On this screen, VCDS shows you any
DTCs (“Diagnostic Trouble Codes” or Fault Codes) present in the control
module in which a communications session is currently active. VCDS shows the DTC numbers
and also decodes each DTC into meaningful text.
At top of the screen is
shown the VAG Number and Component number as found on the
Open Controller screen.
VCDS tells you how
many fault codes have been found and displays each of them. The 5, 6, or 7-digit number is a standardized
VAG fault code, which can be searched in the Factory Repair Manuals.
On newer control modules using the UDS protocol, the number of
digits may vary. The
text is a description of the part and failure mode. The letter and
number combination in parentheses is the DIN Component Identifier.
This is followed by elaborators describing the condition of the fault.
The second line contains the
P-code, or generic OBD-II code (if it exists -- there are thousands of VAG
codes without generic OBD-II equivalents) along with additional
information about the fault if available.
The
Use Aggressive Mode
checkbox applies only to UDS/ODX modules and is checked by default. When
checked, VCDS will retrieve more faults than even the
factory VAS tools in some cases. Uncheck this if you wish to
correlate VCDS results with results from a VAS used in
manual (non-guided functions) mode. The
AutoScan function
always uses Aggressive Mode.
The
Display Freeze Frame Data
checkbox adds Freeze Frame data for Fault Codes on control modules using
the KWP-2000 or CAN protocols. Keep in mind that many control modules
are not aware of the actual date and time, so they may
display bogus dates, just as they do with the factory scan
tools. Note: Not all control modules fully
support this. As a rule of thumb, cars which were re-designed after 2003
will likely have some control modules that support it, and older
designs will not. There's no harm in leaving this enabled in any case.
However, un-checking it can make the results less cluttered in a scan
which contains many fault codes. In vehicles that do not support
Freeze Frame, that checkbox will not be present.
One component of Freeze Frame data is the
Fault Priority number as described below:
|
Number |
Meaning |
|
0 |
Undefined by manufacturer. |
|
1 |
The fault has a strong
influence on drivability, immediate stop is required. |
|
2 |
The fault requires an
immediate service appointment. |
|
3 |
The fault doesn't require
an immediate service appointment, but it should be
corrected with the next service appointment. |
|
4 |
The fault recommends an
action to be taken, otherwise drivability might be
affected. |
|
5 |
The fault has no influence
on drivability. |
|
6 |
The fault has a long term
influence on drivability. |
|
7 |
The fault has an influence
on the comfort functions, but doesn't influence the
car's drivability. |
|
8 |
General Note |
Fault Frequency shows how many times
the conditions that caused the fault have recurred,
during all driving cycles. So, if you have a fault with a Frequency of 11, then
conditions sufficient to trigger the fault have happened 11 times since
the fault was stored. The counter can have values from 0 to 254. It is
incremented with each occurrence of the fault (during all driving
cycles).
The Reset counter is a number that
has been pre-assigned to each fault, with the number of problem-free
driving cycles before the fault presumably clears itself. Each time a
driving cycle occurs, and the conditions sufficient to trigger the fault
do NOT occur, then the reset counter should go down by one. So if you
have a fault with a Reset Counter of 40, if the controller goes through
a problem-free driving cycle then that number should go down to 39.
[Print Codes]
will print a
Fault Code Printout. If your PC is not
connected to a printer when this button is pressed, be sure to use
Windows to set the printer to "Work Off-Line" first! Later, when you
connect the PC to a printer, un-check "Work Off-Line" to print the
report.
[Copy Codes]
will copy your fault codes
to Windows Clipboard. Once you have pressed the Copy Codes button, you
may paste the results into the application of your choice, such as MS
Word or Notepad.
[Save Codes]
will
save a plain-text Fault Code Report to your PC, typically
in this directory:
C:\Ross-Tech\VCDS\Logs
[Clear Codes
- 05]
will send a message to the controller asking it to erase the DTCs from
its memory. Some faults cannot be cleared (such as internal processor
faults) and the control module may explicitly refuse or may just still
display the fault after a clearing attempt. Be aware, clicking on Clear
Codes does not fix the problem that caused the fault! DTCs should only
be erased after correcting the condition(s) that caused them in the
first place. Note: There is no way to erase individual DTCs while
leaving others alone. This is not a limitation in VCDS. It's just the
way the VAG protocols work. Note: In some cases, the ignition must be cycled after clearing
codes but before performing certain functions such as Basic Settings.
[Done, Go Back] takes you back
to the Open Controller Screen where you can select other functions.
