I'm looking for a diagnostics system. VCDS seems to be the go to system, but pricy. I've come across a system called TOAD which seems to do all that VCDS does (and more) at about £60 and it works for other makes than VAG. Has anyone come across or used TOAD?

I'm going to be fitting a tow bat with non bypass electrics next week and so will need to do the coding.

Any comments or experiences regarding diagnostics would be appreciated.

38 minutes ago, drbit said:

I'm looking for a diagnostics system. VCDS seems to be the go to system, but pricy. I've come across a system called TOAD which seems to do all that VCDS does (and more) at about £60 and it works for other makes than VAG. Has anyone come across or used TOAD?

I'm going to be fitting a tow bat with non bypass electrics next week and so will need to do the coding.

Any comments or experiences regarding diagnostics would be appreciated.

Never heard of TOAD.

 

What is it you actually want to be able to do with the diagnostics? Then we can tell you whats fit for your purpose.

As above, the first thing I need it for will be to do the coding for the tow hitch I hope to fit next week. From there it will be used for determining, rectifying and clearing any faults that occur in the future. I  am a keen and competent mechanic well versed in electronics. I maintain all of the cars I have ever owned and only twice in my life so far have I had to resort to a garage for a repair and that was at a time when I was too busy to do it myself and was earning at a rate which made the garage seem cheap.

I have a 2007 Ford Transit which I bought cheap with many problems but with the help of Forscan made it into a reliable workhorse. Unfortunately Forscan does not cover VAG and so I am looking for a competent replacement.

I have the Superb and there is a Passat CC in the household as well.

 

OBD11 or Carista can do most of what VCDS can do but for level of service I would go with VCDS get the 3 VIN one then if you find you need more you just pay for the next step up to 10 VIN 

3 hours ago, drbit said:

As above, the first thing I need it for will be to do the coding for the tow hitch I hope to fit next week. From there it will be used for determining, rectifying and clearing any faults that occur in the future. I  am a keen and competent mechanic well versed in electronics. I maintain all of the cars I have ever owned and only twice in my life so far have I had to resort to a garage for a repair and that was at a time when I was too busy to do it myself and was earning at a rate which made the garage seem cheap.

I have a 2007 Ford Transit which I bought cheap with many problems but with the help of Forscan made it into a reliable workhorse. Unfortunately Forscan does not cover VAG and so I am looking for a competent replacement.

I have the Superb and there is a Passat CC in the household as well.

 

When you say a non bypass tow hitch, are you refering to a full OEM kit that wires into the body control module and such? If so, it is a massive job, and the coding is also a massive job, will need to change adaptations, long coding and know module security codes. All of this can be done with ODIS, but that is dealer software. Second to that, VCDS will do most of it, but you will still need the help of guides and such to know what modules to touch and change. Chances are the OEM trailer module will need a dataset, the only things that can do this are ODIS and VCP.

4 hours ago, drbit said:

Forscan does not cover VAG

Sure about that? A Ford Galaxy and a VW Sharan (and indeed a Seat Alhambra) are all the same car bar badges.

Mk1 and mk2 galaxy shared platform but mk3 no longer  shared.

Looking at the specs for Toad it is only for engine and transmission diagnostics and changes, so won't do what you need for the tow bar fitting as it won't access the relevant modules. 

1 hour ago, ApertureS said:

When you say a non bypass tow hitch, are you refering to a full OEM kit that wires into the body control module and such? If so, it is a massive job, and the coding is also a massive job, will need to change adaptations, long coding and know module security codes. All of this can be done with ODIS, but that is dealer software. Second to that, VCDS will do most of it, but you will still need the help of guides and such to know what modules to touch and change. Chances are the OEM trailer module will need a dataset, the only things that can do this are ODIS and VCP.

Yes, I did mean a full OEM kit, but I did not expect that it would be that complicated to enable.  More research and learning to be done then. Thanks for the heads up.

49 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

Sure about that? A Ford Galaxy and a VW Sharan (and indeed a Seat Alhambra) are all the same car bar badges.

They were on a shared platform and so Forscan covers them from a Ford perspective and will work on the VW version. Unfortunately that doesn't help with a Skoda.

Some OEM units have component protection built into them, that links them to the vehicle VIN # mainly the higher value parts like the radio/nav systems or speedo's and these will need a dealer with ODIS/VCP to remove the protection but I doubt the trailer control module will have and the coding is simple just look at the Ross-Tech Wiki about retrofitting 

16 minutes ago, nige8021 said:

Some OEM units have component protection built into them, that links them to the vehicle VIN # mainly the higher value parts like the radio/nav systems or speedo's and these will need a dealer with ODIS/VCP to remove the protection but I doubt the trailer control module will have and the coding is simple just look at the Ross-Tech Wiki about retrofitting 

Thanks for that, more like what I was expecting. I'll keep delving into it.

As to the wiring, for the OEM trailer controllers it's a couple of power supplies from the fusebox & a twisted pair of CANbus wires into the BCM then the 13 wires out to the trailer socket 

On 22/01/2022 at 20:02, ApertureS said:

 and the coding is also a massive job, will need to change adaptations, long coding and know module security codes.

No, it's pretty straightforward. Howto at http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Trailer_Hitch_Retrofitting_(1K)

 

@OP

The wiring is tedious, but not difficult. All boot interior panels come off, and you lift off the side trims along the drivers' side at the sill to run the cables up to the dash. Most awkward bit up there is getting the CAN lines into the brown BCM connector. OEM towbar wiring kit comes with good instructions on how to do all of that stuff. Budget about a day to do the job, and I'd recommend purchasing the service manuals from https://erwin.skoda-auto.cz/erwin/showHome.do for instructions on removing the trim intact.

Thanks for all of the info coming in. Fortunately I haven't received the hardware yet and am still investigating the diagnostics side of things. I'm leaning toward VCDS but there is a lot of research to do there also. Ho-hum, who said life would be easy?