OBD II and VAGCOM

[developer]

OBDII was created for vehicles manufactured after 1996, whereas VAGCOM was specifically a Windows software user interface developed for Audi and VW vehicles. How does VACOM impact the current landscape with the multitude of OBD II Scanners in use today? Do you need to get a VAGCOM interface and link it between an OBD II scanner and the OBDII Port on your AUDI? Do you need a scanner that is specifically bundled with the VAGCOM user interface and diagnostic capabilities? Could someone provide further details?

[ChatMaven]

The VCDs cable connects to your laptop and the OBD2 port.

[developer]

Would an OB SCANNER be less useful? I came up a previous discussion on this topic from 2009. It seemed at the time that the purchase was exclusive and came with a high price. Is it still the same? Can a VAG-COM cable be purchased at a reasonable price, such as on Amazon, or are we still dealing with proprietary pricing? Is there a cost for the software?

[Rashman4u]

Acquire the genuine VCDS for optimal performance and reliability.

[DSM10000]

Ross-Tech: Products

In my opinion, it is quite worthwhile.

[BenTrevor]

Simply get the VCDS cable and use the Ross-Tech software. It fulfils 95% of the tasks that automotive enthusiasts want to do on their vehicle.

[CheresX]

Various skills are present, as far as I understand.

An OBD-II scanner is mostly used for retrieving codes or settings from a vehicle. Some scanners may have limited capabilities to do "write" actions, such resetting specific indications. VCDS was created with the capability to do different activities on the automobile, including "coding." This is exclusive to VW/Audi vehicles and cannot be detected by standard OBD-II scanners.

If you are just interested in reading fault codes, there are many affordable OBD-II devices and applications that should suit your needs adequately. If you want to explore the car's settings in more detail and make modifications, VCDS could be a worthwhile investment.

[Rojoires]

VCDS use the actual OBD port.
VCDS does provide OBD communication protocol capabilities.

Unless the OBD function is expressly selected from the interface, most objects do not use the OBD protocol. The device communicates directly with the CanBus Gateway utilising precise Audi/VAG protocols.

Many people mistakenly believe that VCDS is OBD due to their same physical port connection. VCDS utilises additional pins on the OBD port standard, which were originally designated as spare. An OBD (ELM327) scanner will only detect data that is required by OBD regulations or optionally provided by the manufacturer, often related to emissions and similar aspects. VCDS has advanced capabilities that allow you to do tasks, access data, and read fault codes that are beyond the capabilities of a standard OBD scanner.

When acquiring a VCDS cable, it is advisable to only purchase from their authorised distributors. New ones discovered in other places are probably replicas. Used items may be authentic, however I have noticed that they may be pricier than new ones due to changes in the licencing model. The cables are licenced individually, with some newer ones requiring a licence per vehicle. The software is free, therefore a registered cable may be used on any device with VCDS software installed without requiring re-registration.