Recently, VW Golf VII diagnostic equipment has become more and more important. The amount of equipment available and the increasing number of vendors have led to an enormous selection of different products. Each product promises to be the best and revolutionize the market with its innovative novelties. In view of this diversity, it can easily happen that one loses the overview and quickly feels overwhelmed. But don’t worry, we’ve taken on the task of finding just the right diagnostic device for your VW Golf VII.
Which diagnostic device is suitable for the VW Golf VII? Our clear recommendation is: The Carly app and the associated Carly OBD adapter are the optimal choice. Carly is known for its wide compatibility with many car brands, including Volkswagen. This guarantees you numerous functions and easy operation when reading out your VW Golf VII. You can find the Carly OBD adapter on the Carly website and it costs €59.90. You can download the corresponding app from the App or Play Store and it costs between €21 and €80 per year.
In this article, we would like to provide you with the necessary information so that you can make up your own mind about the Carly app and the Carly OBD adapter. We’ll go into how and with what features the Carly app can help you, why Carly is very useful specifically for your VW Golf VII, and what it will cost you.
Let’s go straight to the most important points regarding diagnostic equipment and compatibility with your VW Golf VII. The Carly App and Carly OBD Adapter provide you with a simple and effective vehicle diagnostic solution, allowing you to service your VW Golf VII efficiently and conveniently.
What exactly is a diagnostic device for the Golf VII?
Diagnostic equipment has become increasingly important in recent years. But what exactly is such a device? Even if you already know what a diagnostic device is, it can be helpful to read on, as you may still gain additional information or new insights. For those who are still not sure what a diagnostic device is: Attention! Without understanding what such a device is and what it does, it might be difficult to understand the rest of the article.
A diagnostic device allows you to read and analyze data stored in your VW Golf VII. In most vehicles, the so-called OBD port is located below the steering wheel on the left side, to which you can connect your diagnostic device. OBD stands for On-Board Diagnostics, with the current standard system being OBD-2. In the past, there was the OBDx system, where each manufacturer had its own connectors. Since 2004, OBD-2 has been the general standard, which has promoted the rise of diagnostic equipment. Originally designed for emissions-related systems, they quickly found their way into other areas of vehicle electronics, opening up new possibilities for coding and showing the enormous potential behind them.
With the help of OBD-2 devices you can read the ECUs of your VW Golf VII. Modern cars, especially high-end models, have more than 100 different control units that provide a variety of data. This data must be monitored and controlled. Diagnostic devices help you to display this data clearly and concisely, with it coming directly from the control units.
The main focus is not on the data itself, but on the errors it contains. Diagnostic devices read the ECUs and show you the detected error codes. Each error is represented as a code, where each code represents a specific problem. Nowadays, you can simply enter the code on the Internet to find out what the problem is. If you feel sufficiently informed and confident, you can try to fix the problem yourself. However, be aware that this may involve work and potential risks.
An alternative to troubleshooting on your own is to visit a specialist workshop. There are costs there, of course (usually 50 – 100 €), but they have special approaches to solutions and expertise for the particular brand of car. It’s better to go directly to a VW workshop, as they have the right equipment and the employees are most familiar with your Golf VII. If your Golf VII needs to be read out more frequently or you want to customize your vehicle, it’s worth investing in a suitable OBD scanner. With this device, you can save money in the long run, as you won’t have to keep visiting a garage to have it diagnosed. Instead, you can independently read fault codes, fix minor issues, and even adjust certain features and settings of your Golf VII. This gives you more control over your vehicle and allows you to better customize it to your personal needs.
What are the differences between diagnostic devices for the VW Golf VII?
The differences between diagnostic devices are mainly in their functions, features and prices. When looking for a diagnostic device for your Golf VII, you’ll find that prices can range from under €100 to over €1000 and even up to several thousand euros. However, devices in the lower price segment are sufficient for most purposes. To save time, energy and money, you should know beforehand what you expect from a diagnostic device. The basic tasks of diagnostic devices are mostly similar, but the additional features, user interface and compatibility with different car brands may vary. In the following, we briefly discuss these three points.
The user interface is the most important aspect. It is basically the framework on which the diagnostic device is built. Some devices are easy to understand, while others are more complicated. As a user, you probably prefer a simple and easy-to-understand user interface. Nevertheless, we recommend that you read the operating instructions of a diagnostic device carefully to avoid causing irreparable damage. A clear user interface is an advantage so that you don’t lose track when reading out the error codes. After you have studied the user manual, you can start learning the most important functions.
The additional features of a diagnostic device can make the difference between different devices. Some devices offer advanced diagnostics, live data display, or even coding capabilities. Other devices might be able to reset service intervals or provide other useful functions. Think about which functions are important for you and your Golf VII before you decide on a diagnostic device.
Compatibility with different car brands is also an important factor. Some diagnostic devices are universal and work with many makes of cars, while others are designed specifically for a particular make. For your Golf VII, you should choose a diagnostic device that is either specifically designed for Volkswagen models or at least has good compatibility with this brand.
Which diagnostic device is optimal for the VW Golf VII?
It is crucial that the diagnostic device for your VW Golf VII is offered in a language that you can easily understand. Make sure that the device is available either in your native language or at least in a language you are familiar with. There are also multilingual devices that can be useful if you want to give the diagnostic device to friends or neighbors with different language skills. In most cases, however, a monolingual device will suffice, and it is probably less expensive.
Compatibility is another crucial aspect you should consider when purchasing a diagnostic device for your Golf VII. Although all cars have a standardized interface, this does not mean that every diagnostic device is suitable for every car. Think about software systems like iOS and Windows, which have different requirements. Make sure that the diagnostic device you choose is compatible with your Golf VII.
In addition to the points already mentioned, different diagnostic devices offer different functions and features. One example of this is the number of ECUs that can be read out. It’s difficult to make a blanket recommendation here, as the features you need will depend on what you’re looking for in the device for your car. However, after reading this text, you should have a better understanding of which functions and features are most important to you and your VW Golf VII.
VW Golf VII – software or diagnostic device?
In fact, there is also diagnostic software for your VW Golf VII that you can use with your laptop or smartphone. Before we get into that, let’s first look at the differences between the two methods: OBD-2 via an external diagnostic device and OBD-2 via software.
OBD-2 via an external diagnostic device is the method we have talked about so far. The main difference with the software solution is that you need a separate device for this instead of using your existing smartphone or laptop. You connect the OBD-2 diagnostic device to the OBD port of your Golf VII via a cable. Such a cable is available inexpensively on the Internet. The disadvantage of this method is that the functions of the external diagnostic device may be limited. However, if you have all the features you need, a diagnostic device is a good choice. However, you often quickly reach limits and the devices can become obsolete since they usually do not receive updates.
OBD-2 via software is the second method to read your car. In our opinion, this is the better method, as you have a large screen at your disposal and can look up error codes directly on the Internet. Using the software is pretty simple: you connect your laptop or smartphone directly to the car via an adapter, start the software and make sure that your laptop’s operating system is supported.
So for your VW Golf VII, you can choose between an external diagnostic device or diagnostic software for laptop or smartphone. If you don’t need many functions and prefer a separate device, the external diagnostic device is a good choice. However, if you want more flexibility and deeper control, using diagnostic software on your laptop or smartphone is recommended.
How to use a diagnostic device for VW Golf VII?
With the extra effort that diagnostic software provides, you get a lot of benefits for your VW Golf VII. The software allows you to analyze on-board data from different ECUs, so that no error remains hidden and you see everything that is necessary to fix problems. Plus, by learning the most important trouble codes , you may be able to cut down on repair shop visits and save money in the long run.
Another method is OBD-2 via app, the absolute top model and ultimate. This is where an app like Carly comes in. Connecting to your smartphone is even easier than connecting to your laptop. You plug the Carly adapter into the OBD-2 port of your Golf VII and automatically connect your smartphone to the device via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The adapter costs about 59,90 €. Additionally, you need the Carly app, which you can download from the App Store or Play Store.
The app offers even more features than the laptop. Not only can you read fault codes or check the health status of your car, but you can also make changes to your Golf VII, such as turning off the start-stop function for the long term. Carly allows you to unlock hidden features that the manufacturer may not have released for all models. Especially with VW, you can make customizations that are both practical and visually appealing. For example, you can activate the “Coming Home” feature, which keeps the headlights on after you lock the car so you don’t have to walk to the front door in the dark. It’s best to check out the many options on the Carly website.
Carly also offers a used car check. This function reads all control units and compares their data. If something has been changed or seems suspicious, the app sounds an alarm. This is especially important considering that about one-third of German used cars have manipulated speedometers. With Carly ‘s used car check, you can easily avoid such problems.
Which diagnostic device is best suited for your VW Golf VII?
After reading all this information, you surely have an idea of which product is recommended for the VW Golf VII. If you’re still undecided about the right diagnostic device, Carly is the answer. And if you came across this article directly, congratulations[1], you saved yourself a lot of time and effort!
Carly offers suitable software for reading the data for most cars traded in Germany, including VW. Fortunately, even specifically for VW, which we would like to emphasize once again here.
If you own other vehicles, Carly is also an excellent choice. It is the perfect all-round program with the right software for the majority of German vehicles. If you want to learn more, we recommend you visit the Carly website. There you will find a detailed list of all models that you can optimize with Carly.
We are pretty sure that while reading you found something that interests you and that you want to try. Whether it’s something you’ve always wanted to try or something you didn’t know was possible, we hope you enjoy it.
In summary, the Carly OBD scanner for your VW Golf VII offers the following advantages:
● Compatibility with many vehicle models, including VW
● Simple operation via smartphone app
● Ability to unlock hidden features and make customizations to your car.
● Used car check that can detect tampered speedometers.
● Potential for long-term cost savings by avoiding unnecessary workshop visits.
● Large scope of functions that goes beyond the mere reading of error codes.