OBD Scanner?

donp38

A2OC Donor
United-Kingdom
Hi All.
Just thinking there must be some cheap OBD scanner available that is ok?
Any recommendations...?
Cheers
 
The ONLY scanner to go for is VCDS, forget about the cheap generic pretty much useless stuff.
 
Got a Vgate VS-450 a Chinese reader.
Is it cheap? Yes
Is VCDS better? Yes, for sure! Because the VS-450 can read the most item's, unfortunately not all (did I say it was cheap?).
It is small, and easy to use, just plug it in and press buttons intuitive and away you go (very handy for me, I'm not that handy with pc/laptop which is required for VCDS, although I recently saw a "mobile version is available).

Is it rubish? Well, it's cheap enough to leave in the trunk/boot of the car.
It allows me to reset oil/service light after I did an oil/filter service.
And the best is, it's always with the A2...... So if you've got a "light" on your dash, well maybe you want to know more about it and the VS-450 is giving you info.

So, it is for sure no replacement for VCDS, but if you drive a car with a diagnose system then you can let a dealer do a read out or get a cheapo read out thingy and know what's going on instant. You decide yourself if it's worth something or nothing.

Cheers.
 
Last edited:
The ONLY scanner to go for is VCDS, forget about the cheap generic pretty much useless stuff.
With vcds-lite free, and a cable at under a tenner, does that qualify as cheap (as long as you can find a Windows XP - 10 laptop)?
Mac.
 
@Menno You can reset the service indicator ( fixed intervals ) without the use of any diagnostic tool only using the 2 buttons on the instrument panel itself
 
@audifan well what can I say..... VCDS is the way to go apparently! To me it feels like getting a liftpost just to change the wheels on yer car once a year.

Hi All.
Just thinking there must be some cheap OBD scanner available that is ok?
Any recommendations...?
Cheers
The ONLY scanner to go for is VCDS, forget about the cheap generic pretty much useless stuff.

I rest my case.

Cheers, Menno.
 
Thanks @Menno, something like that could be useful to keep in the glove box. Looks like the updated VS890 can be had for <£25 from Aliexpress (delivered with VAT paid).
 
I have a supervag reads everything but once was unable to read a mk2 galaxy (vag software on derv/2.8 models) brake light switch which is bread and butter but then it read and cleared my A2 webasto fault. Vcds/vag com is great but many other tools work well
 
I have an Xtool VAG401 that I bought back in 2017 to reset repetitive spurious engine lights on my 4B A6 (subsequently solved with a new fuel cap). I can use it to read and clear faults on both AUA and both 1.4Tdi engine ECUs as well as monitoring misfires when the AUA coil was playing up. I have also used it to calibrate the fuel gauge on my AMF car to be a little less pessimistic (now the fuel light comes on with 4L of fuel to go rather than 8), adapt the newly-fitted throttle body on the AUA, and switch between winter and summer tune maps on my AMF regularly (it will do the same on my BHC but I only have better and betterer maps on that one, so have stuck with the latter). For a Chinese piece of budget kit it seems to be pretty good. I do have VCDS-lite and a PC laptop which I also use for tinkering with mapping on the Tdi, but frankly for basic ODB functionality the 401 works better (it will at least speak to the AUA ECU which the VCDS one only does erratically).

I will add a caveat - my one has been great. I am pretty certain that someone else here on A2oc bought one on my recommendation a year or two later and it proved to be useless trying to do the same basic things, so I suspect that quality varies a bit more than something more reliable.
 
@Robin_Cox can you please explain the fuel warning alteration process. Does it have any negative consequences?

I found this guy's channel (he uses the same reader but has a TT) for the guidelines (he uses it for other things as well, worth checking out as well as other VAG401 videos now linking to it). The thing that I found is the well-known fuel gauge reversal thing that comes up here now and again applies with these guidelines - the numerical changes he recommends on his TT are the exact opposite direction of the changes that are effective on my 2002 AMF car, but I only worked this out eventually (having noted the initial setting) by using the maximum setting and having the needle go to 0, and vice versa (because just changing it one or 2 units the needle waggles about a bit and you can't really judge if it is falling or rising). When I first got this project car, the fuel light would come on when the car had gone around 270 miles, the refill for the 34 litre tank would only allow around 26-27 litres of fuel to be put in before the pump clicking repeatedly (not playing the vent game to brim it). This was a bit irritating as you know how loud that warning ping is every time you start it. With the last calibration, the fuel light now comes on at 340-ish miles, allowing 30 litres of fuel to be added a week later than previously. I could go further but that would be pushing it. I can't remember what setting this is at the moment as it was a year or more ago that I did it. Hope this is helpful!

Obtaining SKC / matching keys to immobiliser (Mk IV Golf)

I may have a look at this one.
 
Last edited:
But its designed to have a minimum amout of fuel to prevent the low level circulating fuel getting too hot.
Tbh i dont think its a good idea.
If the tanks full its full so unless your fuel stations are 300 miles apart i dont see what the benefit is?
 
But its designed to have a minimum amout of fuel to prevent the low level circulating fuel getting too hot.
Tbh i dont think its a good idea.
If the tanks full its full so unless your fuel stations are 300 miles apart i dont see what the benefit is?
My BHC car goes to 38 litres (refill) out of 42 when the fuel light goes on, without ever having touched the settings. My A6 also goes to about 5 litres from empty (on a 70 litre tank). The AMF going to 26L refill out of 34 total was really inconvenient.

I don't disagree with the premise of your argument - going to the dregs risks sucking up all manner of debris, before thinking about the fuel heat cycling. The difference to my mind is that the AMF was the outlier with the light going on much too early relative to the other vehicles, especially the BHC one. The other thing worth considering is that being able to calibrate this allows for small variations in the level sensor (for instance if an new one has been fitted that is a bit different from the last one), so knowing how this is at least undertaken is quite handy.
 
Certainly not interested in creating an argument just my view point. Remember feeling the fuel tank on a polo pd diesel and I was astonished how hot it was after it had just been on a long run with low fuel left!

Fuel is always pulled from the bottom of the tank so it's more the "floaters" one needs to concerned with lol!
 
I agree with @Howey that running the level continually very low will cause fuel heat issues, drag water and other contaminates. OK your gauge may set off the low fuel with more than 4-5 litres left but so what. It is your car you know how much fuel it takes when the alarm goes off so just refill accordingly if you do not want the alarm to go off. Or live with the low fuel light and alarm until you refill the tank. Do not see the need to be paranoid about the alarm. Whatever mileage it goes off at just refuel 10 miles before that point.
 
Back
Top