dbier

Hi,

Any thoughts on the difficulty level for a newbie to use the Ross VAG Com cable and software?

BACKGROUND:
I just paid a shop $110 to make 4 VAG Com changes to my 2013 Q5 - only to learn that they may get over-written next time the dealer (4 year pre-paid maintenance plan) does an update or warranty work. With that possibility, I'm thinking I may want to invest in a Ross cable.

I'm pretty handy around an engine and a PC but certainly no expert regarding either. If I buy and use the Ross VAG Com cable will it be pretty intuitive to make VAG Com changes?

I kept the list of VAG Com changes I had the shop do for me - but without having seen the VAG Com software's user interface I have no idea if the settings required to (for instance) eliminate the winking DRL ([09 – Cent. Elect.] [Coding - 07] -> [Long Coding Helper] -> Byte 3 Bit 7 - Change 1 to 0) is something I can figure out how to implement once I connect the cable and fire up the software.

Any thoughts regarding ease of use?

jakematic

Extremely user friendly, and has lots of popup info bubbles.
The single most important thing is to document everything before making changes so you can go back if necessary.

Have a look here to get an idea: http://www.ross-tech.com/vcds/tour/main_screen.html

Q5 specific info: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_Q5_(8R)
Note that a lot of info is not posted on the Wiki anymore due to knockoff competitors stealing Ross-Tech intellectual capital.

uberwgn

Yeah, the Ross-Tech cable is pretty much worth its weight in gold.

Don't tinker with things you don't understand. As Jake mentions, do a complete scan of your VAG car and save the output as a TEXT file on your laptop so you can go back when/if you really bugger something up. Print a copy of this scan and keep it in your car's history file (in the house).

Any time I do a new tweak, I print out the info before starting and save the page inside my R-T notebook.

If you can attend an Audi/VW get-together, it would typically be a great place to get some fundamental guidance.

dbier

Jakematic & Uberwgn:

Thanks for the quick replies. You've made me pretty confident that I could use it so I think I'll be ordering one!

Now, if only there was a VAG Com fix that would allow me to:

1) lower my rear liftgate via my driver's door liftgate switch or via the remote

2) Allow me to lock the car by just pushing the lock button on the inside of the front doors.

Alas, the great minds at Audi don't trust us to not hurt ourselves or lock our keys in the car :^(

Hugg727

New to this, so sorry if this is a silly question. If I make a few changes like gauge sweep, remote windows down, etc....will this affect my factory warranty? My concern is that when I take my car in for service the techs will see any changes made.

Thank you.

dbier

I made my changes (gauge sweep & eliminated DRL wink with turn signals) 18 months ago and the Q5 has been in for service twice since them - including some system/software updates. Both times I mentioned to the service dept that I had customized a couple VAG COM settings and didn't want them reset. Both times they were able to perform the updates and my custom settings were not impacted - and they didn't raise an eyebrow or say anything about me possibly voiding the warranty.

Based upon that I'm guessing there is no danger of voiding the warranty - which makes sense because you are simply selecting an option that Audi has made available - you are not hacking the vehicle's system. The biggest issue is that some dealers may inadvertently or purposely reset your custom settings to the factory default - which would require you redo your customization.