VAG-COM prices and what's needed?
- Thread starter LCRnorwich
- Start date
Been asked a million times before mate, there is a section dedicated to it which you would have been better off posting in.
Basics are = Ross Tech are the people who make the official stuff and the software is free then you need to buy the cable which is the expensive part £200+ I believe and the cable is the bit that acts as the licence key by unlocking the software.
Cheap eBay cables are notoriously flaky and don't offer any support or the full access to the software, in short they are cheap for a reason.
If all you want to do is read and clear a few codes go for the cheapo eBay cable, if you want to get access to everything go legit.
And for everything else there's the Search feature
Basics are = Ross Tech are the people who make the official stuff and the software is free then you need to buy the cable which is the expensive part £200+ I believe and the cable is the bit that acts as the licence key by unlocking the software.
Cheap eBay cables are notoriously flaky and don't offer any support or the full access to the software, in short they are cheap for a reason.
If all you want to do is read and clear a few codes go for the cheapo eBay cable, if you want to get access to everything go legit.
And for everything else there's the Search feature
Been asked a million times before mate, there is a section dedicated to it which you would have been better off posting in.
Basics are = Ross Tech are the people who make the official stuff and the software is free then you need to buy the cable which is the expensive part £200+ I believe and the cable is the bit that acts as the licence key by unlocking the software.
Cheap eBay cables are notoriously flaky and don't offer any support or the full access to the software, in short they are cheap for a reason.
If all you want to do is read and clear a few codes go for the cheapo eBay cable, if you want to get access to everything go legit.
And for everything else there's the Search feature
It is possible to use the full software, or at least much more than the free version, if you use the pirate version and trick it into thinking it's real: I did this and it worked, plus never had a problem with my eBay cable; it always works ok.
The free version is the full software as I understand, it just requires the cable to unlock all the features which is why you had to download a bent copy for use with an eBay cable, trouble is if the software has been messed around to work with a cheapo cable can you trust it to be 100% accurate
I understand why people opt for the cheaper option as it is a little steep but the only way you can be certain of getting a working setup is by going legit.
Buy cheap buy twice
Ok, cheers for the replies guys. Couldn't get the search feature to work on my mobile phone. VAG COM was on my list of things do get and do on my LCR but at that money for a legit one I can't see it happening any time soon.
will the cheap version off ebay read codes and data log etc? or will i need the ross tech one for that?
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Mate if you want it read then I'm sure some one at the local meets will do it for you
Pm me if you want some info
Pm me if you want some info
Got a cheap ebay cable and a full version of vagcom here. Cost me £8 for the cable and nothing for the software from my friend.
You're a fool if you pay the full £200+ for cable
P.S. all features work and are unlocked, I'm not sure it's the cable that actually unlocks the software myself
You're a fool if you pay the full £200+ for cable
P.S. all features work and are unlocked, I'm not sure it's the cable that actually unlocks the software myself
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so if i was to just buy one of the cables off ebay and not download anything from pirate bay etc, because i wouldnt know where to start, what would i actually be able to do?
eBay cable and the software from the RossTech website would allow you to read certain information and clear fault codes, you can't do anything more than that really as far as I know unless you get a fudged copy of the software. I bought a cheapo one off eBay as I wanted to check a fault code on my car but it's very limited as to what you can actually do.
If you're not going to use it regular then I wouldn't bother investing in the proper kit I'd just put a request in the vag-com forum on here and see if someone in your area can help you out. If you think you will use it a lot then it might be worth investing in.
You'll always get people saying it's a rip off for the official thing and while I do agree it's very expensive if you do buy it then at least you know it will work, the eBay stuff comes with no gurantees so you could end up buying more than once.
Just my opinion.
If you're not going to use it regular then I wouldn't bother investing in the proper kit I'd just put a request in the vag-com forum on here and see if someone in your area can help you out. If you think you will use it a lot then it might be worth investing in.
You'll always get people saying it's a rip off for the official thing and while I do agree it's very expensive if you do buy it then at least you know it will work, the eBay stuff comes with no gurantees so you could end up buying more than once.
Just my opinion.
basically all i want to do is check for and clear fault codes, and data log? is this possible with the cheapo ebay job?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-Cable...iagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item45f7ddfa0a
This is just the cable mind, you'll have to source the actual vagcom software yourself (good luck finding that for £8)
This is just the cable mind, you'll have to source the actual vagcom software yourself (good luck finding that for £8)
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If you want to know EXACTLY what you can do with the Ebay lead and the free software, look here;
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/vag-functions.html
If you follow the datalogging link, it explains that the shareware version can log groups 001-025, all others are blocked.
What I recommend is get an Ebay lead, download the VCDS-lite, then if it seems like something you want to invest in you can then buy a full licence.
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/vag-functions.html
If you follow the datalogging link, it explains that the shareware version can log groups 001-025, all others are blocked.
What I recommend is get an Ebay lead, download the VCDS-lite, then if it seems like something you want to invest in you can then buy a full licence.
Slimy is right, you can use a cheap ebay cable no problems but you'll need a full working version of vagcom in order to access all the features. Otherwise you'll only have limited features, as the ross-tech site mentions.
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