# Ross-Tech HEX-V2 VCDS Open Box Review



## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

I finally broke down and ordered myself a VCDS cable from Ross-Tech, VCDS HEX-V2® Enthusiast - USB Interface from a German re-seller off Amazon. Should be here in a few days, so I'm looking forward to trying it all out.


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## dadsincharge (May 9, 2016)

Interested too. I've put out the Oil Servce light with mine and cleared an error code we had (that has not returned since).

I'm shortly going to enable the puddle lights once fitted but would like to know more on what can be done.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Bit of digging and found Ross Tech has a TON of information. There are also some YouTube videos from them, so it looks like everything necessary to use one of these things is available. The trick will be picking up specific reviews for specific issues (e.g. roadster top error codes)

Ross Forum includes a section for VW/Audi. It Seems to have lots of info. I ran a quick search of "8J Roadster" found links like these, so there should be plenty more to sift through. Fingers crossed.

Forum - 
http://forums.ross-tech.com/forum.php

Ross Wiki - 
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Owners Manual - 
http://www.ross-tech.net/VCDS/download/ ... l-2015.pdf


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## Swampbadger (Jun 16, 2017)

I've had mine a couple of months, can't believe I didn't have one years ago. Identified all kinds of issues (including some I didn't even know I had). Some of the information is hard to find, like how to reset my top fault, but finally found it and got it sorted.

Some faults were too generic to find (like my courtesy light failure, merely said ground or open fault--but other posts on this forum led me to a faulty switch in the glove box. Once I unplugged the glove box switch and light, the fuse stopped blowing. Thank you, Forum!).

I used it the other day to diagnose my A4, MAP sensor was bad, a $38 fix. I used it a month ago to diagnose the top on the A4, it was actually detailed enough to recognize there was an open or ground fault with one of the solenoids on the hydraulic pump. Sure enough, the electrical connection on the solenoid's housing was cracked and the wire broken (my fault last time I cleaned the motor brushes).

The unit paid for itself many times over already, and I STILL don't know how to use it.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

My new VCDS kit showed up today. This one comes from a German re-seller called Auto-Intern.de (purchased via Amazon.de) and includes a very nice hard plastic case, the cable, HEX-V2 connector and a USB Stick with the software set up in English and German.

Plugging in the USB stick and uploading the software into my laptop was very straight forward, no drama at all. First time I ran it, it recognized the 15.7.1 was not the latest version. So a quick trip to Ross Tech for 17.8.0 and to check my HEX-V2 has the latest firmware updates. I then registered myself on the Ross Tech site, after which I received an email with instructions to finalize registration, entered the registration code and that was it. Took all of about 10-minutes.

Next step will be plugging it into my TT to run my first scan and hopefully (fingers crossed) get my roof issue sorted!


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Learned something important when scanning my vehicle - don't run prolonged scans (longer than 30-minutes) unless the engine is running or you have a trickle charger running.

If you remain connected and spend any amount of time going through all the menus or playing with all the options, you'll discover just how quickly you can drain the battery if the car isn't running. If you check the very bottom of the Auto-Scan report (.txt file), you will see a final "end" message that looks something like this:

_End----(Elapsed Time: 01:27, VBatt start/end: 11.8V/11.6V. VIgn 11.6V)-----_

On older TTs with less than stellar batteries, this can lead to a condition where the voltage is so low, the car won't start and you'll trigger a host of new error messages. The tell tail sign that your battery is dead is the rear spoiler will automatically deploy, most of the yellow warning dash lights will come on. As was my case, the last test I ran showed a significant drop in voltage from just 24-hours before:

_End-----(Elapsed Time: 01:30, VBatt start/end: 9.8V/9.2V. VIgn 9.2V)-------_

As was pointed out to me by TT-driver, it's possible that after going through an Auto-Scan or spending time browsing the menus, one or more of the controllers can remain "on" even after the VCDS program is turned off, the HEX-V2 cable disconnected and the car shut down, closed and locked.

To determine if this is the case, check to see if the emergency flasher switch is still illuminated 15-20 minutes after the VCDS testing has been completed. If it remains illuminated, this indicates a module may still be "on" and the battery is being run down.

To prevent this, it was recommended that you always end the testing in the reverse order of starting it...

Starting a VCDS scan - 
1.) Power up laptop
2.) Connect cable
3.) Ignition on
4.) Start VCDS.

To be on the safe side, it doesn't hurt to start and stop the engine after completing a VCDS scan just to be sure all the modules go back to sleep before you close and lock the vehicle. In some cases, if some of the light stay on, a quick trip around the block will often reset them.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, A battery at 11.8 volts is very low on capacity anyway & I'm not surprised it went flat.
Hoggy.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Ran the trickle charger overnight to bring the battery back to life and she started up fine. I still have a few error messages, so I will sort those later.

Lessons learned - 
1. Remember the proper VCDS scan start/stop sequence.
2. Start the car and let it idle when browsing the VCDS menus for extended periods of time.
3. If you want to scan with just the ignition on, hook up a trickle charger so the battery doesn't get drained.
4. Double check the emergency flasher switch isn't lit up 15-20 minutes after running a scan.
5. After finishing a scan, start the engine once or twice just to make sure everything's "gone to sleep".


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

*VAG Error Codes List*

(Dutch and English). If you use Google Chrome, you can translate the website. Use [Ctrl] + [F] to search for a specific word (e.g. roof, pressure, etc.)

Click on the error code value to see a diagnosis page (shown below)

http://www.gerritspeek.nl/vag-com_foutcodeslijst.html


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