from their smartphones, no matter their technical or automotive expertise. Carly is designed to support drivers throughout the lifecycle of car ownership delivering peace of mind and helping to save time and money.
Founded in Munich in 2014, the idea was born when one of the Carly founders, Parvis, began noticing problems with his car, he took it to a repair shop to diagnose the issue. Upon learning that the repairs were estimated at nearly $8,000 – a sum which exceeded the value of the car. Parvis enlisted the help of his son Arian, a keen computer and coding whiz, plus his son Avid and friend David, to access the car error data for themselves. The team discovered that the issue came down to an $80 part that simply needed to be replaced. This inspired them to come together to develop an easy-to-use diagnostic device that anyone could use if faced with the same scenario.
Is Carly just for individual car owners, or do professionals use it too?
Carly is for designed with both in mind – whether that be car owners or professionals. Whilst the device has become a popular tool with professional garages, as it has vast advantages over wired systems needing specific laptops and expensive proprietary licences, Carly’s main appeal is to individual car owners due to its simplicity and affordability.
Carly’s technology is presented in a way that makes OBD scanning technology incredibly accessible, making it the perfect tool for individual car owners to use. Generic code readers do not provide enough information or clarity, and wired dealership-level tools are far too expensive for an individual to justify. Carly aims to meet in the middle – providing the clear, valuable information that individual car owners need, but without the hefty price tag.
Won’t Carly reduce the need for professional garage services?
We believe it is quite the opposite. Carly enriches the car care ecosystem and helps to drive demand for professional garage services by providing knowledge to car owners that will allow them to open a line of communication with their mechanic or garage. As stories have circulated about car owners being duped into spending more than they need to on car repairs and the cost of car repairs has increased, a level of avoidance and mistrust has arisen amongst some consumers when it comes to visiting the garage. By giving consumers access to true and accurate information about their car, they can feel empowered to tackle conversations with a mechanic and take action that they know is necessary. This builds a relationship between the individual and the professional which will encourage them to visit the garage more readily.
Additionally, Carly encourages a proactive approach to car maintenance – showing car owners that there are measures to be taken in the short term, that could potentially save them hundreds or even thousands of pounds in the long term to avoid a catastrophic fault. This can lead to more regular and necessary work for garages.
What capabilities does Carly offer, and how does it manage such broad coverage?
Carly offers six key features:
- Carly Diagnostics – provides factory level diagnostics to give a detailed picture of the health of your vehicle
- Carly Smart Mechanic – answers “How severe is the issue and what do I do to fix it?”
- Carly Battery – monitors the status of your car’s starter battery
- Carly Engine Live Data – a full overview of hundreds of manufacturer-specific live parameters from your engine
- Carly Maintenance – helps you service your car yourself
- Carly Coding – unlocks features made unavailable by manufacturers and lets you change settings to customise your car
Its broad compatibility is achieved using specialised processors, enabling communication with a wide array of car brands. This technology, coupled with insights from over two million users in Europe and the US, allows Carly to read and clear fault codes, perform health checks, and even detect mileage manipulation on vehicles made after 2007.
What’s in the pipeline for Carly?
As Carly establishes its presence in the UK, the focus is on expanding diagnostic capabilities, enhancing user experience, and growing the supported car brand list. There are plans to introduce personalised maintenance advice for every car owner, as well as to extend our reach in the secondhand car market by offering transparency and confidence to buyers. Watch this space!
