PC based OBD scanner recommendations

[nryoung]

Hi,

I'm getting some hard to diagnose faults with my 2002 Passat that are leaving my local garage stumped.

In the hope of doing a bit of diagnosis on the driveway I've been looking at options for OBD scanners and the more i read, the more there seems to be to know in terms of compatibility and usefulness of each system.

Can anyone recommend an OBD scanner that would be suitable for my '02 Passat? My preference is for something PC based.

Here's one I've seen but I'm not sure what to expect of it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/OBDLink-425801-ScanTool-U...

Thanks,

Neil.

[Emanresu]

If it’s for your Passat, VCDS off eBay will do your job nicely

[GreenV8S]

I know you said you have a preference for something PC based, but if you get a bluetooth enabled adapter then you would also have the option of connecting to a smartphone as well as your PC (via a BT NIC). OBD adapters and BT NICs are relatively cheap.

[nryoung]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm looking at the various programs that can be used with the BT scanners.

A lot of the ebay options don't fill me with confidence. They all seem to be sold by sellers with very low feedback ratings. One seller of the VCDS stuff has taken all of their listings down literally in the last hour or so.

Does anyone personally use any of these products?

[GreenV8S]

nryoung said:

They all seem to be sold by sellers with very low feedback ratings. One seller of the VCDS stuff has taken all of their listings down literally in the last hour or so.

That would be because almost every copy of VCDS sold on ebay is a fake and the manufacturers (Ross Tech) are trying to take these listings down as quickly as the scammers are putting them up. Unless it is sold by by Ross Tech or an authorised agent you can be pretty sure it is a fake.

I don't use VCDS but I do have a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter which does what I need in combination with the Torque Lite app for Android. I can't say whether that would do what you need on your vehicle, but given the low cost it might be worth a try anyway.

[nryoung]

Thanks GreenV8S. I thought those ebay listings looked a bit iffy.

The torque app looks like a good option, even if it doesn't do what I need this time at least I'll be able to clear fault codes myself in future. I'll have a punt on one of those.