On-Board Diagnostics – How Can an OBD2 Tool Save You Money?

One of the many wonderful things about classic cars is the rolling basis upon which the very status of the term “classic” rests and what it means to us as car fans. What perhaps isn’t deemed as a classic yet may well reach classic status in the future simply by virtue of its age in the coming years. Time waits for no make or model and whilst most new cars will never achieve classic status (which is a topic for another discussion) many young timers and modern classics are well on their way to being categorised as such. A twenty-odd year old BMW E39 M5, for instance, may not be bona fide classic material just yet but give it another decade or two and the automotive world will very much be lauding it as a proper classic.

Many of you, as well as many of us here at Car & Classic, own models such as the M5 we’ve just mentioned. These are modern vehicles in the grand scheme of things but still well within the realms of either modern classic or future classic territory and one of the advantages that comes from this greater level of modernity, relatively speaking, is the inclusion of a more contemporary on-board diagnostics system, or OBD.

Now, as a system for self-diagnoses and reporting OBD has been around since the early ’80s, but this was an incredibly primitive version that ostensibly relied on a series of flashing lights that when interpreted could determine certain conditions of the vehicle’s various systems. Not only was its usefulness somewhat limited but there was also no standard system in place, with most manufacturers relying on their own tools and procedures to interpret these codes. Not ideal. That is until the advent of OBD2 in 1996 which standardized the entire process.

Of course, there’s no substitute for first hand knowledge and experience when it comes to classic car maintenance and servicing, and it’s something that we actively encourage here at Car & Classic, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t be open to a little help from time to time, and that’s where on-board diagnostics come in. OBD2 provides access to data from the engine control unit (ECU) and offers a valuable source of information when troubleshooting problems. The level of detail and the options available to you will depend upon the vehicle and type of tool used but generally speaking any OBD2 device can query the on-board computer of post-96 vehicles due to a standardized hardware interface, providing incredibly useful information about your car and potentially saving you a bundle on troubleshooting and repair bills.

From basic data loggers to all singing, all dancing scanners that can be controlled via a smart phone, an OBD2 tool is a valuable addition to your modern classic maintenance kit. We recently tested one such device – the Carly scanner – and were blown away not only by how useful it is, but also by the sheer amount of features it comes loaded with.

Ostensibly Carly is an advanced OBD2 scanner that plugs into your car’s OBD2 port so you can read out hidden data, such as error codes and live parameters, allowing you to completely understand your car’s health status, all on your phone via an app. In addition to Carly’s diagnostic ability, the tool also allows you to access your engine’s live data in real time and utilise coding functions to unlock hidden features or change settings to customize your car specifically to your needs. Not only that but the device allows you to perform a used car check in order to detect any mileage manipulation and mechanical problems before parting with your hard earned. This works both ways, too and can be used as selling point when parting with your car. Bonus.

Some of the most common MoT failures are due to faults that drivers can spot for themselves by using at-home diagnostics tools like Carly, potentially saving hundreds on garage bills. Even if your spannering skills are less than stellar Carly’s Smart Mechanic feature provides specific details on any issues discovered alongside actionable repair guidelines written by expert mechanics, allowing you to learn more skills and perform more repairs on your own, saving you money.

We plugged our Carly in to test and not only did it display a few minor faults with the car in question, but it also explained each one in detail and provided expert guides on how to fix them as well as their potential causes. We were also able to use the coding function to clear a rather annoying “service due” dashboard light having already completed the necessary work ourselves previously. We then ran the device’s used car check which confirmed the mileage was correct.

We are super impressed with Carly and what it can do, and we haven’t even tested all that it’s capable of yet. Packed with features, knowledge base articles and model specific insights we can’t recommend it enough. We would have been blissfully unaware of the issues that it detected with our test car but now we can forge ahead with any repairs and preventative maintenance that are required, saving us both time and more importantly money on potentially hefty garage bills.

Head to the Carly website to learn more and grab one for yourself. If you have a modern classic built after 1996 then you simply need one of these scanners in your service and maintenance arsenal.