Been tempted to buy one and try it out against vcds but missing info on label files and the process to update them appears slow.
So look ahead to your experience on how its better

 

Look at Carista as well.

 

Like most things, you get what you pay for.

Good luck....

 

That is very true.... however, I feel a healthy competition forces prices down for everyone. If this OBD turns out to be as good as Ross Tech, than hopefully they will bring down their prices...but , first I need to see how good it is...lol

 

There's more to this type of device than just producing a reader. Where Ross-Tech score is with their back up and support. If other readers' staff can match that depth of experience then you might see some competition otherwise Ross-Tech will still be out in front.

 

One of the local guys uses this for is SQ5 and S5, claims it can do everything that VAG-Com can but there's a learning curve since the layouts are different. It also has macro's of sorts that allow you to set specific options or coding changes without needed to know the coding. However those are add-on's that you have to buy credits to access.

I think we're going to see more competitors start to hit the market, especially since the Enthusiast version of Ross-tech is VIN limited. Competition is always a good thing, drives down prices and forces everyone to improve their products to the benefit of the consumer.

 

I used one of these last night, labels were wrong for the car it was being used on (Passat). Checked off comfort windows open and close remotely, and it instead disabled the fuel door opening with the switch on a Passat. So they must use generic labels for bytes and bits, that vary from vehicle to vehicle. In order to actually get comfort windows open and close we had to check a bunch of unlabeled bits in a completely separate byte menu.

 

I bought an OBDeleven last year and I thought I'll buy a VAG-COM at a later date. Dumb move, especially since I was new to car diagnostics. I should have bought the VAG-COM first and OBDeleven later. OBDeleven can do everything that VAG-COM can and display all the readings (and change values if needed) but does not tell you what those values are about. It is when you enter a Physics classroom and see numbers like 3.14159 and 9.807 scribbled on the board. Those numbers would be useful to you only if you know what they are! Only if you have taken some classes in Physics would you know that the first number is Pi and the second is Earth's gravity constant. It is the same thing with OBDeleven. It shows you the readings but you have no clue what those are unless you are already well-learnt in VAG-COM or other hi-tech VW scanners.

And that brings us to the practical application of OBDeleven. It is not for newbies. It is a light, mobile, pocket scan tool for those who already are well learned in using VAG-COM or factory scan tools. Newbies would accomplish little with this tool and will spend most of the time scratching their heads.

 

this is by far the most accurate comparison and analogy for the two.

 

Jesse M's comment is right on point.
Buy the Vag-Com first.Learn your way around w/it. Then if you want a portable option that works with an Android phone, as OBDEleven will only work w/an Android, then get the OBDEleven.

The one advantage of OBDEleven is that (I believe) it doesn't limit you to only 3 vehicles VIN #'s you can use it on like Vag-Com does.
I bought the OBDEleven first, but soon after got Vag-Com. I now use my OBDEleven to help friends I know who have VW's.

 

Someone mentioned Carista; I'll chime in on that. In my experience, it's very dependent on Model, year, and feature set. I had a 2014 Passat Wolfsburg and it did a fantastic job of listing available options and enabling comfort close and other features. On my first Touareg, a 2015 VR6, it was very much hit and miss- it listed all the common changes you see in the forums, but only a couple had any effect. 2016 TDI was the same way. On my 2018 Passat R-line, I don't think it was accurate at all and as far as I can tell did not effect a single feature.
VCDS did require a little bit of research for my Touareg, but the results were much easier to achieve than I though they'd be, and they are very accurate. If I seek to change something and my feature set supports it, it changes.
On my '18 Passat R-line, I'm not seeing much info for it yet, but I haven't looked in a couple months.

 

I just bought the OBDeleven. I wanted to make simple changes (GUI based) and then work on the long coding later. Supposedly the OBDeleven is coming out with the long coding option. Using the GUI based options requires "tokens". Mine only came with 10 free tokens. I used those tokens to complete three mod's: "Scandinavian DRL's", Mirror Dip, and some other one. They make it easy with a touch of the screen. The OBDeleven App will accumulate more tokens daily if it is opened. You can also purchase more if needed.

 

Amazon has them.. but the odb11 website shows a newer model. has any purchased the new model?.

 

Well you have answered my question. Guess I gotta get a Vag-com unit before I try OBDeleven

 

I will add that the OBDeleven team has added new functionality to the original software. There are many new options that were not available when I bought mine last year. There is also a link to submit ideas that they might work to incorporate into the next build. Obviously it will only include tried and true changes and not dreams.

Also, I have saved up 48 free tokens over time just by opening the software on a daily basis. So I have many changes that I can make that cost me nothing but a few seconds a day.

Also (from FAQ page):

Next generation device – more processing power, it works on Android and iOS, and will support more car brands when software will be ready.

First generation works on Android and supports only VAG group vehicles.​

 

I have the OBDeleven hardware, and am running version 0.14.3 of the OBDeleven software.

Being an I.T. person, I quite like the OBDeleven product, and the interface can be self-taught if you are a code-savvy.

And yes, long coding is always zero cost with OBDeleven. Just remember to toggle the bytes in reverse bottom-up order in OBDeleven to match any VCDS left-to-right codes you are translating from the Web.

If you are not friends with binary programming, there are many single-click alternatives that automate binary coding in the software. These 'apps' are a couple dollars each, or outright free if you watch advertisements every couple of days. In the screenshot below, you'll see that I have accumulated 51 free credits just by watching advertisements on the phone while I'm on the treadmill at the gym.

I suggest beyond the price difference, there are three standout benefits that OBDeleven has over VAG COM:

1. OBDeleven is convenient small form factor: an Android or iOS phone or tablet is much more cabin-friendly than a Windows laptop.
   
   
2. Car shopping support: if you are shopping for a used Vdub, Audi, Bentley, Lambo, Bentley: this is an excellent diagnostic tool you can bring on your test drive. No clunky laptop needed, just your smartphone in your pocket and the bluetooth dongle under the dash.
   
   
3. You can do live data monitoring as graphs/gauges: you can use OBDeleven to watch your DPF buildup, EGR temperature, boost pressure, urea level, and so on, all pushed to your mobile device mounted to your dashboard.
   

Here are some screenshots of the software on both my Android tablet and smartphone:

Ultimately, I suggest that VCDS and OBDeleven are an apples-to-oranges comparison.

OBDeleven Pro is more affordable, more portable, and in some ways is more beginner-friendly. Alternatively, VCDS will give you access to more coding tweaks and access to a live support person if you need mentoring.

 

Good writeup iamcanadian783.
Many good points made. If you're an IT tech good at coding maybe you can figure out for the group how to change the ever elusive comfort blinks from three to a higher # for the T3's and up. So far noone has been able to crack that egg.

 

Is this the issue you refer to?

'14 Touareg: 3 blinks or 5?

Has anyone yet figured out how to change the "Comfort Turn Signals" on a 2014 Touareg from 3 blinks to 5? I've tried all the posted suggestions (09-Central Electronics) on VWVortex, ClubTouareg and a few others with no success.

forums.ross-tech.com

If so, then I smell 'unicorn hunt', LOL! Best to start a separate thread for that rabbit hole!

 

That is the exact issue I refer to. There are already plenty of threads here and on others... even Ross Tech. Nobody has ever figured it out. It is the Unicorn of mods.

 

OBDeleven does have a forum. Someone has made that suggestion. No one seems to have the answer yet.