Should I get VAG COM

[clarky_two]

I took out the seat after the drainplug blockage on the passat to dry the carpets etc. Now I realise that the airbag sensor has a fault on start up.

VW garage wants a fair few quid to reset I am sure about that. the bloke down the roads knows someone who can reset it for £20.

The question is.....

Should I invest in the VAG-COM (just bought passat so will have it for a while) and do it all myself?

Where is the best place to get it ?

How easy is it to use?

Will I or wont I end up knackering my car cause I been fiddling with the ECU etc.....

Any advise welcome:beerchug:

[smokey0123]

Have a look for eshrules on this forum he sells the cables (about £15 IIRC). The shareware vag com lets you do basic thing like clear fault codes (reset lights) and it doesnt cost anything.

[Eshrules]

the way I look at it, if you own a VAG, you're going to need a diagnostic scan more than a few times in your time of owning it.

Sometimes these are needed, simply to put your mind at rest, sometimes it could diagnose a fault which could have led to a major catrasrophy.

let's look at it logically, a diagnostic scan will cost (typically) between £20 and £40, depending on where you visit.

my cables come in at £15.99, plus a shareware license, if you opt for that option, at around £50.

let's assume you only want to play with vagcom, to get a feel for it, £15.99 will allow you to do this. You can then, once used to it, visit one of rosstechs distributors and purchase their latest interface, a worthwhile investment considering the amount of use it will probably get, in addition to constant free updates to the software.

there is of course, the handheld scanner route, but IMHO, if you have a laptop, vagcom is the way. Handheld scanners, I would typically reccomend to the less computer savvy, or those who want to have a diagnostic tool available 'just in case'.

[clarky_two]

let's assume you only want to play with vagcom, to get a feel for it, £15.99 will allow you to do this. You can then, once used to it, '.

can I reset fault codes with this - I just need to reset the airbag fault.

[paul b]

can I reset fault codes with this - I just need to reset the airbag fault.
You can reset certain fault codes but not all with the shareware.

I used Eshrules, and bought his cable and downloaded the shareware software. I got the hang of it and then eventually purchased the full license to fix my central locking system after ruining it.

But in answer to your question, yes I think the airbag light can be switched off with the cable and free shareware software.

Paul