Autoscanner device

[Tim Lamb]

My recently acquired 2012VW Passat has an *abs* fault on the dashboard.

I have visually checked the sensor wiring but not yet stripped out the wheel sensors themselves.

The cost locally of getting a garage mechanic to run a system check/reset is a bit over £60 so I decided to invest in a hand held scanner (ANCEL VD 500) for not much more money.

The handbook hints that there is a software upgrade available and that W7 will need the appropriate driver. I duly signed in to their site and a driver appeared to download. Plugging the device in via a usb port appeared to energise it but none of the keys function. The upgrade is an RAR file which I have saved but my capabilities do not extend to linking it to a usb port!

Has anyone played with these things?

[Fredxx]

I would recommend something like 7-zip which is well known and open source to open the archive.

I believe there is a pdf with instructions in the archive.

This might help with the process:

[Andy Burns]

a .rar file is similar to a .zip file, try opening it with winRAR or IZarc to extract the contents, then maybe there'll be an installer to use.

I have a Ross-Tech VCDS lead

[Tim Lamb]

OK Fred. Sadly with my hearing and his waving a hand held device across a half shaded screen, I'm not sure I learned a lot. At least it can be done:-)

[Tim Lamb]

OK Andy. I think I'm going to wait until some younger brains come home. Meanwhile I'll try the device as supplied now it has stopped raining!

There is a claim that the warning was triggered by wheelspin on a rough track. We'll see.

[Scion]

CC is normally very good at subtitling but he is speaking heavily accented English and Youtube is determining the language as German. However if you look at the German language version of the video

can turn on CC and then use the Settings cog to auto-translate to English.

[Tim Lamb]

Easy all! Plugged in to the car (the socket is tucked away behind the driver's dash pocket. Might be visible with the vehicle up on a ramp) the display tells me I have the current version anyway.

abs fault code reset. Still have the dash warning but I have yet to take the vehicle out on the road.

Thanks.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Tim Lamb submitted this idea :

It should trigger any fault lights, other than a judder at the pedal when the ABS kicks in.

There will be three wires to the wheel sensor, supply, ground and sensor signal output. If you can tap into the signal wire with an old fashioned crystal earpeices, or with a meter, with ignition on, you should hear clicks if the jacked up wheel is rotated - maybe 50 per revolution.

If you carefully mark on the tyre, where the clicks appear, they should be perfectly regular all the way round the tyre. No clicks, or irregular clicks suggests a faulty sensor.

[R D S]

I had a '03 Passat displaying a ABS warning for years, no amount of faffing/replacing would make it go out. The brakes worked fine and thankfully the garage I used for MOTs saw past it.

[polygonum_on_google]

I had a wheel sensor fail on a VAG car of similar age (slightly younger). It caused some seriously bizarre behaviour including ABS and lots of other warnings as well. First time, garage could not see what was wrong and all worked OK for a while, then it kept coming back intermittently. Probably still got the video I took of the display telling me all sorts of crap.

[Tim Lamb]

Claimed now to be reset by the scanner although the dash display is still lit. The VW has a huge amount more electronics than I am used to (2001 V Zafira and 2009 Ford Fiesta) although the Fiesta does have trouble free abs!

I'll take it out for a run shortly and see if it clears.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes one of the first programs I install on any windows computer. Brian

[Andy Burns]

With VCDS/VAGCOM if you reset a check code in the software, it resets it in the dash too, they're the same thing, I'd expect a VW to act the same as an audi in that regard. My cable is for all VAG cars (though it doesn't understand everything about newer models).

[The Natural Philosopher]

My XF tells me that I have a gearbox fault, an ASBS fault, and a handbrake fault, that cruise control, skid control and ABS are not available, every time I hit the brake and accelerator together at speed.

after restarting the engine, only the gearbox fault remains. After a second restart that clears as well.

My friend 'in the trade' says there is an advisory on that and a new brake switch needs fitting if I want to drive like that....

[Andy Burns]

And you said left-foot braking wasn't an issue?

[Algernon Goss-Custard]

Fredxx [e-mail]> posted

It's a pity it doesn't seem to provide the "freshen" command, which is useful when one wants to keep regular backups of only certain files in a directory (and which cannot be specified by a wildcard).