I agree with Philips, if you are only going to use it for a few one off changes I'd be asking a like minded friendly Briskodioan to do them for you for some beer money.  VCDS is not cheap however a fantastic bit of kit. If you have friends/family with other other VW Group cars it may well be worth it.

Many thanks for the replies, I'll have a look at the VCDS map for a local dabbler  

I have a 2005 1.9 TDI PD Estate. How can I tell which cable is suitable? There are some on Fleabay for about £10/£12 saying they are suitable for the 1Z chassis, but I'm unsure as to the quality. Also is my car Hex-Can or something else.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

I have a 2005 1.9 TDI PD Estate. How can I tell which cable is suitable? There are some on Fleabay for about £10/£12 saying they are suitable for the 1Z chassis, but I'm unsure as to the quality. Also is my car Hex-Can or something else.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

You need a CAN compatible cable, so a cheap eBay one won't be that useful. You need a proper hex+can or a microcan cable from Ross Tech.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

You need a CAN compatible cable, so a cheap eBay one won't be that useful. You need a proper hex+can or a microcan cable from Ross Tech.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Thanks..Ross tech  I'm coming!!

I have had mine about 10 months now and to be honest, it has been invaluable, all the things on the Golf have been a steep learning curve, from a simple scan for faults and a clearing to steering angle sensor re calibrate, lateral sensors too, Lambda diagnosis as it has four, so replacing the right one was important, I have also done some long coding to disable the ESP altogether.

 Also removing all the interior VCDS has been great for air bag light extinguishing, also wheel sensors and so on.

 

 I too have been approached by Brisky members to have there cars sorted and on the whole they have always offered up a few quid for the inconvenience which is a nice gesture, on the plus side it also helps you get to learn more about VCDS and how it works so this is a double bonus IMO.

 

 So, between the Yeti, Lupo, Golf and Fabia I have had a fair bit of use personally, I have advanced onto diesel timing graphs and advance and retard now too.

My experiences on my VCDS are similar to James I,

 

I have saved more money now than the cable cost at dealer prices for jobs saved and it is faultless to use.

 

I am also learning every day with it as well, so well worth the money in my opinion.