VCDS Lite and 3rd party OBD for CAN Bus

[Paul B2010]

Hi

Are any Late Mk2 owner successfully using VCDS lite and a 3rd party CAN compatible OBD connector? I've got a 2011 cupra R and just deciding best route to a good code reader/eraser. Put this question in diagnostics section but not much activity there at mo.
Problem I have read is CAN bus not compatible with Vcds Lite but from 2013 threads.

 

[Speed-FReek]

You can forget about trying to use VCDS Lite with your car. The Lite version of the software doesn't support CAN bus vehicles. If you specifically want to use VCDS on your car then the only option is one of the proper HEX cables.

Alternative options are OBDeleven and Carista which are mobile platform software that work in conjunction with a Bluetooth or WiFi OBD dongle.

 

[Paul B2010]

Thanks for the confirmation, save me wasting time and money on that one then. Thought there might have been some advances on that combination since 2013.

I'll price up that combo you suggested. If anybody out there has an alternative successful combo connector and software for late mk2's (CAN Bus) would love to hear about it. So many 3rd party connectors with no doubt sh*te out there too, would like to just buy from some positive feedback.

Or even a good code reader for CAN. Anybody used Vgate 450 for instance?

 

[Speed-FReek]

I've got no experience of the Vgate VS450 but it looks like it would do the job as a VAG code scanner. Also take a look at the MaxiScan VAG 405 which also seems to have the same functionality and is a similar price. Quite a few videos on YouTube for both demonstrating how they work.

Both just seem to do code reading (and erasing) only with no ability to do any coding or adaptations but if that's all you're after then I reckon one of those would be worth a punt for something in the £20-30 price range.

OBDeleven and Carista both come in at around £50 so more expensive but one advantage is that you just use your smart phone so you don't need a separate dedicated device, plus they both also do coding and adaptations.

 

[Paul B2010]

I could stretch to the 50 squid mark. Would u say it's worth it, i.e. Gives a lot of info or extra features to a basic reader. Is that available via UK distributor too?

 

[Speed-FReek]

With Carista you pay a license fee for the app but be aware that it's a recurring annual fee of $40 so it's not just a one-off payment. The Carista app works with most OBD2 compatible Bluetooth or WiFi dongles, however they do sell their own Carista branded dongle which is guaranteed to work without any issues (available from Amazon UK HERE at a cost of £32). Carista works with both Android and iOS devices.

With OBDeleven the app is free but you need to purchase a specific OBDeleven dongle for your car which is either 36 Euros for the standard version (fault code scanning only) or 55 Euros for the pro version (fault code scanning, coding/adaptation, and output tests). This is a one-off cost so there is no recurring annual fee to pay. In addition to this, if you want to use any of the internal "apps" (these are used to perform one-click operations for some coding and adaptation settings) then you need to buy in-app credits. You don't have to use the "apps" if you don't want to and it is still possible to manually perform any of the coding for free that the "apps" do in a one-click operation, but you will need to figure out yourself what coding you need to do (and how). OBDeleven only works with Android devices. The company is based in Lithuania and you have to buy the dongle direct from them. There are no UK suppliers although the shipping from Lithuania is free.

 

[Paul B2010]

Read a few more threads on this OBD eleven over the wknd, and its convinced me to get it, so will put the Pro on order. Thanks for the heads up, appreciated.