VW Fault Finding Diagnostic Tool

Simmy

Simmy

Simmy

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Joined
26 Dec 2003
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UK
I've had an Air Bag fault on my on board computer for a while now and I went to my local VW garage to ask how much it would be to just find out what the problem is. I was told £45-£90 :rolleyes: Not wanting to spend that much I found a VW/Audi fault diagnostic tool on ebay for just £27 delivered from america :D

I've just tried it out and it found two faults;

1. 00532 - Transmission control module relay-supply voltage (B+) Malfunction Low Battey or Bad Ground

2. 00588 - Air bag Ignition Circuit Driver Side N95

Can anyone enlighten me as to whether or not its a good idea to clear the code, how much it would cost to repair these faults and if it's possible for me to do it myself?

The manual gives a warning about clearing codes as it "not only deletes codes frm the vehicles onboard computer, but also 'Freeze Frame' data and manufacturer specific enhanced data. This has put me off just clearing the code :o

Any advice appreciated :)
 
its a bit pointless clearing the code as it will only appear again when you put the ignition on. you need to sought out the problems. if its an igniter problem it could be a dodgy plug ,or unplugged. EITHER WAY do not work on the airbag system unless you are confident and know what you are doing.
 
Never worked on an air bag system before tbh :\ but I'll take a look in the haynes manual and see how i feel about it. I'm hoping it's just as simple as finding a loose ground wire.
 
Simmy said:
Never worked on an air bag system before tbh :\ but I'll take a look in the haynes manual and see how i feel about it. I'm hoping it's just as simple as finding a loose ground wire.
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It will probably be to do with the seatbelt pre tensioner system under your seat. Airbags will only work if seatbelts are worn (a lot of people dont know that). There is a control module under your seat that detects when the pre tensioner in the seatbelt is triggered. Providing this matches the data receieved at the airbag module (from a frontal impact) the airbag will deploy. If one or other is incorrect, (i.e. you're not wearing your seatbelt) then the airbag will remain in tact.

This control module is serviced by visiable wires, (which can sometimes get trapped) or become loose with movement of the seat (between drivers) etc, etc.

Remove the negative terminal of your battery. Remove the front drivers seat, unplug the module, check for any deteriation in the cabling (bare wires, etc), ensure all the pins are in tact, replace the module in the clip under the seat, then re-connect the negative terminal in the battery. Turn on the ignition..the fault will still be there, clear it (this does no harm). Turn ignition off, then back on again (DO NOT START THE CAR). If the warning symbol goes out, then it was this module. Agitate it by moving the seat around, slide backwards and forwards (the airbag will NOT go off so dont worry), if the fault reappears, then the seat module will need to be replaced (which you can do yourself) and accuratly re-check the cables.

HTH
 
Get yourself onto a proper VW based forum for the car you have as i will promise you that someone there will know exactly what to do!
 
Clear the codes and see if they come back. It wont do any harm and it gives you an idea if they are hard faults or intermittent. Do this before you pull the systems apart.

I make 00532 to be "Engine control module (ECM) - Supply Voltage. Fuse, alternator, battery current draw with ignition OFF, engine control relay, wiring" thats for a 99 Golf 1.8T. Whats the exact year/spec of your car?
 
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Giddy said:
What tool is it, VAGCOM?
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Lol, we had a Passat VR5 in to look at a few months back...guy had bought it cheap from auction. It needed something replacing in the front suspension (i forget what) and he wanted the service light putting out...i ran a full scan while i was at it...

passat01.jpg


passat02.jpg


passat03.jpg


...and it spewed out loads and loads of errors codes for just about every section of the scan :D. Needless to say we put the service light out and left it at that...
:)
 
It's one of these

My car is a 2000/X Reg B5 Passat 1.8T Sport

It's got the code 00532 listed twice in my manual for some reason, but both are basically the same thing. The 2nd one simplys says "Supply Voltage (B+)"

I'm tempted to get VAGCOM as it looks pretty sweet :eek: ie;

14-793b.gif


Do they use this software to perform upsolute/revo remaps?
 
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I just found a version of the revo software apparantly, called lemmiwinks :D But I guess its useless unless I know what to change :p

Will check out the forum though, cheers.
 
Simmy said:
I just found a version of the revo software apparantly, called lemmiwinks :D But I guess its useless unless I know what to change :p

Will check out the forum though, cheers.
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Do not under any circumstances upload any versions of REVO software, as there are many different maps for the 20VT. When you have it done properly, you will have your ECU scanned for the firmware version (there are several different types for each 2OVT), and then the correct software will be uploaded. You will end up in very serious trouble if you start uploading any old 20VT map. Take it to someone who is a REVO dealer. :)
 
and on the same subject bear in mind the immobiliser codes are stored in the ecu. be careful with it you could end up with a very large paperweight. :)
 
Take it back to the garage tell them exactly what the problems are and ask how much..

diagnosing the problem probably costs a bit where as if they know exactly the labour wont be as bad?
 
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