[T3] Modern cars!

[Joe Plowick III]

I have the HEX-COM adapter so I can scan just about any VW which is nice
(except early OBD-1 cars).  I've had to make some ECU changes for some of
my friends to enable/disable features in the car, so it's a great tool to
have.  It even works on my wife's Kia minivan.  I guess compared to all of
the modern wizardy that is in the current line of VWs, my 1.8T does look
rather simple which is nice at times.   Sometimes I wish my Squareback had
a plug where I could just scan to figure out what the problem was.  Carbs
have always been aggravating to me and it no longer has the factory fuel
injection.  Someday I hope to put MegaSquirt on it and get back to fuel
injection.


On Mon, Dec 31, 2012 at 4:54 AM, Dave Hall <dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk> wrote:

> 2002 isn't modern any more!  My 1999 Jetta Tdi Wagon (Golf Variant) has
> been
> extremely reliable (and I hope it will continue to be), so I've not had to
> consider getting the VAG-COM device.  In fact my son who had a 4-motion
> Golf
> has just donated the lead to me, but for the Mark 5 you need the HEX-CAM
> lead or something which is $300 (or £250GBP over here).
> The newer cars are more complex and will often not work properly until the
> computer resets the fault.  In the 18 months and 15,000 miles we've done on
> this, it's had a door-lock replacement, a failed cruise control (garage
> quote 290GBP to repair - it's a switch you can get from the internet for
> around 25GBP but needs to be introduced to the ECU by computer,
> apparently!), and now the alternator not charging.  Even minor work seems
> to
> need the diagnosis system.
>
> The older mechanical and not electronics-filled cars are simpler to mend -
> my neighbour has a Skoda (VW-group) which discharges over a few weeks if
> not
> used, probably because the electric window lights stay on wven with the
> ignition off.  The garage can't find the problem.  Other professional
> mechanics reckon the electronics give them headaches - so it's not really
> the fault of manufacturers, it's sales
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
> [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of Joe
> Plowick III
> Sent: 31 December 2012 04:43
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Subject: Re: [T3] Modern cars!
>
> Modern cars aren't that bad.  I've had my 2002 GTI 337 since new, and I've
> been the only one to troubleshoot and make repairs to it.  I've done timing
> belts, alternator replacement, hose replacements, and numerous other
> maintenance items.  The only times it has left my sight to have work done
> is
> for wheel alignments and tire mountings (typically by a VW dealer).
>  Plus I've also added performance items to it as well.  Honestly I used to
> fiddle with my Squareback more than my modified GTI.  I also have a VAG-COM
> (now VCDS) to troubleshoot any computer codes, and that thing has more than
> paid for itself.  I'm a little surprise that an alternator for you costs
> $500.  Mine was less than $200 and that was for a higher output model (120A
> vs 90A stock).  If you can work on an old car, then a new one isn't much
> different.  They just require a different though process sometimes.  :)
>
> Joe P.
> '69 VW Squareback
> '02 VW GTI 337
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 30, 2012 at 1:56 PM, Dave Hall <dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Don't be so sure about modern cars - my 4 year old Golf Hatch Tdi is
> > waiting for the dealer to diagnose a fault with the charging (60GBP or
> > 100USD to get the computer and plug the lead in!).  I know the belt is
> > Ok, the battery volts static are 12.7V and about 11.7 running.  The
> > three 50A fuses in the fuse-box next to the battery are intact (I
> > assume these are parallel fuses for the alternator output).  It starts
> > fine, obviously I'm not taking it anywhere, but this happened between
> > shut down from a journey and starting for the next a couple of days
> > later.  The diode pack is my suspicion - if I'm right the garage will
> > take a couple of days getting the part - hopefully just the 25USD for
> > the diode pack, but more likely they will replace the alternator
> > (300GBP or 500USD just for the part!).
> > Of course, it may just be an ECU fault that's stopping the battery
> > charging
> > - they may only need to clear a fault code, or at worst replace the ECU!
> >
> > Old cars are not necessarily worse than new!  At least the old ones
> > have more accessible components.
> >
> > Adriel, I hope you get the pump working - compared with newer cars
> > it's a much less complicated matter.
> >
> > Dave
> > UK VW Type 3&4 Club
> > ===================
> >
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