[Hxm99]

Hello people
I am about to purchase a E93 325i(2007). I was looking into scanners and obviously I've got a generic scanner but I don't think, this will suffice for a BMW. I was wondering if anyone here knows what the best is? INPA? Is ISTA compatible with this car? price is also a factor. I dont wanna fork out loads of cash for a single car. any help is appreciated. also, I'm a DIYer therefore a not too complicated scanner would be appreciated.

[ekuLUKEkul]

Hey, so I don't have too much info on this stuff myself but as I have recently been looking to get myself a scanner for my 325d I thought I'd chime in.

So the options I have seen are:
Carly - expensive plus an annual subscription but seems popular


The option I am thinking of going which is Bimmerlink app - £30ish plus a usb obd reader like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Veepeak-OBD...e%2C155&sr=1-4

And also this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creator-Sca.../dp/B07HT416ZF

As a standalone thing seemingly(?)

Hope this helps to some degree

[0l0dom0l0]

I've got Carly, INPA and ISTA etc.
Carly is the most expensive but I think the easiest and most convenient to use (just my opinion).

ISTA, INPA, NCS etc are cheaper and much more powerful. You only need to buy a compatible cable for £25 and the rest is free to download of the world wide Web. However much more damage is possible and I've not always found it that easy to digest the information on the web about how to use them.

[Silver Streek]

I've got Carley and have used it lots of times. Good for clearing codes and changing settings on the car you otherwise wouldn't be able to do. I bought mine in the early days so don't have to pay the yearly charge, which in the grand scheme of things isn't that expensive if you consider a trip to garage to get your codes cleared will cost £35 or more.... EVERY time you go.

The thing with ISTA etc is that yes they are basically free and can do everything, BUT, if you are not carefull or don't know what you are doing you can cause damage eg bricking an ECU. That will be expensive! I'd rather pay a little more for a slightly less capable bit of kit which I know isnt going to ruin my car by me doing something wrong.

The likes of Carley are fairly safe and foolproof to use.

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

I've got Carley and have used it lots of times. Good for clearing codes and changing settings on the car you otherwise wouldn't be able to do. I bought mine in the early days so don't have to pay the yearly charge, which in the grand scheme of things isn't that expensive if you consider a trip to garage to get your codes cleared will cost £35 or more.... EVERY time you go.

The thing with ISTA etc is that yes they are basically free and can do everything, BUT, if you are not carefull or don't know what you are doing you can cause damage eg bricking an ECU. That will be expensive! I'd rather pay a little more for a slightly less capable bit of kit which I know isnt going to ruin my car by me doing something wrong.

The likes of Carley are fairly safe and foolproof to use.

Hello sorry for bringing this back up, I just want an opinion on the capability of carly. Basically, i am only and only getting a scanner to scan the car for any issues(not for programming/coding) would you still recommend carly over INPA. Is carly as capable as INPA or is that not the Case? would love any input at all. Also, can a simple scan using INPA, result in issues such as bricking a module?

PS- car in question is an early 2007 E93 325i

[Silver Streek]

Carley can do lots for your car, can certainly clear codes etc and more if you want. It is not as capable as inpa, I have not used inpa before but do have ISTA on my old laptop which is what BMW use I believe. I never use ISTA as Carley is just easier to use. Just plug in the ODB dongle and connect to my phone then open the app.

With inpa and ISTA you have to get your laptop out and boot it up etc.

Will you do damage with inpa by just scanning codes, no not likely, unless you go messing around in settings you don't understand.

For me Carley or many of the other apps you can find for you phone that work with a ODB dongle are just easier, and I know that I am unlikely to do any damage to my car. Peace of mind really as I dont know how to properly use inpa or ISTA.

Maybe something like a Foxwell NT510 or similar model might be the thing for you. Will read fault codes and reset them, plus give a bunch of other useful data. It's rugged handheld code reader that a workshop would use. Well maybe a workshop would use a more fancy version, but have a look at it. I've heard it mentioned on other forums, people generally speak favourably of them.

[nomiS330d]

I’m another that bought Carly in the early days so don’t have the monthly charge. I’m not sure I’d pay, is it £7 a month?, for it unless I used it a lot or charged people for doing jobs on their cars. It’s very good and a useful thing to keep in your glovebox though.
A couple of years ago I bought an old laptop off eBay that had inpa and Delphi software installed. It came with the Delphi Bluetooth dongle which is excellent! I prefer the Delphi to inpa, it seems to be just as powerful but a lot easier to use. If you can get that I’d recommend it highly.