Hi All, Bought Car Mechanics ( Jan 2010 ) today and they are doing a series on diagnostics with the full co-operation of VW group and head office in the UK, not read the full article yet but it looks very interesting.

sounds good, smiths job or did you order it?

73's

Would be interested to know what models this is applicable

Step 1 - Get in car

Step 2 - Drive to dealer

Step 3 - Pay dealer

Step 4 - Drive car home

You seem to be doing it the hard way, so i have ammended your post with an easier and better solution

Step 1 - Get in car

Step 2 - Plug VCDS into car and laptop

Step 3 - Do your own 'free' scan

Step 4 - Be happy that you have saved money, got at least as good (if not better) diagnostic scan and enabled a few things that your dealer said was not possible on your car.

Lol

Either way! There is no way that modern VAG diagnostics can take 4 features to complete!

It's "get your car scanned", then "replace the sensor that's dodgy"!

Step 1 - Get in car

Step 2 - Drive to dealer

Step 3 - Pay dealer

Step 4 - Drive car home

That's what we like, then you have to explain to the customer that it's an unrelated fault to the repair that you made for when the last time that light came on.

Hi Sparky93, Whats your callsign ? mine is G7MFK and yes it was Smiths, if anybody wants to see what VCDS can do have a look at the artical, 73s - Stuart.

Heyho, hope you enjoyed xmas day and didnt dribble too much hihi. Mine is M1CFK and will have a look if smiths still has it in.

Its the Jan issue so it should be around untill 16th of Jan, 73s and 88s

Available at Smiths and some supermarkets,I got mine in Morrisons.

It's a 5 parter covering diagnostics in general,available equipment,comparing dealer tools against home user ones etc.

For me,one of the interesting things will be the software adds that the series attracts,best spotted so far is VAG-COM for your laptop covering 1996-2009 for £257.

Going on this,there'll be some bargains to be had in private sector in future,ie "failed MOT on handbrake",if you're equiped to put it right.

http://www.ross-tech.net/vag-com/advertising/ElectParkingBrakeTechTip.pdf