Vag - Com cable on ebay

[Felicia racer]

hey guy's.

I saw this Vag-Com cable on ebay, with software for about £12...

Whats going on there then?

Anyone on here bought one? if so are they any good?

[shark_90]

No they are total rubbish. If you want to buy VCDS (legally) then try somewhere like Marshalls Industrial, Ilexa or Gendan.

[Felicia racer]

well i was looking at this company you suggested.

VW Audi Seat Skoda USB Diagnostic Cable for VAG-COM 409.1 - Dual K-line - most VAG 1996-2003

And this product sounds the same as the one on ebay just a few £ more.

They only supply the cable by the look of it.

You just download the software. (it says its not compatible with vista, but the program opens.)

[martziniuk]

I've got one from hong kong about two years ago for about £14. They are excellent and you can upgrade the software to a full version for extra cash too. I can do all the data logging, change adaptions and read/erase fault code etc.

[Daveq]

The real software is free anyway to download but the cable acts like a dongle to unlock parts of it. Usually with the eBay cables, you will only be able to use parts of the software, and wont get the full benifit from it and they wont work on the newer stuff, MKV platform and up.

[auroan]

The 409 version cables only allow the use of a very old "shareware" version of VCDS.

1. 409 can't be used on canbus vehicles

2. 409 doesn't have all the non canbus stuff anyway

3. Unless you buy a licence from rosstech 409 isn't supported

4. Most 409 ebay cables are utter rubbish and have proven to cause issues with things such as the K-line feed (google it)

5. Need I go on .......

Support Rosstech and get the proper cable. 409 is there as a taster of what you can really do with VCDS

[iep]

I bought the £12 cable from ebay and a $99 license from Rosstech to get full 409 access (critical for measurement blocks above 25 which you need for the octy vRS).

This has worked really well for me, no issues at all and I seem (as far as I can tell) to have all the access I need for the octy mk1.

Couple of questions though:

1. Am I right in thinking the octy mk1 has no canbus? I'm pretty sure it is pre-canbus as it is based on the golf mk4 but I might be wrong.

2. Auroan, what non-canbus stuff am I missing out on with the 409 release? It seems pretty complete to me but maybe there are some useful functions I am unaware of?

Cheers,

iep

[Awol]

I am also confused about this, I had engine management light come on and basically wanted to know if was safe to drive on, luckily found friendly ish garage who read code for me for a tenner. it was 5 minutes work but dealer wanted 40 quid, another local place wanted 30 but couldnt do it till 8 days time, so was worth it. but light is back on as problem not resolved, I dont want to pay 30/40 quid a time?

[soviet]

I bought the £12 cable from ebay and a $99 license from Rosstech to get full 409 access (critical for measurement blocks above 25 which you need for the octy vRS).

This has worked really well for me, no issues at all and I seem (as far as I can tell) to have all the access I need for the octy mk1.

Couple of questions though:

1. Am I right in thinking the octy mk1 has no canbus? I'm pretty sure it is pre-canbus as it is based on the golf mk4 but I might be wrong.

2. Auroan, what non-canbus stuff am I missing out on with the 409 release? It seems pretty complete to me but maybe there are some useful functions I am unaware of?

Cheers,

iep

Hi iep,

I have the MK1 octy here also, and with vag com version 704.1 which is quite new, but not newest I think.

K1 and K2 is said to be found here but not Canbus, and so I have always been thinking that it is pre Canbus, as you are doing here. I ask this question also, as I am feeling sure here, that my 704.1 would find Canbus if it should be here.

I hope that this is help for you here.

Regards for you.

Soviet:rolleyes:

[iep]

Awol, if you have a laptop computer, the £12 lead from ebay and the freeware 409 release software will probably be enough to help you find and reset the fault code that your car is throwing up. Certainly better than paying £40 for some technician to hook up their computer each time.

Also, once you have the fault code, it can often be relatively simple to find the offending sensor and replace it yourself.

Cheers,

iep

[iep]

Thanks soviet, I guess that does suggest the mk1 is pre-canbus.

As such, unless there are some killer measurements available via VCDS that 409 cannot perform, I think 409 is probably okay for most peoples' needs.

Cheers,

iep

[shark_90]

Awol, if you have a laptop computer, the £12 lead from ebay and the freeware 409 release software will probably be enough to help you find and reset the fault code that your car is throwing up. Certainly better than paying £40 for some technician to hook up their computer each time.

Also, once you have the fault code, it can often be relatively simple to find the offending sensor and replace it yourself.

Cheers,

iep

If you buy a "generic" lead from ebay and use an old RT release such as 409 then you will not be able to reset fault codes unless you either buy a $99 license (really can't see the point - buy a proper cable and have the bang up to date version) OR you must be using a cracked version of the VAG-COM software, as the shareware version won't decode all the fault codes nor will it reset them.

[iep]

Really? When I had my old mk3 golf vr6 I was able to get away with the generic lead and freeware software because the car did not have any measurement blocks above 25 (the limit on the freeware version).

The car did however have a mass of fault codes that showed up over the two years I had it. Everything from the ABS to about ten different sensor issues across the engine (that in turn flagged up a mass of other read herring codes). I never found a code that I could not read or clear with the freeware version.

Also, when I bought my vRS, it had an intermittent code that related to a lose plug on the cam sensor. I was able to clear this before I bought the $99 license for 409.

Are there only specific codes that cannot be cleared by the freeware version?

Cheers,

iep

[shark_90]

You might be right, as I just checked the chart and it had a "YES" in the clear fault code section...however I thought it wasn't possible with freeware.

[martziniuk]

I would buy the cheap cable and try it without the licenced version. Then if it's not enough get the licence. Then if it's not enough get the full ross-tech cable and ross-tech will knock your inital licence fee off the full version.

Yes it is fully possible to erase fault codes on shareware

[martziniuk]

The 409 version cables only allow the use of a very old "shareware" version of VCDS.

1. 409 can't be used on canbus vehicles

2. 409 doesn't have all the non canbus stuff anyway

3. Unless you buy a licence from rosstech 409 isn't supported

4. Most 409 ebay cables are utter rubbish and have proven to cause issues with things such as the K-line feed (google it)

1. I have read on here somewhere that it will read/erase the engine codes on a canbus mk2 octy but thats all, don't know if this is true or not.

4. I thought that was only if an after market radio had been fitted and the k-line wire had not been cut which sends a possitive feed down the wire to the cable. This only effects some head units as i never had to do it with mine. The Ross-tech cable has a diode or something to stop this.

[jonnycatbiscuit]

what's a canbus?

[martziniuk]

The opposite of a can'tbus

[soviet]

The opposite of a can'tbus

martziniuk,

That is very good!:rofl:

[mbames]

I have two cheap cables from ebay. The first was a serial cable with a Serial -> USB adapter and the second a pure USB cable. I found the USB cable used to drop the vag-com connection once the engine started. The Serial -> USB adapter was flaky at best, and I tried two. Rosstech do recommend one, but it is *expensive*.

I currently have a crappy old PC in the garage and a 15metre Serial extension cable, and I use my Serial vag-com cable from ebay. It has the Scart looking like socket, plus 2 x 2 pin sockets (for older cars). I also use that cable with an old is Dell laptop which still has a serial port. Take note that most modern laptops don't have a serial port, which can be rather an issue if the USB cables play up.....

I have a registered version of 409(?) running on my machines, and it seems to do eveyrthing I require of vagcom, but I am no expert in its use. I have used it to:

- clear fault codes

- log stuff

- reset my variable service thing

- bleed the brakes (operates the ABS pump)

[mikel543]

what's a canbus?

CAN = Controller Area Network.

Each device on the network only requires 4 wires and the wires are all parallel so there is less wiring used in the car. Each device has its own address on the network which allows only messages meant for that device to be received by it.

You have a power supply wire, a CAN+ and a CAN - and an earth.

Its called a bus because everything is wired in parallel in a daisy chain fashion.

[Felicia racer]

so what exactly does the can bus do or not do to the vag com?

[mbames]

Controller?area network - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ross-Tech: VAG-COM: Interfaces

[soviet]

CAN = Controller Area Network.

Each device on the network only requires 4 wires and the wires are all parallel so there is less wiring used in the car. Each device has its own address on the network which allows only messages meant for that device to be received by it.

You have a power supply wire, a CAN+ and a CAN - and an earth.

Its called a bus because everything is wired in parallel in a daisy chain fashion.

Hi mike,

Thank you here for a good explaination, but is the Mk1 having this one? As with vag com version 704.1 I am getting the ticks for K1 and the K2" but Can bus not available message I think. Some one here from the Ross Tech must know this I think.

Soviet:thumbup:

Edited 3 June, 2009 by soviet
sp

[Awol]

having problems with USB to Serial connectors i can relate to, at work our engineers have to plug into Lorry Cranes to set certain parameters, get fault codes etc etc. and we have never had any success using usb to serial adaptors so make sure we buy laptops with serial ports on still, but that is getting harder to find! lol

my missus' laptop is quite old, i will check if that has serial port and maybe see if i can find cheap serial version of cable on ebay.

I think for 10/15 quid its worth the punt rather than paying 40 quid a go, even if just to read faults then $99 isnt far off paying £40 a couple of times so would more than happily pay.

I'm sure I read somewhere that if you cure the fault by swapping sensor the light should turn its self out after 20/30 miles of driving? can anyone confirm/deny this?