Thanks NIgel. Your post at least brings a smile to my face :)

PS the Autophix 7610 is not a bad scanner - It has specific modes for VAG cars and Battery recalibration for a new battery (even a change to AGM from the original EFB-whatsit) and it told us correctly that the left-rear wheel sensor had thrown a wobbly.

Yeah I had a look at it on their site and download the instructions, I always push for reading manuals, even before buying the car, but of course this is against the law for macho and/or arrogant types. Saw it was VW specific and tried editing my post by putting a strikethrough on an appropriate word ('but') however this didn't really show on the word so I just deleted the word and put '7610 VW' to the post's edit notes but these are in a very small font and at very bottom of post after text.

For others interest in the (VW specific) Autophix 7610 as Andrew gives it a good rating details are below.

Autophix Home page - https://www.autophix.com/

The 7610 (this page was very slow loading on my machine) - https://www.autophix.com/product/7610

7610 'User's Manual' - https://www.autophix.com/product/7610

@nta16

4 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Yeah I had a look at it on their site and download the instructions, I always push for reading manuals, even before buying the car, but of course this is against the law for macho and/or arrogant types. Saw it was VW specific and tried editing my post by putting a strikethrough on an appropriate word ('but') however this didn't really show on the word so I just deleted the word and put '7610 VW' to the post's edit notes but these are in a very small font and at very bottom of post after text.

For others interest in the (VW specific) Autophix 7610 as Andrew gives it a good rating details are below.

Autophix Home page - https://www.autophix.com/

The 7610 (this page was very slow loading on my machine) - https://www.autophix.com/product/7610

7610 'User's Manual' - https://www.autophix.com/product/7610

Obviously it is not a patch on VCDS but it is better than a lot of the other cheapo scanners in being able to actually write some data and erase codes (like just before an MOT when you suddenly see an Engine Management Unit fault?? :))

To me VCDS is a horribly presented legacy (1990s) tech, nerdy system but of course it has many fans here and if a good choice (for VW only) if you can put up with (or like) the horrible tech, nerdy legacy presentation and use, like all it may have a few errors and omissions possibly fewer than others, you'd hope anyway.

When I was looking through some of the Users Manual for the 7610 I didn't like the look of some finger dancing navigation required but I'm not technical in any way and not interested in learning all the terminology and what's placed where the listing of any particular machine, I'm already annoyed I'm spending anytime on a VW - I'm not typical for here. 🙃

As always it's each to their own and it'd be a boring place if we were all exactly the same.