VW GTi 2004 Question

[SashET]

Hi All,

First time poster, long time reader.

I picked up my VW GTi 2004 about 3 weeks ago and I'm loving it.

Best little car I have ever owned.

I have a few questions about Vag-Com and Vag-Tacho.

I want to buy a Vag-Com cheap knock-off ebay cable from ebay to monitor the car via the OBDII port. Anyone have any experience with the 'el cheapo cables?

I also want to enable the distance to empty thing one my car as well as try to get the windows and sunroof to close automatically when I lock the car. I'd also like to play around with the gauges lighting options so they light up on their own without having to turn the headlights on. Reasearch so far has indicated that the Vag-Com cable won't do this but the Vag-Tacho cable will.

First things first, will this cable and software work on my dash? See pic below;



Does anyone in Melbourne have this cable that can do these for me?
Free beer on offer and I'd like to meet more vw golf gti fans!

Some pics of me beast, anyone know what these 17" Rims are off? I don't think they are standard.





Any help would be great.

BTW, Love the forum!!!!

Cheers
Sash

[Silver dub]

Hey mate, the wheels are genuine vw Toccata's.

[coons88]

Pretty sure the Vag-tacho wont work with your cluster! You would have to swap in a cluster from either an R32 or a Bora with a full height FIS display like below

[SashET]

Hey mate, the wheels are genuine vw Toccata's.

Are Toccata's off a Bora or something?

I don't think these come standard with the GTi's.... I might be wrong though.

Cheers
Sash

[SashET]

Pretty sure the Vag-tacho wont work with your cluster! You would have to swap in a cluster from either an R32 or a Bora with a full height FIS display like below

What a spew!!!

I was really looking forward to getting this to work with my car.

Can anyone confirm this?

Cheers
Sash

[Silver dub]

Toccata's were basically just a option wheel for mkiv golf and bora's, so if you were buying a gti brand new you could have specially ordered it with them. You will probably see more on bora's though.

[SashET]

Toccata's were basically just a option wheel for mkiv golf and bora's, so if you were buying a gti brand new you could have specially ordered it with them. You will probably see more on bora's though.

Sweet, great to know.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers
Sash

[Manaz]

I can confirm that VAGTACHO will work with *some* half height MFD dashes - it works well on both Goodfella's and mine in our Bora's for instance, we have both added DTE and changed the needle/display lighting on ours.



You need to have an IMMO3 dash I believe. How do you tell? Use a VAGTACHO cable to query the dash ECU.

[SashET]

I can confirm that VAGTACHO will work with *some* half height MFD dashes - it works well on both Goodfella's and mine in our Bora's for instance, we have both added DTE and changed the needle/display lighting on ours.



You need to have an IMMO3 dash I believe. How do you tell? Use a VAGTACHO cable to query the dash ECU.

Ohhh thats sweet, there's still hope.

Being a 2004 Golf (last year of manufacture for the MkIV's I believe), I like my chances.

Now, does anyone in Melb have this cable? I'd love to give it a crack.

Cheers
Sash

[Treza360]

From the looks of your dash and the fact that it is a 2004 I'd say you have a very good chance of VAG-Tacho working with your cluster. It is the older pre 2000 cars from memory that had the old style displays and which the software can't read.

JMac should have a good idea as to which style your cluster is.

Also neither the MkIV R32s and I think any of the Boras came with a FIS display. It wasn't until the MY08 MkVs that the FIS came in a Golf as far as I'm aware as my Dad's MY07 GTI doesn't have a FIS either.

Cheers,
Trent

Edit: Please see this thread here: http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=15666 for more information about VAG-Tacho. As explained in there if you have a motormeter cluster you will be out of luck most likely...

[Jmac]

Ohhh thats sweet, there's still hope.

Being a 2004 Golf (last year of manufacture for the MkIV's I believe), I like my chances.

Now, does anyone in Melb have this cable? I'd love to give it a crack.

Cheers
Sash

You dont need vag tacho to query the dash type guys, simply use Vagcom and interogate the dash ecu and you will know if it is Vdo or not, it will tell you. Motometer very limited , even with keycoding.
Cheers
Jmac

[SashET]

You dont need vag tacho to query the dash type guys, simply use Vagcom and interogate the dash ecu and you will know if it is Vdo or not, it will tell you. Motometer very limited , even with keycoding.
Cheers
Jmac

This is great news guy's, thanks for all the info.

Seem's these Vag-Com Cables are mighty helpful. I will hunt one down and have a bit of a play. Fingers crossed I have the right cluster. I searching ebay, I have found many el' cheapo cables that say they do not work with CAN BUS, do I care about that? What the protocol for the VW's?

Would it be the Vag-Tacho or the Vag-Com that lets you choose the automatic closing of the windows when you lock the car?

As for the Vag-Tacho cable, anyone in Melb willing to help me out?

Cheers
Sas

[sierra055]

I have the ebay knock off cable, which works great with my 03 GTI (confirmed immo3) for VAG-COM usage, but I couldn't get it to work with VAG-TACHO
There's a thread around here somewhere about it.
The theory was that it was due to an aftermarket stereo. While I do have an AM stereo, it's installed using an adaptor, so no cables spliced. The voltage check was OK (ie, didn't have 12v on the K Line) and even putting the factory stereo back in made no difference.
I had no trouble querying the cluster in VAG-COM, but VAG-TACHO wouldn't play. In the end I gave up...
You're welcome to borrow my cable if you like.

[SashET]

I have the ebay knock off cable, which works great with my 03 GTI (confirmed immo3) for VAG-COM usage, but I couldn't get it to work with VAG-TACHO
There's a thread around here somewhere about it.
The theory was that it was due to an aftermarket stereo. While I do have an AM stereo, it's installed using an adaptor, so no cables spliced. The voltage check was OK (ie, didn't have 12v on the K Line) and even putting the factory stereo back in made no difference.
I had no trouble querying the cluster in VAG-COM, but VAG-TACHO wouldn't play. In the end I gave up...
You're welcome to borrow my cable if you like.

As I understand it, the VAG-COM and VAG-TACHO Cables are two different things. I don't believe you can use the VAG-COM Cable with the VAG-TACHO Software or vice versa.

Someone else may be able to confirm this but I'm sure I read it on this forum somewhere.

I don't mind buying the ebay knock off cable for VAG-COM but I dont want to have to buy the VAG-TACHO Cable as well just to get those features on my car.

When buying the knock off cable, do I care if it cannot do CAN BUS???

I'm also aware of the aftermarket stereo issue too. Is Immo3 a VDO or Motometer Dash Cluster?

Surely someone in Melb has it.

Cheers
Sash

[SashET]

Anyone confirm the below ebay knock-off cable would work for my car?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Vag-Com-Serial-Cable-Interface-Scanner-VW-AudiVagCom_W0QQitemZ370230725311QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5633788abf&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Cheers
Sash