OBDtool
 

About to purchase the OBDtool and I'm just a little hesitant about it, the site says it's a great diagnostic tool for Audis and VWs but I don't know, for $71 it sounds too good to be true. Does anyone here have an OBDtool and are you satisfied with it? Would you recommend it?

RE: OBDtool
 

Hi,

I've got an OBD interface, I used it on my Audi A6 Avant 2.5 TDI from 1999. Please note that it will not work on the new A6, since this one uses another bus (CAN-bus).
There are lots of OBD kits on the market, some come with (illegally copied) software, some come without.

The software (or the options of the OBD interpreter box) is what makes the purchase worthwile, so make sure you either know where to obtain the required software or you have it included in the package. Otherwise the only thing you can do is connect a PC to your car without causing a short-circuit :-)

The Ross-Tech software is very good: http://www.ross-tech.com/products.html and you can download a trial copy. Their software/hardware also works with the newer CAN bus.

Here in Europe the use of this software is somewhat 'discouraged' by the dealerships, since you can do a lot of bad things to your car (like igniting the airbags on some models) so play with caution.

RE: OBDtool
 

I bought a OBDII cable off ebay. It's a piece of sh1t. I still have not been able to get it working. The only cable or software worth the money is from ross tech. If you truly want to be able to use the diagnostic tools, save the money and pony up for the real deal. Don't even waste your money on the imitations.