[s-cars] VAG-COM Interface Not Found

[Dave Ellis]

Hey Vincent,

I have the CEL operational on my Canadian '93 S4, and have had no 
problems getting VAG-COM to work.  I'd suspect of the laptop serial port 
(or that the VAG-COM cable is DOA).  I used to have to work with a lot 
of embedded devices that could only communicate via RS-232 (serial) 
interfaces, and I ran into problems on several occasions with various 
Compaq laptop models that the company insisted on purchasing at the 
time.  In some cases it was possible to get the serial port working by 
updating the BIOS, but in other cases nothing seemed to work well.

Where are you located?
-Dave


Vincent Fregeac wrote:
> I just got a VAG-COM cable from eBay but when I try to "talk" to my S6, I
> got a message "Serial Port OK - Interface Not Found".
>  
> First, we'll avoid the basic questions:
> - Yes, the ignition was on
> - Yes, the 2x2 was plugged correctly
> - Yes, the Serial Port was selected properly
> - Yes, the ECU is blinking codes
> - And yes, the black connector has 12V
>  
> which, AFAIK leave me with 3 suspects:
> - The ECU blinks codes but does not communicate with the VAG-COM because I
> have a Engine Check Light wired in as it's a Canadian car.
> - The Laptop being a Compaq, the serial port is lame but VAG-COM says it's
> sometimes the case with Compaq Presario and mine is a Compaq Armada M300
> - The Cable is defective.
>  
> A spare laptop, a spare cable and a spare car would certainly help the
> diagnosis but I don't have any of these.
>  
> So, has anyone had the same problem with either a Canadian car with the
> Engine Check Light wired in or with a Compaq Armada laptop?
>  
> Thanks for your help, 
>  
> Vincent