i really sorry if this has been raised before i have a a quick scan through all the post and not much came up. i have a fault on my Octy that is intermittent and the garage cant find anything wrong with it. can i clear the fault codes form the ecu so when it happens again it is the only thing registered on the ecu so the garage can fix it .

Yes you can and you should.

so how do i go about doing this allusive reset

Vag-com

can i not do it through disconnecting the battery for an hour or so

Sadly all a bit of a myth really.

Disconnecting the battery actually puts more faults in.

I bought one of these the other day

U281 CAN VW/AUDI Auto Scanner VAG Code Reader on eBay, also, Diagnostic Tools Equipment, Garage Equipment Tools, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 28-Mar-08 17:40:21 GMT)

For just over £20 its great. Reads codes for engine, abs, airbag and auto transmission(if applicable) and clears them. Much cheaper option than vag com if all you want to do is read and clear codes.