im really interested in the what can be done to 'modify' my vrs with regard to VAGCOM.

i read through the thread 'intelligent indicators' and asked my dealer what can be done and he said he didnt think anything could be upgraded on my car. he did admit he wasnt sure and would check though.

i guess from what i have read on here 'anti-jacking' and 'beep to lock/unlock' are all little things that can be added and that he may be wrong.

the upgrades are not much, but still sound pretty good and little things like that are pretty smart!

so, how do you go about finding out what can/cant be done and what has anybody on here had done?

would be good to see what is possible and what cool little changes can be made.

VAG-COM allows you to run a complete scan against the car's diagnostic unit so you can find any faults (saved me a few quid getting the dealer to diagnose broken air con ). Also lets you collect realtime stats from various engine parts, eg you can monitor the MAF.... Another cool feature is that it can test various components, eg the dash instruments!

So far, I've enabled autolocking, disabled beep on lock, disabled the EGR, and attempted to weight up the power steering although my car is older so has different values - the vRS is much easier. I use Cupranet's VAG-COM/Diagnostic forum as my source of info on what can be done....

Chris

What would be really good would be to have a sticky thread with all the things that can be adjusted and the codes for doing it, all in one place as a quick reference....

Chris

So far I've done the same as Chris as thats all I know/willing to do.

Can anyone tell me where you can get a VAGCOM from and how much, where you plug it in the car etc ??

Can anyone tell me where you can get a VAGCOM from and how much, where you plug it in the car etc ??

VAG-COM is the software and is available from www.ross-tech.com. They do a freely downloadable version which is restricted to "read-only" from the car, and you have to register it to get the writeable features.

You also need a cable to connect your laptop to the car. Rosstech do their own cables, but there are various other places online you can get a cable or even the bits to build your own. Check out the sticky thread in My Diagnostics forums on Briskoda.

The cable plugs into the ODB diagnostic port on the car which on the Fabia is located behind the can chiller (driver's side to the right of the steering wheel). If you pull open the can opener door and then pull it down further until it unclips, you should see the socket (purple 16 pin female).

Hope that helps!

Chris

Having a slow morning here, please forgive me...

I take it this all requires a laptop, along with all the associated paraphanalia mentioned above... Would it work with a pocket PC or PDA thingy??? I fancy making a Christmas list for the missus, and being able to check out the car myself, along with some 0-60/bhp/torque software would be excellent...

The VAG-COM cable requires either a USB or serial port, so if you've got one of those, it may be possible - I guess it depends if there's a version of VAG-COM for it too. Btw, if you have a long enough serial extension lead, you can run it from a desktop PC

Chris

Btw, if you have a long enough serial extension lead, you can run it from a desktop PC Chris

So what's the longest one I can get?

I think I would prefer a PDA for portability and ease, and also because I can't justify buying a laptop just for the car, whereas a PDA could well be very useful... Just hoping someone knows if VAG-COM is available on one.

there is not a version avaliable for pda use.

there is not a version avaliable for pda use.

So a long serial cable it is then...

Did I read somewhere (think it was in a FunkyJutel Supreme Meet thread) that someone had a PDA with serial (?) port connection which could do the 0-60 readings?

What does disabling the EGR do?

Also, does anyone know how to disable Traction Control on a vRS?? I'm getting sick of pressing the button every time I start the car.

I've done autolock and beep on lock/unlock

Have a look at this thread for sources of VAG-COM software and communications interface (cable). The future-proof route is to buy the software plus a HEX-COM+CAN or HEX-USB+CAN interface. The latest generation VAG cars - including the new Octavia - need a direct CAN connection, and an advantage of the HEX-COM and HEX-USB interfaces is that they contain a dongle which allows the VAG-COM software to be used on any PC or laptop, rather than just the one it would normally have to be registered on. Prices are $329USD and $349USD respectively for those interfaces - so not cheap, aand even less so when duty is added! www.vag-com.co.uk advised me 3 months ago that the +CAN interfaces will be available through them soon.....

What does disabling the EGR do?

See here

Chris

What does disabling the EGR do?

Also' date=' does anyone know how to disable Traction Control on a vRS?? I'm getting sick of pressing the button every time I start the car.

I've done autolock and beep on lock/unlock[/quote']

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10382

Sorry to drag up an old thread but can somebody confirm that HEX-USB + CAN will work with my '04 Fabia vRS?

Nobody know?

Yes it will.

You don't actually need the CAN function for the Fabia but my advice is to get it anyway it will be more future proof and have a better secondhand value if you need/want to sell it later.

Yes it will.

You don't actually need the CAN function for the Fabia but my advice is to get it anyway it will be more future proof and have a better secondhand value if you need/want to sell it later.

Thanks, will go for the one with CAN too.