Just a word of warning of a tool capable of wiping codes from modules

[malcanator]

I recently bought one of these super vag k can tools http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180765911816?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

They claim to have the ability to read codes from the modules on vw cars but when i plugged mine in it wiped everything from the convenience module dissabeling the windows remote locks, mirror indicators, rear door electrics, mirror motors and heaters,
They state they offer free support but when you try to contact them they say the will get on to there technician and come back with the reply the tool is able to recode modules , however there are no instructions available for it,

I beleive this tool is a copy of something else,
The tool is also said to be in the uk but when i wanted to send it back i got a reply from someone with broken english and was told to send it back to hong kong,
Luckily ebay were really helpfull and sent me a free return post label for the address the tool was sent from,

Just thought i would warn everyone of this tool so no one has to go through what i had to as i had a £70 bill for recoding the modules,

Cheers Malc.

[phil miller]

sorry to hear you have had problems, but my view on this as a fully trained mechanic is leave it to the pros, these code readers on ebay are a ******* nightmare, every man and there dog now think they can do the job ive been doing for 20 odd yrs (and still learn something new every day) if i wanna re do my bathroom id get a plumber in i wouldnt buy a kit off ebay

sorry not aimed at you Malc, had one of thoses days with muppets and there code readers

[Crasher]

and still learn something new every day

Me too, every working day is a school day.

[A4 Lad]

sorry to hear you have had problems, but my view on this as a fully trained mechanic is leave it to the pros, these code readers on ebay are a ******* nightmare, every man and there dog now think they can do the job ive been doing for 20 odd yrs (and still learn something new every day) if i wanna re do my bathroom id get a plumber in i wouldnt buy a kit off ebay

sorry not aimed at you Malc, had one of thoses days with muppets and there code readers

Amen brother !

[malcanator]

Couldnt agree more, the problem is these people on ebay etc make it look like they are the simplist thing in the world to use which is very very missleading and it doesnt help when they are posing to be in the in the uk and are actually chinese,
Appreciatte the replies cheers,
Malc.

[a8 tech]

I have all manner of vehicle diagnostics and manuals on various laptops and can tell you this never buy a clone or seek to use diagnostic flash tools or any other form without a full understanding what you are flashing, coding or what it does and how to restore files etc.

Clones cost nowt because they are either locked into the modified software supplied or without full functionality

For vag your spoilt with vcds and its cheap as chips for £260 ish and having forked out in excess of £2000 for oem vag software and hardware it seems fair to say £260 is good value and they even offer free support and updates, good old rosstech.

I can tell you rosstech are upgrading soon for the new platforms in golf 7 and new a3 with a mention of a bluetooth dongle similar to vas pc which is soon to end now Odis has arrived for the vag group.

O well more money needed for a new Odis software

[Crasher]

O well more money needed for a new Odis software

Its never ending isn't it! The money I spend on tools to do my job, £1K for a tool to pull one, yes one, bolt out of a rusty hole-give me strength!

[A4 Lad]

Thats alot of rusty bolts to be pulled out before that bad boy is paid for itself !

[Eshrules]

Malc - have you managed to return the item for a refund?

I'd let the seller know how annoyed you are and mention you're a member of VWAF - This often helps dismissive sellers to be more helpful/sympathetic to your cause.

[phil miller]

I have all manner of vehicle diagnostics and manuals on various laptops and can tell you this never buy a clone or seek to use diagnostic flash tools or any other form without a full understanding what you are flashing, coding or what it does and how to restore files etc.

Clones cost nowt because they are either locked into the modified software supplied or without full functionality

For vag your spoilt with vcds and its cheap as chips for £260 ish and having forked out in excess of £2000 for oem vag software and hardware it seems fair to say £260 is good value and they even offer free support and updates, good old rosstech.

I can tell you rosstech are upgrading soon for the new platforms in golf 7 and new a3 with a mention of a bluetooth dongle similar to vas pc which is soon to end now Odis has arrived for the vag group.

O well more money needed for a new Odis software

The bluetooth dongle is a great idea, at work we use VIDA (volvos main tool) thats bluetooth and means its easy to move around with the laptop and not worry about a lead

[bearthebruce]

The bluetooth dongle is a great idea, at work we use VIDA (volvos main tool) thats bluetooth and means its easy to move around with the laptop and not worry about a lead

It is not going to be blue tooth. It will be wifi, will work with pretty much any compute platform that has a web browser and wifi capability. This means iPhones, iPads, Droids, Win Phones, and so on in addition to most PCs. It will be called VCDS-Mobile and you can watch our progress on this web page: http://www.ross-tech.com/vcds-mobile/index.html

Pricing and availability are still too far out at this point. As the Director of Marketing, it is my hope we will be ready for a end of year release with announcements happening this summer as we ramp up production. But my hopes do not turn into real goods. So our official position is that we do not have release dates and prices as yet.

Stay tuned!

[Crasher]

Please tell me you are going to upgrade the legacy technology such as PIN code retrieval on older cars and other VAS PC type functions or is it just going to be wire free, Golf 7 and US based vehicle targeted as currently? Whatever happened to the VAG-COM leading edge functionality for the trade? It has just become a DIY tool that gets ripped off anyway!

[bearthebruce]

Crasher, I believe you are fully aware that the PIN code and component protection functions are limited to the VAG tool - that really no other tool manufacturer can do these either. That is VAG limiting all of us. Autologic claims to be able to do it all, yet I hear complaints that they can't pull PIN and component protection codes on all modules either. If you need all the factory capabilities, because of VAG's policies, you may be forced to buy their tools. Short of becoming thieves like the people you mentioned who steal our product, we cannot obtain the VAG secured functions and sell them to the world. We would be guilty of doing exactly what we get upset about when people do it to us.

As to coverage of only the US models, that I find that comment a bit off putting and frankly entirely unfair. We are based in the US. We work with US models to put the tool together but support car modules from all over the world. If you have specific needs and complaints, then helping us to address those needs is the way to have the tool be everything you want it to be. But if you don't have time help us do that, well, then maybe some modules in the UK will not get the coverage you desire. We built this tool with the help of community. We keep it priced low so many can afford it. Those goals take community support. We cannot add staff all over the world to do all things that are needed. We need the community help us do that.

Autologic and the VAG tools cost 10x+ what our tool costs. They do some things our tool does not do. In your business, maybe you need those tools to cover the things we do not do. We do try to keep VCDS at the highest level possible. It does get more difficult each year as the complexity and the variation keeps growing.

Thanks for the comments. I'll pass them along to the design team.

[Crasher]

I completely understand the point over the cost of your product being low but what about a more able version to bridge the huge gap? One thing that did cross my mind is that if it was provided on a monthly subscription basis, would it be possible to build in some virtually unbeatable protection to prevent thieves from stealing your intellectual property? I know many pros and even extremely keen DIY types who would happily pay for a professional version of your software.

There are various other non-dealer software systems that can pull the PIN, I am not asking for perfection from you but yours is the best VAG software there is and walks all over even VAG’s own (ODIS excluded as I have not tried it yet) and I would love to have a more advanced version of it. Sometimes VCDS’s ability to enter both the PIN and SKC seems to be an incongruous function to provide considering how difficult it is to get the info although to be honest the number of times I need the PIN is not that many so I usually call someone in but not being able to do Passat 3C column units is frustrating considering how often they fail. The feature I really would love is software flashing such as Autologic provides. I tested the Autologic system and to be honest it was horrid and very expensive plus I do not like specific platform machines, they make me feel trapped and beholden to the provider should the inevitable happen and the unit be stolen or damaged, both of which I have experienced. Your method of a dongle cable and suitable generic PC is the sensible way so if the unit was stolen, as happened to me a few years ago, £500 sees me back up and running again AND very importantly in a busy garage like mine where we have three bays and four mechanics that may need the system all at the same time, it is very affordable to provide three systems, can you imagine the Autologic cost of that?

The non US coverage comment I made could seem unfair to you but if you were to work on one car that treated you to all sorts of lovely drop down menus and pop up boxes such as a Golf 5 and then ten minutes later you plugged in a Skoda Fabia 2 and VCDS reacted as if you had just plugged into an alien space ship, you would probably understand the frustration, lots of pleasure followed by pain!

I have tried a number of times to link my daily work on VCDS to you so the cars I test can be used but my PC incompetence prevents me each time, I will try harder and enlist some younger (less than 48) help.

Also, don’t misunderstand my comments and even the criticisms, if VCDS disappeared tomorrow I would be completely in the brown smelly stuff, it is THE most important tool in my tool box and I cannot function without it, it makes VAS PC look like the work of amateurs…what they had that you didn’t is the manufacturers data so they did not have to reverse engineer. I think the turning point came when VAG took away fault code info out of their workshop information systems and gave us misGuided Fault Finding instead plus no coding tables or any other info whatsoever.

One problem I had the other day I will have to email you about, I was trying to enter the soft coding into an A4 8E ABS pump that came into me with the coding as 00000. Your drop down screen gave me the value and the login screen the login code but it would not enter no matter what I tired, I did it with VAS PC and it went straight in. It wasn't just me though as two other garages had tried by using VCDS and failed.

[phil miller]

Ive been thinking about the wifi dongle idea, now tell me if im wrong but for that to work you would have to have a wifi connection yes? if so that puts an end to plugging your car in when it breaks down at the side of the road, will there be a wired connection as well?

Apart from that its great

[Crasher]

The VAS PC system has used a Bluetooth Dongle for years, you plug/unplug it as required just like a cable.

[bearthebruce]

... will there be a wired connection as well?

There will be a USB wire that can be used. That wire will be required to do updates to the device. At least that is the understanding I have as of now. Still more work ahead of us.

[bearthebruce]

Crasher, you make good points and points that our design team need to see. I will be pointing them to this thread so they consider what you are saying.

[a8 tech]

adding flash abilities would be good