Diagnostics for Audi A8 D3 3.0TDI

[Taylor88]

Afternoon,

New to the group and this will be my second Audi as my A6 snapped a cam belt and ******** the engine right up. Anyway got an A8 now but want to know what diagnostic gadgets are best to get for future issues I might have and where to get them from. Any help/suggestions will be appreciated

Cheers

James

 

[FactionOne]

Welcome to the forum.

There are some other devices coming on to the market now - OBDeleven and others, which are good if you need to run on iOS/Android, or want a less expensive basic system, but if you've got a Windows laptop (even an old one), VCDS (aka VAG-COM) is still top of the heap for 99% of tasks. It does fault codes (auto-scanning the car or manually per module), live data (inc. logging & graphing), guided fault finding (module output tests), coding (long and short), adaption, basic settings, and probably lots that doesn't spring to mind.

There are some really rarified/advanced things it won't do (chiefly related to module flashing), which are basically the preserve of things like VAG-CAN Professional, but pretty much everything else, and certainly everything you'd need for diagnosis and tweaking, it does. It's a bit more expensive than other systems (though the gap shrinks if you take options on the other systems to do things like module coding), but my VCDS paid for itself several times over.

There are counterfeit packages available (cloned lead and cracked software), but I would strongly advise against them - for obvious reasons, but also because with a genuine setup you get better reliability & performance, regular software updates, excellent after-sales (and support the manufacturer in providing their excellent system into the future).

Rob

 

[Taylor88]

Welcome to the forum.

There are some other devices coming on to the market now - OBDeleven and others, which are good if you need to run on iOS/Android, or want a less expensive basic system, but if you've got a Windows laptop (even an old one), VCDS (aka VAG-COM) is still top of the heap for 99% of tasks. It does fault codes (auto-scanning the car or manually per module), live data (inc. logging & graphing), guided fault finding (module output tests), coding (long and short), adaption, basic settings, and probably lots that doesn't spring to mind.

There are some really rarified/advanced things it won't do (chiefly related to module flashing), which are basically the preserve of things like VAG-CAN Professional, but pretty much everything else, and certainly everything you'd need for diagnosis and tweaking, it does. It's a bit more expensive than other systems (though the gap shrinks if you take options on the other systems to do things like module coding), but my VCDS paid for itself several times over.

There are counterfeit packages available (cloned lead and cracked software), but I would strongly advise against them - for obvious reasons, but also because with a genuine setup you get better reliability & performance, regular software updates, excellent after-sales (and support the manufacturer in providing their excellent system into the future).

Rob

Cheers for the reply Rob, who would you recommend getting the VCDS from?

James

 

[FactionOne]

Well, when I bought mine -many, many moons ago- there wasn't an awful lot of choice and £ to $ was strong, so in the end I had it shipped straight from Ross Tech in the states. I *think* their main UK distributor is Gendan (in Fforestfach, I've just discovered to my surprise (I was a Llanelli boy for a while, and had no idea)), but there are other authorised suppliers on this side of the pond. IIRC, our own @NHN was one - and perhaps still is.

I've just seen that their sales model has changed a bit since the sepia-toned days when I bought mine, and they effectively do three tiers now - two enthusiast and one pro; the two enthusiast options limit the software to operating with either 3 or 10 VINs, and the pro is unlimited. Of course, 3 or 10 will be plenty for most people (depending on how many VAG cars they expect to have/enounters), and it seems you can upgrade from 3 to 10 if you need. I'm not sure (NHN will confirm one way or the other, I dare say) if you can upgrade from 10 to unlimited if you start with 3 or 10 on the HEX-V2 (cabled) interface; that may only be available if you get the HEX-NET wireless one.

Another option you might consider, is shopping around for a second hand HEX-USB+CAN, which is the now discontinued predecessor to HEX-V2; the drawback there is that it isn't compatible with all models after 2015 (2016> Q7 & A4, 2017> other models), but you might get one at a good price and the advantage is that there's no VIN limit - it's amazing how many family members & friends crop up with airbag lights, check engine lights, would like selective door unlocking enabled, etc. Of course if you go this route, be careful to get a guarantee that the interface is genuine - if an eBay listing says genuine but also that it works with one specific (old) version, and that you shouldn't use it online, it's probably hooky.

Rob.

 

[Taylor88]

Cheers for all the info Rob, much appreciated and I’ll definitely look into the Gendan to get the VCDS.

I will most probably be asking more questions when I get it

James

 

[Homer Simpson]

VCDS is a worth while investment, will pay for itself easily. Gendan or Ilexa are reputable resellers

 

[ScottD3]

I use both VCDS and ODB11.

ODB11 works great for basic fault scanning and clearing.
VCDS will do all the deeper scans, output tests, message blocks and Coding.