What VCDS ?

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
It is a popular OBDII solution for our cars, but VCDS is still the best bang for the buck.
 

Teamzarz

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Location
FloriDUHH
TDI
2009 JSW
I checked the maptive link and everyone that VCDS is pretty far from me.

Anybody in Central florida near the coast have VCDS where I don't have to drive all the way to Lake Mary? I'm near Daytona Beach. I need to check whether my AC HP sensor is bad or do a fan output test to make sure my fans function.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
My 1935 ford has no air or heat and I drive it more than that on the weekends just for fun. I would bet Texas is hotter than Florida.
 

Teamzarz

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Location
FloriDUHH
TDI
2009 JSW
My 1935 ford has no air or heat and I drive it more than that on the weekends just for fun. I would bet Texas is hotter than Florida.
Check the misery index on that, depends on where in Texas. The humidity is so high where I live (swamp) sweat and wind do little to help.

Also I was born with a rare genetic disease that makes me allergic to Florida....

That last thing was a lie.
 

Iowa TDI

Active member
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Location
IOWA
TDI
2000 NB 247K
Can i use a USB "c" to "b" adaptor with the non wifi Ross- tech products? My Surface only has a C type usb slot. I emailed ross-tech but have not heard back. Thanks
 

jef@rosstech

Associate Ross-Tech Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Location
knoxville
TDI
2004 Dog hauling, wood towing, pinball stashing Jetta wagon
Provided the USB C to A adapter meets specs, should not be an issue with a Windows 10 device. I'm under the impression some of the really cheap adapters are subpar.
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
Can i use a USB "c" to "b" adaptor with the non wifi Ross- tech products? My Surface only has a C type usb slot. I emailed ross-tech but have not heard back. Thanks
I’ve been using VCDS with a really cheap Windows 10 tablet ($99 at Best Buy) with a cheap USB-C adapter. Works fine.
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
I use an older MSI netbook running Windows XP-Pro only for the Hex-V2, nothing else, and it works just fine.
 

jef@rosstech

Associate Ross-Tech Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Location
knoxville
TDI
2004 Dog hauling, wood towing, pinball stashing Jetta wagon
XP was shipped with computers from 2001 to 2009 as I recall, so that puts most XP machines out there at +10 years old. Ross-Tech does not support XP. We do not do anything to prevent the current version of VCDS (19.6.2 at this time) from working on XP machines.
 

HyperMPG

Active member
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Location
Fayston, Vermont
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI 5 Speed
Help with two codes Please

Greetings from Vermont.
My 2002 Jetta tdi developed a rough start and idle when cold. Scan code said:
P0101 MAF or VAF A Circuit Range/ Performance
And
P0402 P EGR Flow Excessive

Can anyone recommend a plan of attack in trouble shooting the issue?
Would like to fix it myself.
 

Danzee

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
Audi B8
Thanks, I'll continue answering any other VCDS related "sales" questions in this thread as needed. Just Ask!

OK, since you offered . . .
Since the VCDS HEX-V2 USB tool is limited to 3 or 10 VINs, is it still not possible to move from one computer to another without a limitation on the number of moves?

I seems to me that the VIN number limits would protect Ross-Tech from misuse. Portability from one laptop to another is a worry for me.



Dan
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
OK, since you offered . . .
Since the VCDS HEX-V2 USB tool is limited to 3 or 10 VINs, is it still not possible to move from one computer to another without a limitation on the number of moves?

I seems to me that the VIN number limits would protect Ross-Tech from misuse. Portability from one laptop to another is a worry for me.

Dan

I'm not Santos, but I can answer your question. VCDS is VIN limited. This only applies to how many cars you can do "advanced" functions on. VCDS is in no way PC limited (except for the old VCDS-Lite program). You can download the VCDS program and install it on any computers you want. The license to run the program is in the interface cable and you can only hook the cable up to one car at a time. The cable must be present for the program to function and the number of VINs used is stored in the interface itself, not the computer. I have used several different computers with my interface cable. The only downside to using different computers is that log files will be saved on different computers.


Have Fun!


Don
 

jef@rosstech

Associate Ross-Tech Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Location
knoxville
TDI
2004 Dog hauling, wood towing, pinball stashing Jetta wagon
One of the benefits of owning a Ross-Tech kit is you can end up becoming an unpaid sales rep for Ross-Tech. :) We thank you for your services!

Something I'll add on the 3VIN or 10VIN topic. Registered customers who have run out of VINs can upgrade for a fee to the next VIN level:


  • 3 VINs upgrades to 10VIN total
  • 10VINs upgrades to unlimited VINs
Details here:
https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/upVIN


Regards.
 
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rsmith150

New member
Joined
Jun 17, 2020
Location
Tuscola IL
TDI
03 Jetta Tdi
vagcom and injection pump timming

Sorry I have no idea where to post this i'm new to the site I just changed the timing belt on my 03 vw jetta tdi (332,000 miles) last weekend and I am wondering if it is necessary to use the vagcom to "time" the injection pump? I locked everything in place and the job went well. the car runs and drives great. I do not have a vagcom system nor do i know someone that has one. is it necessary to take it to a shop to have it "timed"? it runs great, still gets great millage, and starts first try every time. I have driven it for a week want to know if i am posing certain risks or if it should be good to go? thanks for the advice in advance. Feel free to move this post to a better place in the forms if you know how. (champagne IL area)
 

jef@rosstech

Associate Ross-Tech Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Location
knoxville
TDI
2004 Dog hauling, wood towing, pinball stashing Jetta wagon
I've done many timing belts and when I checked the start of injection it was well within factory specs. And the other 94% of the time I had to make adjustments to get the timing to factory specs. To that end, you really need to check the start of injection so you can verify it is in fact correct.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEguZWbEE9g



Just FYI, our HEX-V2 starts off at only $199. I would hazard a guess that if you paid a shop to adjust the timing so it is to factory specs, you've be paying about half that. To that end, if you use VCDS 2 or 3 times, you've recouped your investment.
 

VWMark

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2003
Location
Mount Kisco, NY
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 6M RIP, 2015 GSW SE TDI 6M, 2015 Q7 TDI
Hi all! I'm SUPER new to this scan tool universe, so please bear with me. I'm interested in getting a Ross Tech Scan tool, but I'm so new, I have no idea what I want/need. We've got a number of VW's in the household, as does my brother. Yes, I've read through the forums and lots of stuff on their website. I'm not looking to do anything advanced, mostly stuff like checking and resetting codes, resetting Inspection reminders, programming window functions, etc. Does any of that require VIN registration, or can that stuff be done on an unlimited number of cars? We have the following cars in the family:

Mine:
2015 VW Golf Sportwagon SEL TDI
2016 VW Jetta Sport 1.8T
2016 Audi Q3 Prestige
2018 VW Tiguan SEL

Brother:
2016 VW Golf R
2012 VW GTI
2015 VW Tiguan

Any info would be appreciated, or point me to more reading!

Thanks,
Mark
 
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jef@rosstech

Associate Ross-Tech Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Location
knoxville
TDI
2004 Dog hauling, wood towing, pinball stashing Jetta wagon
We have an FAQ on the topic of VIN limits and what is allowed:

https://forums.ross-tech.com/showthread.php?8869-VIN-Limited-Interface-FAQ

So some of the things VWMark is asking about does require the VIN to be locked in to perform those kind of request/functions (resetting Inspection reminders, programming window functions).

But to read and clear fault codes does not require a VIN to be locked in, so you can technically do full Auto-Scans on every new car at the VW and Audi dealer with even a 3VIN unit, and then request to clear DTCs as needed.

If you have additional questions, give us a call. https://www.ross-tech.com/contact.php

I will also point out, for anyone who lives outside of USA, I would suggest you purchase from a distributor and not our web site. It may look like it is cheaper to purchase directly from our web site, but it won't be after you factor in international shipping and whatever VAT your government charges. :eek:
 

Jr mason

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Location
Ohio
TDI
01 Beetle, 2012 Jetta
Looking for some feedback on the VCDS mobile....I'm 99% ready to pull the trigger but a little apprehensive. Rosstech website suggests the mobile version as being more difficult to navigate through. I'm leaning towards the mobile version because I do not own a laptop and figure this would be the way to go. What do you guys think?

This is for the 01 in my signature and a 2012 Jetta TDI I just picked up.

Appreciate all the knowledge here!
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I prefer the cable myself. But mine is older and has no restrictions. It has served me and others near me well for a decade or so. I keep a Windows netbook dedicated just for this use. Cost about $100 on sale. The cables can be found used at times too. But support comes with a new one.

A new cable for $199 and a cheap (new/used) laptop/netbook running windows is still cheaper than the mobile version. I keep the Torque app on my phone and/or bring the netbook and cable if going anywhere far. I also use the VAGDPF app on my phone for regens. Just used that today to let one complete.
 

jef@rosstech

Associate Ross-Tech Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Location
knoxville
TDI
2004 Dog hauling, wood towing, pinball stashing Jetta wagon
I tell people that VCDS-Mobile (Mobile) is like an adjustable wrench... it can be handy, it has its place, but it is NOT a replacement for all of your wrenches. Mobile is kind of like that... it can be handy, it has its place, but it isn't a replacement for VCDS on a Windows laptop.

With Mobile, advance functions do require an online connection so that it can call home to "the Mothership". So for example, you want to do the Basic Setting to run the lift pump after swapping out a fuel filter, Mobile can do it, but only if you are online with it. VCDS on Windows doesn't require an active internet connection to us it. And with your 2012 Jetta, there will be some online set up required since it will most likely have some UDS control modules. Once set up though, Mobile can read / clear DTCs and view live data without an active internet connection.

There is a learning curve for anyone who is new to the VW/Audi diagnostic game, and Mobile adds another layer to this. There is a lot of information out there for VW/Audi owners for the last +20 years using VCDS on Windows. There is very little information generated using Mobile. Now if a person is pretty familiar with VW/Audi diagnostics, transitioning over to Mobile isn't very difficult.

If you have any questions, call up our sales department, Santos can answer any questions you might have.

 

Jr mason

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Location
Ohio
TDI
01 Beetle, 2012 Jetta
OK...please bear with me here. Computers aren't my strong point and I've never purchased a laptop.

Rosstechs website says requirements are windows based platform (I assume this means no Chrome books?)

Also, usb 2.0 or higher and 1.5 ghz with 1GB of ram.

I'm looking at this one, again assuming a Chrome book is out of the question.
Specs look ok to me EXCEPT the ghz, it states 1.44 UP TO 1.92ghz. Am I walking too fine of a line here or is this acceptable? Not to sound cheap but I wouldn't be shopping for a lap top for any other reason than VCDS so I don't need anything beyond what is needed here.


Thank you guys.
 
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