How to read OBD-II diagnostics on 1999 TDi

[nickrs]

Hi, I'm trying to read the diagnostics on my 1999 1.9 TDi AFN Passat.

I bought a "Mini V1.5 ELM327 OBD2 Bluetooth Interface" from Timetop via Amazon & have tried to use it with various Android apps (the free versions of Torque, OBD Car Doctor & OBDAutoDoctor). They seem to connect but don't read any data.

Can anyone point me at a cheap way of doing this please? I don't want to spend loads because depending on what it finds, I may have to take it to a garage for repairs anyway.

Thanks

[Doctle Odd]

Return the ELM
buy this http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_VAGUSB.html

[nickrs]

Return the ELM
buy this http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_VAGUSB.html

Thanks for your suggestion, Doctle Odd. If my laptop had a battery which worked, I'd be happy with that but before I take that route, are there any alternatives? I suppose a Bluetooth module is too much to expect but how about one of those standalone readers (I've seen a U280 device in tasteful industrial orange)?

[Doctle Odd]

Return the ELM and buy this Vgate VS450 VW / VAG Group Diagnostic Scanner - Direct replacement to VAG405 | eBay

[nickrs]

Return the ELM and buy this Vgate VS450 VW / VAG Group Diagnostic Scanner - Direct replacement to VAG405 | eBay

I've just ordered one. I'll offer the ELM to my friend to see if it can talk to his Peugeot.

[Doctle Odd]

I had an ELM cable years ago it was like my cat in that it spoke to nobody or nothing

[nickrs]

I'd just like to confirm that the VS450 works fine and has listed quite a few error codes. Now all I have to do is fix them.

[Drive]

did you try erasing the codes ? then driving a little (safely of course, i don't know what problems you have) then re-scanning to compare before and after results ?

[nickrs]

did you try erasing the codes ? then driving a little (safely of course, i don't know what problems you have) then re-scanning to compare before and after results ?

Sorry for keeping you waiting; there was someone at the door.

Well I left the car for a long time & the battery went flat. After charging it I found that all the error codes had gone. Once I started driving, only one of the errors (the main one I'd been concerned about) returned: the front r/h ABS sensor was s/c or o/c. Upon investigating I found that 2 or 3 of the clips which held the sensor cable to the wheel arch had failed (after only 15 years), allowing the cable to be worn through by the front wheel. Soldering iron, heat-shrink sleeving & cable ties fixed it again. The clips had failed on the l/h front wheel too but the cable hadn't worn through. So all in all, a good result.