Caution should always be exercised when buying a used car, because cars with a turquoise odometer reading are by no means rare. A critical look at the condition and the vehicle history does not always bring definitive security. The digital check offered by the Carly company from Munich therefore seems interesting. With the help of this computer analysis, manipulated odometer readings can be exposed.
Carly takes advantage of the on-board diagnosis of vehicles that modern cars usually have. The onboard diagnostics can be accessed via an OBD connection, which is usually located to the left below the steering wheel. To check whether the odometer reading has been tampered with, all you have to do is connect a dongle that costs 30 to 40 euros to the OBD and then connect it to a smartphone or tablet. If the corresponding Carly app is running on the computer, you can start.
Carly's used car check looks for plausibility gaps in the vehicle computer. Mileage values are usually stored in several memories in the vehicle. With classic odometer manipulation, on the other hand, only the odometer reading is usually changed. If the Carly analysis detects any deviations when reading out all odometer readings, manipulation is likely. In addition, an average speed is calculated on the basis of the vehicle operating hours and the mileage. For example, if this is 15 km / h, odometer manipulation is also likely. Finally, the used check can also be used to check whether a vehicle was used in a material-saving or wear-intensive manner.
Carly currently offers its app for vehicles from BMW and Mini in a light version for free. From December 16, 2016, this offer will be extended to Mercedes. At the beginning of 2017, some brands from the VW Group are to follow. The free version offers some interesting functions. A 45-euro pro version offers the user even more options. This allows, among other things, a professional fault analysis of the vehicle, which enables the layperson to find the cause of a vehicle defect himself without consulting a workshop. (Mario Hommen / SP-X)
