BlueclouduK

OBDeleven FAQs

Just an educated, rather than informed, guess, but I think it would be extremely unlikely that VW would certify any product that has the ability to leave a vehicle unusable without lots of testing/proof.

Just to resurrect the relatively long discussion surrounding the status of OBDELEVEN system, the new version (black dongle) is now officially certified by Volkswagen Group. Whilst any EULA or warranty will no doubt subject to clauses limited liability for customer screw-ups using the equipment outside the apps feature, it should at least give owners/drivers/users more confidence in the product.

Just had notification that my Freedom Membership renewed today. A year has gone past so fast. £12 a year? Bargain!

I have a NextBase 412GW. Hardwired in with an official NextBase kit to a permanent live in the fuse box. Camera is placed just to the left of the rear view mirror. The screen is set to turn off after 60 seconds of use. Picture quality is superb, can't fault it. The only problem I've encountered is updating the firmware. It's not a very user friendly process. Bundled software is good. To view videos in highest quality needs a relatively new computer. My laptop is about 8yo now and struggles a little.

Calmly driving northbound on the M6 near Warrington, pulling the tin tent, and several parts of several housebricks were happily bouncing along in lane 2. Both left wheels hit one of the larger bits, thankfully without any punctures. Second patch and I swerve left to avoid the largest pieces. This starts the 'van on a cracking weave. Within a couple of seconds, a big beep, a message on the Maxidot and next thing I get is the brakes being automatically applied and the weaving stops. The last four cars I've owned have had official towing modules fitted. This is the first time that I've been in an emergency situation and the automatic systems have cut in. I am now convinced that official kits are the way forward. They may be expensive but today at least I avoided a potentially massive accident on one of Britain's busiest motorways.

The simplest way to decide who is responsible for the fitting of the wiring is; who did you pay the money to? If the dealership took your hard-earned beer tokens then it's them. If they sub-contracted the job they are still the party you dealt with. I know it's a bit of shutting doors long after Black Beauty has done a runner, but whenever asking for work to be done, especially things like tow bars, always put in a request in writing. It only needs a little note to ensure that the 13pin option is fitted and should work as per the manufacturers specifications.

I got my OBD Eleven just before Christmas. I've used the built-in apps and the long-coding (I have the pro version) and not had any problems. There is a history of changes built-in so if something does go pear-shaped, it should be possible to roll-back. I used the apps to activate the dial sweep, HBA permanently on, heated-seat memory, and the long-coding to activate traffic sign recognition, code new led bulbs and turn on the second rear fog light. I've found it really useful to use a separate tablet or laptop for reference when connected. Switching between the app and a browser on one device can result in disconnection from the dongle; not great when half way through a long sequence of changes. The second device is also useful when looking for settings for modules that might be in German. I'm lucky, I speak English and German but some of the more obscure and technical terms can stump me. The number of Briskoda members with a dongle is increasing all the time. You might be lucky and found someone locally that has one.

I have finally solved the Trailer Assist problem! I short, it can't be done with my Octy. There are currently two models of "High" camera available. One with a part number ending 568 and mine ending in 566B. Trailer assist can only be coded with the former. I've had a look round and even as a second-hand, salvage part, I'll need to fork out around £250. I had hoped that as the 566B uses the moving guides, it would be possible but alas no. Be warned, there is a company based in Germany that claims to be able to turn it on with a dongle and/or appointment for around €100. I've done lots research on this and improved my technical German considerably in the process, but the sticking point is the camera. There is a video on YouTube that claims to have activate Trailer Assist in a 5E/A7 but doesn't provide any further information. My guess is that they used a 568 camera. I'm happy to be corrected in any Skoda Techs out there know of a work around using the 566B camera.

I put the infotainment in service mode and followed these instructions. https://www.ascoding.ch/en/activate-sign-assist/

Made a few more tweaks to Skippy. Turned on the "off-road" option. Actually for practical reasons. SWMBO has announced that towing season is now upon us. In layman's terms, it's time to get the caravan out. Being able to keep an eye on coolant and oil temperatures is handy when I have an extra 1300kg to lug about. I finally managed to get Traffic Sign Recognition to work. I realise that the SatNav has most speed limits built in, but it's nice to get the reassurance when the speed limit is also shown in the centre of the dash. It was a bit nerve jangling still as when I made the first of several changes to the coding, an error popped-up. I made all the changes and then reset the infotainment. Everything is hunky-dory, even after an overnight sleep. Just the Trailer Assist to solve. There are lots of guides and lots of prerequisites that seem to vary. Some guides claim that I need the all-round cameras, some don't - wasn't an option on Skippy. All claim that I need the higher-function rear camera, which I do. Some say just rear sensors, some say all round sensors. All guides say Park Assist, I have that too. I've looked at a guide for the Seat Ateca. A German forum claims to have it working but doesn't provide any details. I will crack this.

I had some fun trying to find the rights settings for the front fog lights. There are a few options in the list. Allgemeine LED bis 12W Allgemeine LED bis 6W Kleinleistung LED Tried the first two options and everything was fine until I engage reverse (which turns on the front fogs). The third option, literally littlepower, doesn't throw up an error on the infotainment and the fog lights still function as normal. When the weather improves I'll do some more testing. Removing the side grilles is a pain in the chuffer oh the MK3FL so I'll need a little while to do complete testing. I know this is to do with the fog lights but would hopefully be useful to VCDS/ODB11 owners wanting to replace any filament bulb with an LED variant.

So far, I have calculated that my Skippy flashes 100 times every 80 seconds. That's irrespective of mode i.e. indicating or hazard lights. 0.8 flashes per second. 0.4 seconds on and then 0.4 second off. Using an analogue meter shows a nice regular pulse of 12 volts.

I did this to Skippy last November. Changing rear indicators on Skippy. The replacement units I ordered were described as CANBUS compatible so I didn't need to do any recoding. Funnily enough I spent an hour today changing the front fog lights from filament to LED units and had to recode.

A strange question I know but does anyone know if the indicators on an Octy flash at a set rate? I am working on a project to create a dynamic indicator unit. It's difficult to explain the concept but I am trying to create a "bulb" that will flash as normal but also have a dynamic element where additional LEDS will light up in a circular pattern to give the impression of a spinning ring around the main light. Think of a ferris wheel with just one light on the rim moving around a fixed light in the centre. In order to make it look right, I need to know how long the pulse is. I need the "moving" part to complete one full revolution for each pulse. I'm hoping to be able to have left side rear indicators appear to turn anti-clockwise and the right side rear clockwise. Please don't get too excited as its just a proof of concept I'm working on right now, any prototype would need a lot of work to get it small enough to fit in a standard size package.