Car coding: How to unlock your car's hidden features
15th Mar 2024 Motoring
4 min read
Car coding allows you to use your car's full potential and hidden features using your mobile phone. Here's how to unlock the best kept secret of the car industry
If you’re thinking “what on earth is car coding?” you’re not
alone. It has been one of the best kept secrets of the car
industry. Previously, in order to make any changes to a car, you
would have to take a trip to a car garage. It used to be incredibly technical
and potentially expensive. Luckily, this is in the past, as clever technology
like Carly, the most superior OBD scanner on the market, allows you to
simply plug into your car to unlock its full potential.
It can also increase a car’s value, as it’s not just based on
the mileage and the car’s condition—coding and unlocking a car’s hidden
features can also make it more desirable.
If you would like to know more, here are some tips on how to unlock your car's potential and hidden features using your
mobile phone:
1. Understanding car coding
Also known as car programming or vehicle coding, car coding refers to
the process of modifying the software of a car to enable or disable specific
features or customise settings. All modern cars (those built after 2005) are
run off an internal computer which acts as a central control room for all the
functions of the car. Car coding involves accessing the parts of the computers
responsible for controlling systems such as the engine, transmission, brakes and entertainment features.
"Car coding is accessing the systems to control the engine, transmission, brakes, entertainment features and more"
Manufacturers will often restrict functionalities based on the
trim level of the car, which in layman’s terms means reserving premium options
for higher-end models. Car coding breaks down these barriers, allowing drivers
to personalise and unlock previously undiscovered features. There's a high
chance exciting features are available to you and all you need to do is
turn the setting on in your car’s central computer.
2. Anyone can do it
Contrary to common perception, anyone can code their car if they
have the right technology. Now that cars are essentially computers on wheels,
it is so much easier for anyone to make changes as there is no mechanical
experience required. Carly uses OBD scanning technology to give users—no
matter their technical expertise—access to under the bonnet capabilities using
just an app and a plug-in scanner.
However, the features that can be unlocked
will depend on the make of your car. The car brands you are able to code are
BMW, Mini, VW, Seat, Skoda and Audi and some of these models have increased
options compared with others.
3. How to start
If you're doing it yourself, coding can be as simple as
plugging the scanner adapter into the OBDII port of your car. Turn your car on
and from there you simply connect to the adapter via Bluetooth on the app on
your smartphone.
"Plug the scanner adapter into the OBDII port of your car and connect on your phone via Bluetooth "
You're then presented with an array of coding options, ranging
from exterior adjustments like mirror folding and light customisation to
interior tweaks such as speedometer layouts and adding audible locking sounds.
Select the changes you’d like to make and safely remove the dongle. It’s really
that easy.
4. Capabilities of car coding and what you can change
Depending on your car make and model you can make changes ranging
from altering the frequency of your indicators to enabling features like speed
dependent volume control. More sophisticated car models that have more
components controlled by the computers will have increased capabilities but in
general the possibilities are extremely broad. If you want to adjust the
brightness of your high beams, watch movies on your display screen or make
interior enhancements like personalised speedometer layouts it can all be
easily accomplished, allowing you to tailor your car to your preferences like
never before.
As mentioned above not every car will have the same capabilities,
for example brands like Audi and BMW are famed for their
high-quality info-tainment displays which have far wider capabilities than
a Skoda, for example, where many features are still mechanical. Plugging an OBD
II scanner into your car, can immediately tell you what’s possible for your
make and model making it easier for you to understand what changes you can
make.
5. You can reverse or make further changes
You may be wondering if these changes are permanent, rest assured
any coding changes you make to your car’s code can be just as easily
reversed.
Car coding devices can also make a backup of your existing
settings and store them, so if you do not like any changes, they can be
reversed to the original settings with ease.
6. Does car coding have risks or could it affect my warranties?
Naturally, you may be worried that changing the inner workings may
affect warranties or potentially cause damage to your vehicle, however none of
the changes you make need to be permanent. If you have concerns that it may
impact upon the amount your car can sell for, just switch back to the original
settings. The scanners provide real-time monitoring of changes and ensure
error-free coding.
"As cars become more and more like computers on wheels, it's time to unlock a world of hidden features"
As cars become more and more like computers on wheels, it's time
to unlock a world of hidden features and codes straight from your mobile.
From exterior adjustments to interior enhancements, the possibilities for
personalisation are endless. Technology gives the driver the power to stay
on top of your car, not just with its coding capabilities but also with car
diagnostics and health check-ups too, without relying on garages. In the 21st century a high quality
OBD II scanner is essential for any modern driver's glovebox.
If you want to check out Carly and learn more about its
capabilities, visit mycarly.com
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