[stanwebber]

first, i have an old working vag-com serial cable, but don't want the hassle of digging it out when all i want is to read some generic engine codes.

i acquired one of those clear blue plastic chinese elm327 clones. i can connect it repeatedly and consistently to pull codes from a 2010 honda crv, but i get nothing from a 2004 vw passat gls after plugging it in over 2 dozen times.

am i missing something simple in the torque pro connection settings? i can literally plug it into the honda, pull codes, plug it into the passat and get nothing then plug it back into the honda and successfully connect again within the span of 3min.

do these chinese clones just not work with b5.5 passats? other posts i've read here seem to suggest it should be working.

 

[VAGguy]

Yes, it works, kinda. You might have to play around with different ones as they all don't always work. Double check that all fuses are good for OBD connector. Do you get any lights on the scanner when hooked up to the Passat? It sounds like to me that it's not getting power. Unless I interpreted you incorrectly, you cannot connect to the scanner when plugged into the Passat?

I got this one and it connects. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0823YG2DP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[passat03wagon]

I got this one and it connects.

I have one that looks just like that but it's bluetooth. I think wifi is for ios devices. I use it with my android tablet and torque. It can connect to my 2003 Passat. I may or may not have the pro version of torque I don't remember. Usually for the Passat I use VCDS and a wired cable which is way more detailed than torque.

 

[stanwebber]

the unit i have looks like this:

Amazon.com: Mini ELM327 OBDII Car Auto Diagnostic Scanner Car Failure Detector Professional Bluetooth Scan Tool and Code Reader for Android Windows : Automotive

Buy Mini ELM327 OBDII Car Auto Diagnostic Scanner Car Failure Detector Professional Bluetooth Scan Tool and Code Reader for Android Windows: Code Readers & Scan Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

so i know the device is getting power from the obd2 port since it doesn't show up on my phone until i plug it in and i can actively connect and re-pair to it. torque pro recognizes the bluetooth connection (radio icon stops flashing), but it is never able to connect to the passat's ecu (car icon remains flashing). it works almost instantly with the honda.

maybe someone with the same cheap clone as i have can chime in and confirm one way or the other...

 

[passat03wagon]

IIRC the key has to be in the on position so try that if you haven't.

 

[stanwebber]

i've tried with the key in multiple positions, but just to confirm: on is the last position before cranking the engine with all the dash icons lit up right? (i've also tried with the engine running)

 

[passat03wagon]

i've tried with the key in multiple positions, but just to confirm: on is the last position before cranking the engine with all the dash icons lit up right? (i've also tried with the engine running)

Yeah. It also works with the engine running. Maybe you didn't insert it far enough for all the pins? Maybe there is a blown fuse for that port, if it has one?, that's the only other thing I can think of.

 

[VAGguy]

I have one that looks just like that but it's bluetooth. I think wifi is for ios devices. I use it with my android tablet and torque. It can connect to my 2003 Passat. I may or may not have the pro version of torque I don't remember. Usually for the Passat I use VCDS and a wired cable which is way more detailed than torque.

I have another that is Bluetooth LE and is connects. Either way, I had a regular bluetooth one with an old android phone and it connected fine too. With torque pro.

 

[stanwebber]

so ultimately there was no resolution to this. i tried everything under advanced settings, but torque pro could not connect to the ecu. i gave up & purchased the absolutely cheapest ($10 after $8 off coupon) obd2 scanner with a screen i could find on amazon and it worked immediately. oh well, i guess it still fits in the glovebox.