Ok.. today I went to look at removing an aftermarket Nokia hands free kit from my bolero head unit.. I had to remove the facia to do that and disconnect the airbag plug... I forgot the golden rule and turned the ignition on whilst it was disconnected.. now I have an airbag light... any advice on turning it off please

I suspect the airbag has been disturbed and is thus throwing up the light on the dash. You'll need a friendly local VCDS owner to remove the fault code for you.

23 minutes ago, bill295 said:

I had to remove the facia to do that and disconnect the airbag plug

 

The only way for this not to happen would be to disconnect the car battery - anything else will result in the airbag light (with or without the key in the ignition)

Ok.. that is good to know... I don't have a code for the stereo.. is there a way here to get that without going to the stealers????

You shouldn't need the code, the unit is VIN coded to the car ... the short PIN code will only be used if you install the radio in a different car ... in the worst case, there is a way to get the radio code, try ebay (there are technicians who have the source from which they can get the most codes for very cheap)

Edited 30 April, 20188 yr by vborovic

1 hour ago, vborovic said:

You shouldn't need the code, the unit is VIN coded to the car ... the short PIN code will only be used if you install the radio in a different car ... in the worst case, there is a way to get the radio code, try ebay (there are technicians who have the source from which they can get the most codes for very cheap)

 

Thank you for that.. again great feedback

14 hours ago, vborovic said:

 

The only way for this not to happen would be to disconnect the car battery - anything else will result in the airbag light (with or without the key in the ignition)

That is not correct. The error will only be set if the controller is powered up while the warning light is disconnected. The controller is not powered up until ignition is switched on.

 

It is safe to unplug the light as long as the ignition stays off. If you want additional assurance, you can disconnect the battery.

This is how it was triggered on my car, that's why I had to get VCDS for myself. During the nav unit upgrade, no key in the ignition, I've pulled out the surrounding fascia, disconnected the air bag light on the bottom, replaced the radio/nav units, put back the fascia with the airbag connector plugged in, and after ignition, the airbag warning on the dash was present, error logged in the VCDS ... how, why, don't ask me ... now with VCDS, I don't bother, can easily clear everything like that, without it, it is hard to do almost anything on the car without triggering something

So this vcds that keeps getting referred to... it that the diagnostic tool or the lead that connects with a diagnostic tool?? I saw some vag code readers on eBay last night under £100 that says they can reset the air bag light etc.. are these worth getting??? I have a basic generic code reader already.. it will read most codes but will not reset the likes of this airbag light

VCDS is a combination of the cable and software that allows you to perform diagnostic work on VAG brand vehicles. The software can be downloaded free but you need the cable to use it as it has the activation code built in. You can purchase it directly from http://www.ross-tech.com/ Occasionally you will find people selling one used on the various VAG forums.

 

Generic code readers are usually only able to read powertrain codes (engine/transmission) and tend not to have any capability to reset codes. Powertrain components must conform to OBD2 or EOBD standards for diagnostics so it is straightforward for a company to manufacture a reader for them. Other components usually use proprietary protocols to communicate with diagnostics equipment, so equipment manufacturers need to get access to the details of those protocols from the vehicle manufacturers, which can be an expensive process.

 

In the case of VCDS, Ross Tech initially reverse-engineered the VAG protocols and developed their own tool to replicate the functionality of VAG's VAS 5051 diagnostic tool. It has evolved and developed over the years and Ross Tech have developed a relationship with VAG so that they have direct access to protocol information as it's revised and updated. For its cost, VCDS is an excellent tool, and well worth the investment if you plan to do any serious work on your vehicle yourself.

31 minutes ago, chimaera said:

VCDS is a combination of the cable and software that allows you to perform diagnostic work on VAG brand vehicles. The software can be downloaded free but you need the cable to use it as it has the activation code built in. You can purchase it directly from http://www.ross-tech.com/ Occasionally you will find people selling one used on the various VAG forums.

 

Generic code readers are usually only able to read powertrain codes (engine/transmission) and tend not to have any capability to reset codes. Powertrain components must conform to OBD2 or EOBD standards for diagnostics so it is straightforward for a company to manufacture a reader for them. Other components usually use proprietary protocols to communicate with diagnostics equipment, so equipment manufacturers need to get access to the details of those protocols from the vehicle manufacturers, which can be an expensive process.

 

In the case of VCDS, Ross Tech initially reverse-engineered the VAG protocols and developed their own tool to replicate the functionality of VAG's VAS 5051 diagnostic tool. It has evolved and developed over the years and Ross Tech have developed a relationship with VAG so that they have direct access to protocol information as it's revised and updated. For its cost, VCDS is an excellent tool, and well worth the investment if you plan to do any serious work on your vehicle yourself.

Great info.. Ok then I will buy one of these vcds then... so where do I download the software from???

3 minutes ago, bill295 said:

Great info.. Ok then I will buy one of these vcds then... so where do I download the software from???

Everything is available through Ross Tech's website.

There is also VCP.

What is vcp 

13 minutes ago, bill295 said:

What is vcp 

 

VAG CAN PRO

On 4/29/2018 at 20:28, vborovic said:

 

The only way for this not to happen would be to disconnect the car battery - anything else will result in the airbag light (with or without the key in the ignition)

 

You can disconnect the airbag light with the ignition turned off and reconnect it again with no problems. It only triggers the airbag light if the ignition is turned on when disconnected.