Best ODBC Solution

**webego** · 03-07-2023,10:39 PM

Sorry, another noob question. Whilst owning a couple of Discos I found the GAP IID Tool to be an absolute necessity if you want to DIY anything. But I probably found it mostly useful when fixing/tweaking the air suspension. Do most Q7 owners find a similar OBD tool to be useful for changing car config / fault reading / diagnostics? And is so, which is the most popular one that covers most of the bases? The GAP tool was around £500 and whilst it was incredibly useful, I'd rather not spend that much again. But, if the general consensus leans that way then I want to follow the best advice and invest in what is needed. I see the OBDeleven mentioned a lot?

**swalker** · 04-07-2023,09:02 AM

There are 2 front runners in my opinion.
The original Ross Tech VCDS
and OBDeleven.
I have OBDeleven with pro for life (I got in early)- which has a nice GUI and different purchase options depending on how hard you are going to use it.
VCDS I believe is also catching up with different levels of access.

There are others like carista but from what i hear just not at the level of VCDS and OBDeleven.

For our landy I had a mongoose and SDD but never warmed to it, and when we got the F Pace I went for a Foxwell NT530 - it seems to do the job but not sure if its limitations are down to JLR or the tool.
The NT530 allows you to add on other car manufactures at a reasonable cost so going forward when the wife buys god knows what I wont have a big outlay again. I added Honda for the mother in laws car but haven't used that in anger.

**webego** · 04-07-2023,12:26 PM

Thanks for the response Stewart, that is some great info. Does the OBDeleven Pro give full access to a registered VIN? Or are there still some in-app purchases required?

**Crasher** · 04-07-2023,01:03 PM

VCDS for me, one purchase and a top forum with input from profesional uses all over the world and the manufacturer in the USA... VCDS has next to dealer level (ODIS) abilities but nothing except ODIS can do everything.

**swalker** · 04-07-2023,01:18 PM

The pro opens up the coding and adaptions so no need for the one click apps, along with a few other bits

https://obdeleven.com/compare?compareTab=plans&Audi

**AT.** · 07-07-2023,10:02 PM

Originally Posted by webego

Does the OBDeleven Pro give full access to a registered VIN? Or are there still some in-app purchases required?

OBD is NOT connected to a VIN! As far as I know, you can use it for any car. However, it's based on a "pre-payed" model, so you should pay for the in app features. However the PRO package contains a lots of credit, so maybe you will never pay more. You can check for the prices before the purchase, there are no hidden costs. There is also possibility for long coding in the app, and it's free to do it - but risky

I found this tool very useful, and even it's not as professional as a VCDS, but far more user frendly for a lama just like me

**Crasher** · 08-07-2023,03:32 PM

A new customer this week completely screwed up his car with OBD11, I spent two hours on ODIS restoring the coding values. If you do make changes, make sure you have a previous scan saved to be able to restore the values.

**swalker** · 10-07-2023,08:42 AM

yep, it does, or did at one point warn you, and there is a backup option.
OBDeleven also has a Garage where each car scanned lives with its details and history giving old value and new.
Would have saved you time if the customer had taken some time to get to know the tools they were using....

That old story of the guy who owns a service center (printers when i first heard it):- he was asked why he sells service kits. The answer; he makes money twice, once off the repair kit, and again from the subsequent repairs!

**AT.** · 14-07-2023,10:39 PM

Originally Posted by Crasher

A new customer this week completely screwed up his car with OBD11, I spent two hours on ODIS restoring the coding values. If you do make changes, make sure you have a previous scan saved to be able to restore the values.

Wow, what did he done? OBD is more or less fool proof with the pre-programmed settings, so I'm really interested about what this customer did to avoid it

**Crasher** · 15-07-2023,11:56 AM

I didn’t have time to analyse it but the coding of various controllers was wrong, I think he is due in next week for a rescan to see if everything is OK now.