Becker

I'm trying to get an idea of what people do with their VAG-COM. There are always lots of questions of what yo ucan do with it but besides changing some soft codes and troubleshooting when things go wrong it's hard to find anything else. So I'm asking you guys to tell me what other ways you use it to fine tune your car, calculate hp/torque, etc.

Hopefully we can make a Tech article out of it

RKA

you can pick out various measuring blocks which contain values from various sensors around the car. You can log this data over and rpm range, graph it, and see what the car is doing. One example is requested boost vs. actual boost. This allows you to see if there is a major boost leak (when the two lines diverge).

You can also use it to run system tests in the vehicle...for instance, when I bleed my brakes, I need to activate the ABS module with my vag.com (ESP equipped cars only).

The allroad guys recode their suspensions to sit lower.

BTW, the is a vag.com forum...

kenny (dremel)

thoughtfully at computer screen. close vag-com. turn off car, unplug cable, turn off laptop.

'nuff said. there's no tech article really needed; the vag-com comes with instructions.

RKA's description is more detailed as to what can be done with the VAG-COM though. Mine's an actual play-by-play. Most people only need to know what the measuring blocks are, and how to measure if X component is within Y spec reading.

Becker

... be it for preventitive maintenance or tuning.

Just trying to build some collective knowledge and make it available for everybody

kenny (dremel)

I just check my fault codes. Easier to find a problem early than later. Not much in the way of tuning, besides the basic "Start-up" mods, ie windows auto-up/auto-down, beep/no beep on lock, autolock above 10mph, etc. etc.

Most of time my usage is to measure certain blocks to ensure my components are operating correctly (boost, mass air flow o2 sensor readings, fuel trim)

AwdiA4

This should be the first "mod" that people buy if they own a laptop. I diagnosed a faulty coolant temp sensor, reprogrammed the soft codes on (2) used ECU's and reprogrammed the windows. Best $70 I've spent so far.

Becker

I'm assuming depending on what mods you have done you'll see different readings. Would you pretty much get a feel for those once you start looking at them often?

faust92

At $70, it just sounds so much more appealing.

RKA

$99 more buys you the fully registered version of vag.com (which you may not need right now, but you will eventually want the full version).

Alternatively, you can buy one of the newer cables directly from www.ross-tech.com. Better construction and quality, as well as USB compatibility. They are also more expensive at nearly $180 each.

Older cables (such as the $70 version on obdtool) require a serial port, and if you have a newer computer without a serial port, you'll need an adaptor of some sort. Ross-tech only recommends one adaptor, made by quatech. That's $130 (but you can buy it from me for only $65).<ul><li><a href="http://www.obdtool.com/">http://www.obdtool.com/</a</li></ul>

BSCA4

Already get it worth $55. Program my to accept the remote keyless entry.