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Best "home" Diagnostic Tool/ Software


bombheads12

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Ok no arguing between VAG/ VCDS/ VAS5051 or 5054 please what is the best and possibly cheapest setup for diagnosing codes and resetting our Skodas and for that matter Seats and Volkswagens as they all run the same software lol  

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This isn't going to go down well on here because people like the expensive "proper" way of doing things, but....

If all the cars are pre 2012-ish. A good copy cable and an old version of vcds is fine.

Mine came through eBay from a seller in Swansea. I can't find his listing because I'm on my phone, but it works great and the support is spot on (even when it was something I did wrong!).

I've been using it for about 6 months now, and have used it to diagnose and change settings on a few cars, up to a 60plate A3 without any problems.

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This isn't going to go down well on here because people like the expensive "proper" way of doing things, but....

If all the cars are pre 2012-ish. A good copy cable and an old version of vcds is fine.

Mine came through eBay from a seller in Swansea. I can't find his listing because I'm on my phone, but it works great and the support is spot on (even when it was something I did wrong!).

I've been using it for about 6 months now, and have used it to diagnose and change settings on a few cars, up to a 60plate A3 without any problems.

 

Thanks for a response mate, people may like the expensive way of doing things (and thats good), as i was asking which is the best.

I dont mind forking out (sub £200) for a decent setup and not to upset too many people here they forget they have put themselves in this position. Yes I am talking about Garages, they know that to try and repair most car these days they have to resort to the OBD/ HEX/ CANBUS port but to charge £85 + vat to diagnose isn't  on.

They can make the software excuse as much as they want, but to charge people  for their privilege of finding a fault well dream on.

My ideas are this (bit controversial )

If you take a car into a garage to get fixed you don't pay for diagnostic charge as how else would they know what to change??

If you ask for a diagnostic to check vehicle,and let You know how to fix ,garage charges you.

I have pestered my MP  on this matter and he reckons it has some substance so maybe i ought to go down the route of a petition?

p.s. I wondered why this has not been raised before lol 

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A little over £200 buys the "real thing", a genuine Ross tech cable and software, so if you're comfortable paying that, it is the best option as it will work with any vag car you may buy for years to come. A decent copy cable is about £50, and gradually becoming obsolete as we move to newer cars.

And yes, agreed about the garages. I diagnosed a wheel angle sensor fault on dad's fabia. He took it to a garage to get them to change that specific part. They diagnosed that it "might be" the pump, charged him and gave it back in exactly the same condition it went in.

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Cheers Steves Truck for the response thats why i said sub £200 as Ross tech is just on the border, ive asked because i have seen ex garage sale stuff VAS 5051, and 5041.

And im talking garages that have closed not "someone's home garage" lol, as you aren't telling me main dealers that close just throw stuff away.

Isnt it quiet tho?? (Tumble-weed) im sure other people have recommendations like Torque obd for Android for example......

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I have a Gendan T55 (£65 ish) - works fine for me - VAG specific and does the job if a bit clunky

 

I also have a ELM dongle and Carista but have yet to really use that in anger as the T55 is quick and easy to use.

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Cheers guys 

I have tried a cheap cable before but achieved the grand sum of nice blue led light but no-one home lol

and as for the Gendan ive read somewhere before that said it "freezes" when it finds a block it doesnt recognise but thanks for the suggestions please keep them coming!

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Gendan are a proper diagnostics company I think, and as such tend to sell stuff that will work, currently they seem to favour Foxwell which is cheap Chinese stuff - but if it works then so what, a lot of quality stuff ends up being "Made in China" as well as Apple products! Plus Gendan will respond to you asking questions, the trick with VAG diagnostic stuff is to try to get a scan toll that covers the complete car and not just the engine.

I'm a fully paid up owner of VCDS and have been for over 10 years, but I can see that I'll benefit from upgrading to HEXNET in the near future, and that might cost a bit, so if you are inclined to think about VCDS I'd suggest jumping in at HEXNET level now to avoid future needing to upgrade, that is if you intend to stay with VAG products, come to think about it, all cars will develop faults and so sticking with VAG and having VCDS is not a bad way to go for the future.

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Cheers for the replies me thinks its not all clear cut on what to purchase as even with VCDS it states that i need two different sorts of connectors.

As for Hexnet i havent heard of that communication standard yet!

So thanks yet again 

The Bombs

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VCDS every time. 

 

I had a MICRO-CAN cable which served my mk5 Golf based cars with canbus 2.0 technology very well indeed. 

 

I then bought a 2007 Roomster Scout, and the flippin cable was next to useless so I sold it (after 5 years I got my money back :))

 

So ... I bought one of the chinese copy things, which came with vcds 15.7.7 software. This cable was useless, I couldn't access many modules and those I could access wouldn't save new settings.  

 

HEX-NET cables work with all VAG cars, and this is what I shall get in due course. 

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  • 2 years later...

Has anyone here gone down the ODB11 route? It seems pretty popular among other VAG drivers and it's a lot more handy using a phone or tablet rather than a laptop...

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