Carista OBD - Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner - Car Scanner Diagnostic Tool and Code Reader with Access to Diagnostics, Customizations, Service Tools, and Live Data

Small enough to leave in glovebox. Ignore subscription costs. I put one month on when I need it. Reset airbag light for MOT. Fit rear pads with electric parking brake. Fit fuel filter and prime HP fuel pump properly. DPF reset and diagnostics. ABS sensor diagnostic. All of this I have done with this simple to use dongle type OBD reader. Saved thousands on labour and garage costs. VW passat b7 2012. Using once pays for itself. Also can turn on or off things like daytime running lights, indicator 1 flash or 3 on touch and many more. I recommend this Catista unit to everyone

This is an amazing app if yoir car is newer and has the correct systems to be utilised, this has saved me and my family plenty of money, the diagnostic is accurate when used, I have been able to change settings on my car. There are 2 ways to use the app, one is free for basic diagnostic which is OK does the job to give codes. The other is to pay a membership and utilise the full app, the yearly price is less than one diagnostic at a garage, the extra features are good. Works on my bmw, audi and my brothers VW. Car list is growing alot.

Carista is probably one of the better known home diagnostic and 'customising' OBD tools on the market.I had access to one in the past and this helped in my decision to purchase it.The plug-in reader is small and neat - it tucks away in the OBD port in the car, and you could leave it plugged in if you wish.You can only connect through the Carista app on your smartphone/device and you don't need to Bluetooth sync it.The readouts and information are good - it's much more in depth than a basic plug-in OBDII reader, and gives you details on faults in the electrical systems, infotainment, transmission, etc. as well as the general engine systems.Where your vehicle allows you can customise some parts of the general vehicle functionality, such as convenience systems, light operation, locking acknowledgements, etc.I added an alarm 'bip' when I lock the car.Sadly you have to pay a subscription to access all features after the one-month free trial (which was priced at £46.99 a year when I purchased this unit in January 2021). You have to sign up to this subscription before you can access any features, but you can cancel at the end of your one month trial.Overall a good system and I would recommend it, but might not be worth the subscription price if you're not going to use all the features.

Ok for basic use on basic fault finding,

Likes:* Value for money* Access to dealership-level diagnostics such as rear calliper rewind and DPF regen* Loads of customisation. I enabled US lights, cornering lights and coming/leaving home lights on my B6 Passat* Works as a regular OBD scanner on any car, providing fault codes, a brief description, and ability to clear codes and reset MIL.I bought this for my new to me 2010 B6 Passat to get an insight on if the car needed any work that may not have been picked up on before, also to customise my car with some extras that either weren’t available in my region or weren’t enabled on my car when it was new. At €50 for a year subscription to the premium service, in addition to the €40 to the unit, that’s €90 you can easily recoup in savings on diagnostic fees and labour if you have a toolbox and aren’t afraid to get your hands and clothes dirty. Really wish I had one when I had my previous car as it would have saved on a lot of guesswork!

Very useful only set back is the yearly subscription

OK.... its managed to get 3 stars.... just.... hang on.... no, just changed it to 2Lets be clear, you're buying this either:-1. You have a specific requirement2. Your inquisitive nature is getting the better of youI am 1 - To replace rear discs and pads on an Audi Q3 is £400 - at a dealer or not.The parts cost me £76 and the job takes about 2 hours if you have difficulty jacking up a car - an hour if you don't. The problem is that the electronic brake needs to be disabled to allow brake pistons to be pushed back to get the pads onto new discs, and you can do this either by dismantling the motor (as per YouTube), or properly by disabling the EPB in service mode. - And thats why I bought one of these. So I can change pads and rotors for about £140. - So give it a star for that saving.Functionally, its basic. You can enable some settings that are hidden by the default vehicle management settings for some reason, make the lights flash, alarm beep etc.... (give it a star for that - even though you have to pay £33 for the pro version for year to change anything or see the fault codes - but I knew that before I ordered it)It arrived the following day, excellent service - gets a star for that.....(probably Amazon - thank you)And thats it..... oh hang on..... it needs to lose a star.....If you have any sense of personal security, you won't want to put your personal details, card details, paypal etc..... into a mobile phone or tablet (I'm on Android so really don't want to put anything on google store).... so, anyone trying to safeguard their pennies would (quite logically) get a Google Play redeem voucher..... DONT - Carista app does not recognise google redeem vouchers are eligible methods to pay ....Why on earth would they prohibit that I hear you asking? Well I can only assume that it is so that they have a method to charge you for the second year subscription without you remembering to cancel your payment - real cute CONISTA.... If you are forced to put in Paypal or Credit card (and they do actually say this in the terms) they can carry on charging you for the privilege of having it forever - without seeking your permission (presumably?) - I can't see what other reason they wouldn't work with Google to pass payment from the Play store to Carista..In fact, now I type this.... guess what, you can have 1 star, and if I could give you 0 stars for despicable business practice, i would.Don't waste £35 on Google Play vouchers to pay for this App - it will not work. I can't comment on the IOS version, but assume its the same deal.You'll have to buy the pro version with Paypal, then swap your payment method to Google Play store to remove Paypal from your Google Play account/ phone.If anyone can find a more straightforward way to disengage electronic parking brakes through OBD please post here.