OBD2 scanning issues

Started by Mr42, December 15, 2021, 11:12:49 AM

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Mr42

Hi there.

I recently acquired my second C5 Allroad, a 2004 2.5TDI. The engine light is on, probably due to the EGR vacuum leak which I caused, then fixed.

I'm pretty broke until late March, so I've tried a handful of cheap OBD2 dongles from TradeMe along with most of the free iPhone apps. One ELM327 dongle worked once with one app, enough to do an engine scan, and showed code 0401. I clicked the reset button then scanned that code again and it showed clear, turned the car off, restarted it and the engine light came back on. I pulled the dongle, plugged it back in and tried to get it to connect again (maybe 30 times, over and over) and the bloody thing won't connect to the ECU.

I suspect that my OBD2 port is glitchy. I want to run a diagnostic with a decent scanner, or genuine Ross-Tech VCDS/Vag-Com/Hex-Net to see if the generic ELM327 dongle is the problem before I pay money I can't afford for a better app, or give tonnes more money to the local mechanic.

Does anybody in the Wellington region have the kind of diagnostic gear I'm after and the willingness to help me out, please? I'm in Porirua, but can get to where you are with a bit of warning and am exceptionally punctual.

I want to use the thing once to scan and clear the engine light, run a suspension and steering adaptation (because the mechanic didn't do it after I got an alignment done last week), then rescan everything.

I also need a line on affordable Bosch (or equivalent) engine oil filters for this vehicle (BAU engine) in NZ. I need to do an oil change soon and have been given prices between $50 and $80 for the $10 filter element. If it were made of actual unicorn horn, I wouldn't mind paying for it but I know those things aren't worth that kind of money and while eBay has them cheap, I don't trust that what I get (in six weeks) will actually be what I ordered.

I?m really strange, not who you think I am at all.

That?s okay, just calm down and try not to freak out. It?s gonna be fine and whatever confusion or negativity you might experience as a result of anything I do, say, or write is essentially irrelevant. Nobody really cares anyway so enjoy it while it?s there.

Mr42

So, I figured it out.

I got the dongle working through a convoluted process of trying different variations of key positions, wifi settings, protocol settings and apps. Cleared the code - sorted.

What I learnt is that nzpenny1 sells legit ELM327 devices for close to eBay prices, shipped super fast. The app I?m using is Car Scanner Pro on iOS, which cost about $12 for the full version. It does everything that an obd2 interface can, is highly customisable without any flashy bullcrap, and supports as deep a level of coding and monitoring of any sensor that you feel confident enough to fiddle with. It worked on my ?04 Allroad 2.5TDI and my mate?s ?07 A3 2.0TDI FWD.

Seriously, $40 all up for the hardware and lifetime subscription for the app, which they update regularly with useful improvements (plus $2500 for the iPhone) is unbelievable considering it actually works.

If anyone in or near Wellington wants to try it out, let me know and I?ll sort you out. Get me on 02041395240 and expect a call straight back if you txt or I don?t answer straight away. It?s not Ross-Tech, but it does more than many workshop fault scanners.
I?m really strange, not who you think I am at all.

That?s okay, just calm down and try not to freak out. It?s gonna be fine and whatever confusion or negativity you might experience as a result of anything I do, say, or write is essentially irrelevant. Nobody really cares anyway so enjoy it while it?s there.

80 Vert

2010 T5 Transporter TDI  Tuned by Superior Tuning NZ
2003 Jetta Coupe soon to be R36TT
1991 Golf GTI 2.0 TSI swapped
1963 Type 34 Karmann Ghia, turbo 2.0
1990 Porsche 964 911 Carrera 4
1980 1303 Beetle vert, under restoration

Mr42

That was retail price for the iPhone at the time. Given how powerful and reliable they are, it?s worth every penny.

It?s submersible in sea water and capable of running marine navigation software which is superior to any of the hardware available solely for that purpose. It?s also the most secure and reliable communication equipment available to consumers at the moment. If that?s what you need, that?s what it costs.

I guess you must really need a bunch of old cars. Have you figured out a way to drive them all at once?

Thanks for your valuable input.
I?m really strange, not who you think I am at all.

That?s okay, just calm down and try not to freak out. It?s gonna be fine and whatever confusion or negativity you might experience as a result of anything I do, say, or write is essentially irrelevant. Nobody really cares anyway so enjoy it while it?s there.

80 Vert

No need to be offended, I was just surprised to read you complaining that you were too broke to buy a proper scanner yet have a 2500 phone.
But as you say if you need it then ok, my input is my pleasure.
2010 T5 Transporter TDI  Tuned by Superior Tuning NZ
2003 Jetta Coupe soon to be R36TT
1991 Golf GTI 2.0 TSI swapped
1963 Type 34 Karmann Ghia, turbo 2.0
1990 Porsche 964 911 Carrera 4
1980 1303 Beetle vert, under restoration

Mr42

#5
Okay.

I feel like I've got a dick tattooed on my face or something, or maybe it's just that old pakeha boomer aloofness thing. I made two posts here about two different, reasonably reasonable things - one asking for some help and the other to get rid of/trade/sell a seat. I get that it's normal to ignore noobies and their silly noobie things, and all that, coz the internet, like, you know, but I kinda thought I was in better company.

It's a quiet, relatively specialised forum with a bit of concentrated traffic from a small handful of specific enthusiasts, dusted with a sprinkling of questions from randoms. I'm just a random with a question. I posted it, coz I really wanted an answer and google didn't help... so I got passive aggressived for my financial decisions.

Okay, sorry. Would you like me to give you some money or something? Would that make you feel nice and smile with your smirk?

That's the thing, innit? You don't know what I'm talking about, coz you don't know me. Maybe if you had something helpful to share, I'd reciprocate the gesture. We could be friends and work together - you could borrow my fancy phone to txt your friends and post selfies on your profile... yeah, nah.

I'm as much as I can be with as little as I've got for what I need. I understand that to the self actualised and socially reinforced, my paradigm is strange and unusual - I don't mind and find people's nervous squirmings amusing to observe sometimes. Sometimes I just need a hand to fix my car and everyone just stares and points and says, "why is that bum fixing his Audi in the boat club car park?"

Cool, yeah - thanks.

That's the thing about folks like you, you think I'm offended because that's what you'd be if you were in the situation that you think I'm in and making the statements that you think I am, what you assume to be my implication in what I wrote by way of reply to you. It's all about you and your insecurities. I'm not at all offended, I'm frustrated. My frustration has its foundation beneath a culture of ignorance and division in the community which has taken over the place I live, the third rock out from Solis and more specifically toku whenua, Te Ika e te Waka a Maui. People have wrecked the place because they forgot how to care and nurture, now they just search for self fulfilment and compete. People are scared to lose what they think they have because they don't know how valuable the only they've really got is.

All we have is each other, everything else is just floating past to be touched for a moment.

So, maybe there's some shiny piece of film-flam you'd like me to put in front of you, for you to clutch to your chest and grin, maybe make some squeaky noises and jiggle a little, feeling pleasant. I know guys like you are into that sort of thing, eh? I've got some tools, I could fix your special car for you. That might help calm your deep desire for self gratification and see past the metaphorical dick that I may or may not have tattooed on my forehead long enough to respond to my original post, requesting simple advice and assistance. Perhaps, after that, I could get on with my life beyond your silly little remark about something completely unrelated to Audi A6 Allroad OBD2 scanning issues. Your tikanga is strange to me.

Actually, you know what? Forget all about it. Like I said before, I sorted the issue and never needed the help that wasn't forthcoming anyway. I suppose that's what happens when you come to an internet forum full of rich white wankers and expect anything other than ignorant quips.
I?m really strange, not who you think I am at all.

That?s okay, just calm down and try not to freak out. It?s gonna be fine and whatever confusion or negativity you might experience as a result of anything I do, say, or write is essentially irrelevant. Nobody really cares anyway so enjoy it while it?s there.

Alittletuningco

Help is always forth coming - these forums however are very limited in users now compared to the Facebook pages instead.

Parts wise, use either FCP Euro or Rock-Auto - both are US based, but both are very good and work off your engine code/car type to ensure you get the right parts

Scanning wise, your car is a pre-can one, so an old K-wire VCDS or even a clone VCDS will work effectively here - they also give you VW/Audi based info and not generic codes - much easier to work on and diagnose.

Mr42

You?re awesome, thank you.

I eventually found an ELM327 device on TM which did the trick, along with an iOS app called Car Scanner. It found the fault I expected and cleared the CEL once I repaired the vacuum leak. I?m getting a Ross Tech Hex-Net device soon, so I can go a little deeper. I also got a bunch of oil filters from an Aussie supplier on eBay, so I should be good for a coupla years, and went with Nulon oil on special from Supercheap ($120 for 5+1L).

Can you remap my beast? How much? I want to map out the EGR and have three levels of tune - valet, standard/eco and mental. It?s a BAU engine with a Pipercross filter and I?ll upgrade the injectors for the remap. I?m in wellington, but can come to you in April/May.

I?m pretty much a unicorn (not on FB).
I?m really strange, not who you think I am at all.

That?s okay, just calm down and try not to freak out. It?s gonna be fine and whatever confusion or negativity you might experience as a result of anything I do, say, or write is essentially irrelevant. Nobody really cares anyway so enjoy it while it?s there.

Alittletuningco

Unfortunately too old for support from us. We start around the 2005 mark onwards in terms of tuning.

I?d be looking at darkside developments for TDI upgrades and tuning. Based in the UK - but solid support

Mr42

Yup, I?ve seen them mentioned around the fora.

What are your thoughts on tuning boxes, like Powergate from that guy in Hawkes Bay, or the tdi-tuning.com product? I?m a bit leery on those things, but figure that the engine is so old that anything compatible is probably as good as anything available by now?

There?s also a crowd in the Hutt Valley (Diesel Specialists Ltd) that my trucker mates all recommend, but I don?t know anyone who?s given them an Audi to muck around with.
I?m really strange, not who you think I am at all.

That?s okay, just calm down and try not to freak out. It?s gonna be fine and whatever confusion or negativity you might experience as a result of anything I do, say, or write is essentially irrelevant. Nobody really cares anyway so enjoy it while it?s there.

HaNs

Quote from: Mr42 on March 10, 2022, 09:19:44 PM
Yup, I?ve seen them mentioned around the fora.

What are your thoughts on tuning boxes, like Powergate from that guy in Hawkes Bay, or the tdi-tuning.com product? I?m a bit leery on those things, but figure that the engine is so old that anything compatible is probably as good as anything available by now?

There?s also a crowd in the Hutt Valley (Diesel Specialists Ltd) that my trucker mates all recommend, but I don?t know anyone who?s given them an Audi to muck around with.

Try Sutherland performance in Wellington