Complete newbie to vag com advice needed

[chriz1]

hi all,
Im looking to get vag com working on my car as i said im a complete newbie to it all andon a lcr what do i need altogether to get started and how much is the whole lot likely to set me back?
I have a desktop computer and suppose i could get it to the car when i use vag com,is this o.k to use with it?
Thanks

 

[Chemical Al]

search and all will be revealed, covered many times

 

[chriz1]

cant find direct answers to my questions?
any1??

 

[Chemical Al]

ok, you can down load it from ross tech website but which version you need depends on what cable you buy genuine or non-genuine, and also you need to decide weather you want a usb or a serial cable. there are pros and cons for each so decide wisely and do some research before hand as you could be wasting your cash (you cant go wrong with a ross tech cable but are expensive)

 

[chriz1]

Thanks mate,was looking to buy one from fleebay?
would this be o.k

 

[Chemical Al]

dont see why not, usb ones can be problematic, look through the vag com section, various people have asked if ebay leads are any good

 

[chriz1]

o.k thanks,just another thing would are the limitations of the free version of vag com software?
and how much is the full version

 

[BeartheBruce]

Yes there are limitations. See this page: http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/vag-functions.html

If you want a real cable, I'd be happy to talk about what one you should look at for your car. If you go the fleebay route, then you are on your own. Good luck with that.

- Bruce -
Ross-Tech

 

[chriz1]

how much am i looking at to get a decent cable and software then??

 

[BeartheBruce]

The enthusiasts grade products are available for $229 for a serial port and $249 for the USB ports. These interface cables support full operating VAG-COM and come with the license. You can get more information on them by visiting the Ross-Tech store: http://www.ross-tech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=VAGCOM

Without knowing the model and year, I can't make a recommendation. If you car does not require CAN for the diagnostics, one of the KEY series interfaces would do the job.

You can also look to one of our distributors in the UK for help with your decision.