Morning All.

 

I have recently bought a 2011 2.0 AWD. It has daytime lights and lamps fitted. Trying to get them to work. The info I have found is that they were never activated by the factory ? Why ?So I presume I now need to find someone in Devon that could do this with  VCDS kit. I have always used OBD reader and Torque App on my Android phone for my car work. I presume I now need to buy some VCDS kit if I want to do anything myself ? Not sure how this works as I have seen plenty of cables for sale. However what software do you use with this cable? it also looks like it is only Windows compatible ? Wont bang on any longer but if someone could point me in the right direction re DTRL and VCDS I would be very grateful.

The latest software is free from ross-tech.com who make the cables. 

Download the Carista app and see if that offers the customisation you need. Not sure if it will work with a generic obd reader though, but it's quick and easy to find out. 

Cheers Longship, thats a new one on me will give it a try. I can see why the Ross Tech software is free, I think their price for a coms cable more than makes up for it.

22 minutes ago, Whizzkid said:

I can see why the Ross Tech software is free, I think their price for a coms cable more than makes up for it.

It only works with official cables too.

After all, someone has to fund the research necessary to allow this comprehensive system of modification software to evolve. 

At £225 its hardly DIY user friendly, draw the line at that. Just to turn on my DDLs. I dont see why they have this system , never had a car before where I have had to activate something as basic as this.

 

Anybody in Devon that could do this for me please , obviously not expecting it for free.

Just a thought,  can DRL's be switched on or off via a Maxi dot display (if fitted)? 

Will have a look , thanks. Not sure I have this function. 

No. Just have the bare minimum. But thanks for your suggestions.

I used the Carista app with a generic reader to activate mine.

It is a two step process. First "activate" the DRL with the Carista app and then switch on the DRL with the left indicator stalk using the procedure shown in the car handbook.

 

Like your 2011 car, my 2012 car came out of the factory with the DRL not activated.

7 hours ago, Longship said:

Just a thought,  can DRL's be switched on or off via a Maxi dot display (if fitted)? 

 

They can only be turned off and back on once they've first been activated via VCDS (or similar).

 

Skoda fitted DRL's to the MkII FL Octavia before they were required by law, and chose not to activate them from the factory here in the UK.

Thanks Pikpilot.

I have decided to go with the Carista kit. Best deal at the moment is 15.99 with one month full access, which will be more than enough for me to sort out the lights and a few other settings while I am at it, then reverts to basic, ie just fault codes. If you need full access again 9.99 for 7 days. Not limited to 2 or 3 Vins.

 

Thanks for all you suggestions.

Good choice. You will be able to add quite a lot of other features that fall into the Marmite category; you either love them or hate them.

 

I added tear wipe on front and rear wipers after wash; rear wiper activates if in reverse and front wiper is switched on manually or automatically; cornering lights using front fogs; lane change indicators on time increased to 5 secs; coming home lights enabled on dip beam (activated with flashing the lights but timed from when door is locked).

Great list,thanks for this. Be glad to get it all sorted. Was going to change the DRL bulbs to led,

I had a problem with my DRL bulbs having intermittent contact. I found is was vibration that had fretted away the central solder contact pin on the bulbs.  I built up the solder pip again with new solder and refitted the bulbs. Been no problem since.

I mention this as your car is one year older than mine so you may find the same problem initially. 

If you fit LEDs, try to find ones that do not use a solder pip as the contact, as well as making sure they are CAN BUS proof to avoid a permanent light out warning.

Good tip on the solder pip, thanks.

On 6/26/2018 at 23:05, pikpilot said:

I had a problem with my DRL bulbs having intermittent contact.

 

It's a generic problem, I also had to change both side drl bulbs because of this exact same issue.

 

On 6/26/2018 at 23:05, pikpilot said:

If you fit LEDs ... as well as making sure they are CAN BUS proof

 

If you want to do it in an elegant way, then you switch off the cold diagnosis using VCP and VAG Helper instead of intalling some heating resistors called CAN control unit.