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I've got a cheap lead off Ebay that came with the adapter to suit older cars with the 2 connectors rather than the 16 pin connector that is now used.
The lead works just fine but there are things to know.
1) The majority of the leads are USB. These don't work with oldest versions of the software. The cloned leads also don't work with the latest versions and as a result you seem to end up using V4.09.
Not sure if this is a problem on older cars but I suspect that it stops you using other software for changing things like mileage (on cars like the S6). I haven't got an old fashioned serial port lead to test this yet, although I have a whole heap of software that i know needs a true serial lead.
2) The software as downloaded from Ross-Tech will not do very much. It's great for reading codes and reseting error codes but it will not reset service indicators on cars. The limitation in the software prevents making adaptations on code blocks above a set value and this is lower than those needed for a service reset. This was my major gripe on my URS6 when I got it..
A license for the software is £50 but is limited to 1 machine and is not supposed to be transferable. With a genuine lead you don't need a license because it is in the lead and is therefor transferable.
It is possible to bypass the limitations in the software and get the software to work as a full package and if you do that the cheap leads do seem to work perfectly providing you don't have a CanBus car.
On an old car and for personal and occasional use I would buy a cheap lead and avoid paying for the license. Once you have used the software and decided upon its merits, you will probably want to go down the route of a genuine lead with CanBus (especially if you have a modern VAG car as well) but that is a big investment to rush out and buy without trying first.
Not sure if this is a problem on older cars but I suspect that it stops you using other software for changing things like mileage (on cars like the S6).
QUOTE]
slightly OT but vagcom cant do it anyway,it can roll forward(1 time only) a brand new speedo on certain models but you cant alter speedo readings.Even with vag tacho(a similar program to vagcom) the C4 A6 range of cars(inc your S6) cant be modified as they have a separate control box which wont let you communicate with it.
As I said, I haven't tried it and wouldn't try it on my S6. I like the fact that the history for the car matches up and on an old car mileage is much less important than condition and history. Something like VagTacho might be used on other VAG cars and an USB lead can't be used for that. Is it also not possible to retrieve keycodes with VagTacho? Allowing new keys to be coded via VagCom rather than paying a dealer £140 for a key that they code. I feel cheated that VAG don't allow me to know my own vehicle security details to protect me. My car, my security, my info. Let me know it and I'll decide how it is used.
I would also imagine that many people are likely to have more than one VAG car at any time OR own several VAG cars in a row. Flexibility is something to consider when buying diagnositic tools.
If you are (and you should) buy a license for VagCom, it is worth deciding if a full blown VagCom lead is better value especially if you own a CanBus car. I currently don't need CanBus for either of my VAG cars BUT when funds allow I will be buying a genuine VagCom lead with CanBus. It makes economic sense to pay once for a lead rather than shell out to a dealer for them to do such a simple task. Tell a dealer what the fault is and they still insist on charging £75 to tell you what you already know before ordering a part that they then say may not be the problem and that you will be expected to pay for either way.
I wonder why I avoid main dealers... If it's not on the computer they haven't got a clue most of the time. If it's on the computer, you don't need a main dealer...
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