OBD reader or similar

[Martin1964]

Hi again would anyone have any information on which reader for codes offers best accuracy, ease of use and I suppose value for money?
I have little mechanical knowledge however id like to be able to see any faults , also ive heard about some of these readers
being able to unlock certain features hidden within the car, some require credits to allow activation of the locked features?
Any guidance would be much appreciated, cheers Martin.

 

[Crasher]

From personal experience I could not recommend anything other than VCDS. I have used VCP and was not at all impressed but there are others which are cheaper.

 

[Martin1964]

Hi Crasher thanks for the reply , i will go away and have a look at what you have suggested. Can you tell me is that particular device easy enough for a novice to understand? Cheers Martin

 

[Keithuk]

There are no cheap EODB II codes readers as they are generic readers which give faults results.

VCDS is the only good one but they aren't cheap.

Don't thing about the cheap Chinese cloned cables of fleabay as they are Banned subjects.

 

[Crasher]

VCDS is easy to use and there is huge backup from both Ross Tec and users on forums although it is possible to really mess the car up if you are not careful.

 

[Martin1964]

Hi Keith thanks for the info I will take a look at the VCDS,cheers Martin

 

[Martin1964]

Thanks again Crasher , I did watch one video on youtube and thought the guy gave out a very sound piece of advice
by suggesting writing down any code before tinkering with it , therefore hopefully being able to put the original in if
you messed up! I will look on the web to see if there are any deals to be had with the Rosstech setup.
Cheers Martin

 

[Crasher]

What we do is scan and save to a file (on the server) so we have a 15 year or so data base of scans from thousands of cars, if we need an original code it is just a matter of cut and paste.

 

[Martin1964]

Just an update on this wee thread I started, so I have ordered a 3 vin cable from Ross Tech which I will hopefully
receive by Thursday. Once again I will no doubt be seeking assistance ,cheers Martin

 

[DaveC]

Just an update on this wee thread I started, so I have ordered a 3 vin cable from Ross Tech which I will hopefully
receive by Thursday. Once again I will no doubt be seeking assistance ,cheers Martin

Hi Martin,
which code reader from Ross Tech did you go for in the end? Have you used it and how did you get on with it?

A friend of mine used one on my car the other day and I was impressed with their capabilities and thinking of getting one for myself for future problem fixing.
Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Crasher]

For working on your own VAG vehicle, a full VCDS cable is as important as a set of hand tools, probaly more important.

 

[robbiebobbie]

I have several but VCDS's for vw’s is what I would recommend.

 

[Keithuk]

I have several but VCDS's for vw’s is what I would recommend.

Several VCDS's VAG-COM\VCDS do you mean?

Either one will do providing they are genuine cables and not the cheap Chinese cloned cables of fleabay as they are a banned subject.

Banned subjects