What is Reddit's opinion of Carista OBD2?

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Sorry I forgot to respond. What worked well far me was the following:

• BAFX Bluetooth OBD Scan Tool - $23.99 (I've seen them price it as low as $19.99 though depending on the day, may be worth watching the amazon page for a couple days)

• Carista Android app - free download but it costs $20 to unlock the feature that actually lets you apply new settings.

I can vouch for this combination as I was able to successfully use it to configure options (such as windows and fog lights) in my CC. No problems. The only catch is that they claim the BAFX tool only works with Android. I have an Android phone so it's not an issue for me. If you have an iPhone you may have to look for a different tool. Carista actually sells one on Amazon but it's pricier ($40 last time I checked).

This won't get you the full array of features of a real VAG-COM but it's also $200 cheaper.

Most people are not friendly about knock-off Ross Tech gear so be warned.

Cheapest would probably be something like carista, if it supports your car and the changes you want. For that you only need a generic bluetooth adapter and a week pass for 10 bucks. Not sure if there are competitors in that market yet as I don't follow it.

If you're set on buying a VCDS clone cable (the ones that are ~30 bucks), the thing to know about them is that VCDS just uses a regular cable but it looks for a serial to validate the cable. Because of that, clone cables come bundled with a specific version of VCDS (i.e. 16.8.3) and if you don't update it / take it online they work fine (sometimes it's more troublesome like needs a specific date set on the computer). I've owned a few and never had any problems with them but ymmv.

That being said, you can usually buy genuine cables used or look on the vortex for someone in your area to just help you with it. Might be easier to go that route.

100% agree! I love VCDS but for just pulling codes it's overkill and having it tied to a laptop is a pain. I really wish rosstech would have done different licencing models for the different segments that use their products.

I'd go with a hand scanner first if just pulling codes. If op wanted something more I'd go with a bluetooth module and something like Carista before I ever paid for vagcom again.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista

If you're on iOS, I believe there's a version for that. Grab a Bluetooth adapter off Amazon and you're ready to rock.

Lots of info here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?t=7220199

Edit: there is no cheap option for a properly working vagcom. Ice tried for years to get their software working with an eBay adapter and have had little to no success. It's not worth the hassle.

If you're going to go this route, buy this and get this app, it's cheaper, you can read the codes and you can customize your settings the same as buying the vag-com cable.

The OBDII tool is here:

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B005NLQAHS

The Android software I bought is called Carista: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista&hl=en_US

Carista works with several OBDII readers but not all, the above one works, I know from personal experience.

The main reason I bought Carista is it allows you to customize a bunch of hidden features on your car, like disabling horn beep when you lock doors, enabling you to open and close windows with key remote, turning on/off daytime running lights & disabling the feature that auto re-locks doors if you unlock the car and don't open any doors within a certain time frame . It just happens to be able to clear that airbag code too.

+1, I bought a cheapo bluetooth one off newegg a few years ago, you can use the calista android app for I used this app to sync up with it for free https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista&hl=en

You can do it with Carista and an Android phone or tablet, as described below:

1. Buy a generic Bluetooth OBD2 (ELM327) adapter. They cost about $10 — $25 or the official Carista adapter-see our hardware page for more info.
2. Download Carista OBD2 on your Android phone or tablet, or here for your iPhone or iPad. The app is FREE to download and you have one free setting you can try (unlock all doors vs. driver’s door only).
3. Plug the OBD2 Bluetooth adapter into your car. The port is located under the dash, a little to the left of the pedals.
4. Open Carista and tap on “CUSTOMIZE”. It should automatically find your OBD2 Bluetooth device and connect to it, without you needing to do anything. If the device requires a PIN, you’ll get a pop-up asking for that. Try 1234 if you don’t know it — that seems to be the PIN that most devices use.
5. When Carista is done reading settings from your car, it will show you the available customization categories. Pick “Instruments / Display / Dings”.
6. Tap on “Reverse-gear beep”
7. Change it to “BEEP ONCE” and press “SAVE”
8. If this is the first time you’re saving a setting with Carista, it will guide you through the purchase process. The ability to change customization values (such as the beep) is a paid feature and costs $9.99 for a 1-week pass or $39.99/year for the yearly subscription, either of which gives you Pro access to all features in the app. All the settings that you changed will not revert even if you stop having access to the paid features in the app.
9. Enjoy beep-free reversing!

Carista is iOS and Android. Not sure if that changed recently, but here are the links:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista&hl=en_US

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/carista-obd2/id954363569?mt=8

My Carista arrives today (using iOS) - I'm just using it for convenience features, Soundaktor, etc. - no long coding needed here at the moment. If you want to do Euro tail light coding, etc. then you'll need something more robust like VCDS or OBD11.

Any specific questions about Carista? I could check it out today and let you know.

In addition to Torque, check out Carista.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista

You'll need a bluetooth OBD2 reader. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/JETHAX-Bluetooth-Professional-Compatible-Diagnoses/dp/B07THJY6L2/

You'll need Carista. I'm not sure what other apps do the same thing this does as this is the one everyone was talking about. Carista usually has some sort of trial so you can get all your tweaks in, unless you pay for a subscription which seems stupid to me.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista&hl=en_US

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/carista-obd2/id954363569

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You'll connect the two, carista pairs with it and scans your car, there'll be a section called "features" I think it was called and you can go through and unlock stuff that's saved for higher trim/models of the car so long as you have the hardware to support it.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPQaXlH4h2Y

Carista Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista&hl=en_US

Carista iPhone app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/carista-obd2/id954363569

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This looks like the improved version of the OBDII reader I have: https://www.amazon.com/Foseal-Improved-Version-Diagnostic-inCarDoc/dp/B077F8F6TB/ref=dp_ob_title_auto

Hope this helps! ��

I used Carista (Google Play link). It works for iPhone as well.

Here's their website