Yes, that particular pdf has been around for a while. Note that this repair is not for somebody that has just picked up a $10 solder pencil from Radio Shack. The connections involved are very tiny, and are best served by a quality temp-controlled iron and an experienced, steady, hand. Frankly, the repair shown in that .pdf is quite sloppy, and the author was lucky it didn't damage the unit. The wire used appears far thicker than the .3 mm wire (~29AWG) that the text suggests.

OTOH, with these instructions, any local electronics repair place could do this for you quite cheaply, and with far less risk. Standard 30AWG wire-wrap wire and an SMT pencil should do the trick.

SirWired

 

Good call on the local repair place. The way I look at it is if the ABS module is already screwed you've got nothing to loose by attempting a repair.

 

I'm in the middle of this repair right now and it's far more difficult than it looks. FYI, I'm an EE working with a $300+ solder station under a microscope and this job ain't easy. The worse part is the solder just doesn't want to flow as it should over the gold pads. I fixed the broken double wire yesterday, but broke 2 other wires in the process of pulling back that snot like jelly. So now I have to pull back more jelly and solder more wires. I see a lot of places advertising this repair for under $100 and trust me that's a bargain.

Oh, the repair places want you to send them your broken unit before they send you a repaired unit. So you do have something to loose. If you really screw it up they won't repair it.

 

You may want to try electrical contact cleaner to get the snot cleared off enough for the solder to flow correctly. I got a can from Radio Shack and it cleaned squirrel urine (long story) off my TV mainboard enough so it didn't short when I fired it up. How bad can that goop be, compared to that?

Maybe supplementing it with a couple dabs of flux paste would also help.

SirWired

 

http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

 

also fyi i'm hosting this off the wiki now

http://passatb5.wikidot.com/repair-abs-unit

 

www.autoecu.com fixed my unit for $65 plus shipping to get it there. There's been alot of price competition in this field that makes DIY less attractive or finding a "sweatshop" for them to experiment.

 

www.autoecu.com fixed my unit for $65 plus shipping to get it there. There's been alot of price competition in this field that makes DIY less attractive or finding a "sweatshop" for them to experiment.

did you just email them?

i think i may try this route, i have the ABS light and i want it gone. it drives me nuts.

 

I would not try the solder technique above. I tried it and it did NOT fix my ABS. What it DID do was cause me a lot of stress and a headache from concentration, all for NOTHING! I ended up going and buying one from a junkyard (for $50) and have been happy ever since.