Step 5: Under “Select Control Module” press the “Select” button. Once this is done, “Close” the Auto-Scan section, and return to the main menu. If there are faults, I would recommend saving the scan results (copy/paste, save, print), and then clear the faults with the “Clear all DTC’s” button. The scan will take a few minutes as it scans all modules. Step 4: Once in the Auto-Scan section, press the “Start” button to scan for codes. Press the “Auto-Scan” button on the VCDS main menu. Step 3: Before you start logging, ensure there are no fault codes. *Note: The car can be in the ON position or running for steps 1-11. Step 2: With the car on, launch the VCDS software. Step 1: Plug the Ross-Tech VCDS cable into the OBDII port under the dash on the driver’s side. An Apple/Mac that runs Windows will also work (Boot Camp, Parallels, etc.). *Logging must be done with Windows software.
*While there are others ways to log a vehicle, this only covers using the full version of Ross-Tech software with their VCDS cable. Some conversion and calculation is required. In recent versions of the Ross-Tech software boost is not displayed as an absolute value. *One of the key things people like to log is requested and actual boost. Regardless, your version may be slightly different. I am using version 12.12.1 in the screen captures below, but I have updated it with the parameters from version 15.7.1 (updated ). The name of the parameter will be similar from version to version, but the associated location number may be different. In terms of logging, the only real difference is the location number associated with each logging parameter. *Every version of Ross-Tech software is slightly different.
This “how to” guide will cover how to perform basic performance logging, and also how to interpret some of the results (covered in the next post). There are several parameters that can be logged that will give a good indication as to how your car is running, and if there are any problems. Logging is critical to understanding how your car is performing, and even more so if you are tuned. Several people have asked about logging their vehicle, so I put together a “how to” on logging with the Ross-Tech VCDS software and cable (VAGCOM).