[SkyKing1]

Okay, I bought StinkBug, used, (a 2000 Beetle GLS 2.0)in 2004 from a Dealership. Came with one Key/Remote, and a valet key. The valet key would open the doors but wouldn't start the engine. I really don't think it was the original valet key for this car, although the key pattern, did match the lock! Bought a "New CUT Key (only) several years ago from, I believe "SideWinder" with a new virgin chip. It's been sitting around the house for at least 5 years. A few weeks ago, bought a used "Remote Only" off of ebay. Doing research, I see that I need the 4 digit PIN to program the "KEY" with VagCom. I start looking around, and low and behold!!!! I FIND THE "SCRATCH OFF TAG" (hadn't even been scratched off !!) It was in the recess of the glovebox. It's been there for as long as I've owned the car. I'm estatic! This is going to work!
So.... I am, able to match the ebay remote to the car, following the directions on you tube. ie; (not using VCDS.) So, great!!

But... I can't seem to program the "KEY" using the VCDS with the Ross Tech instructions, with my "found" PIN CODE! It keeps saying it doesn't recognize the PIN. Yes, I did enter the 0 first.

Where with all other "Controller Info" on VCDS, will usually show a valid "VAG Number" and "Component" the Immobilizer Shows as follows:

VAG Number: Bitte Adress Component: e 17 eingeben

yes, spelling is correct.

So at that point when I try to log in, "Login-11" with my PIN, it fails at that point!

Long Post... but any suggestions???

Does anyone know if there is a way to retrieve the original PIN, using VagCom? Yes, I know about VAGTECHO, and I really don't want to go there. I'm thinking since the Valet Key was from another VW, (it had a tag on it that stated " 2000 Beetle, Blue with Tan, whereas my Beetle is Blue with Grey. Maybe the "PIN CODE" TAG" found in the glovebox was from another VW as well?
Am I destined to purchase the VAGTECHO software in order to retrieve the original PIN Code?
Or did the Dealership, somehow circumvent the original PIN and reprogram the Immobilizer??

 

[billymade]

Ross Tech, the maker of VCDS; made a point of leaving out the ability to pull the pin code with VCDS/VAGCOM. So, you need a separate scan tool; to be able to pull the pin code. This faq; might answer most of your questions.

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/i...ng-for-vw-and-audi-with-key-replacement-tips/

Fixmyvw offers a rental of vagtacho, sidewinder sells one or you ca buy a Chinese knockoff but getting it to work, can be a challenge. There are many Chinese handheld scan tools; that are said to be able to work with the immo ymmv; search for: vag 401, Supervag k-can, and vag key login (among many others on Amazon and eBay). It is best to use VCDS to do the programming; as you can screw things up and brick the speedo cluster. Another option, would be to have a local locksmith pull the skc or just do the whole thing for you.

For the problem with the valet key not working; it may not have a RFID chip inside it or it is not compatible with your immobilizer type.


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[billymade]

I strongly recommend VCDS for the actual programming and just use Vag Tacho for the code pulling; there have been numerous experiences of people who have messed up their programming and making their speedo cluster unusable.

I have found VCDS to be excellent for programming; you need to research the process and in my case, I asked for help on the Ross Tech forum (odometer swap).

In the research I did; in my case, I was trying to change the odometer reading and with the immobilizer, the oem is Magneti Marelli and the EPROM chip, has a checksum security feature, that doesn't play well with most VW specific tacho/speedo programming software. now whether people were using a hacked/non genuine version of Vag Tacho; I don't know but it seems to be the nature of the chip, not so much the software. Many have listed problems with Vag Tacho and I tried many different Vag Tacho and even Vag Commander. I was able to retrieve the secret key code; from my car with Vag Tacho, a Chinese version off of Amazon.


In my case, I had my "new" speedo zero'd out and then, you can do the "normal" process, of transferring the odometer. This process was done by Ian at Reflect Tuning and he actually pulled the coding data from the EPROM chip on the speedo cluster board, modified the data using a Eprom Programmer and put it on back the chip (aka: cloning). I did the transfer of the soft coding and the odometer transfer, key fob and key immobilizer programming with success.

On the Jetta and Golf; which have a different immobilizer, it is NOT a problem but for some reason, the New Beetle has this issue. There are numerous videos on youtube; showing various programmers doing the programming type of things on Jetta and Golfs. I did not want to chance destroying my speedo cluster and followed the procedures I was told with a secret key code and VCDS worked excellent without any problems (following the correct steps/procedures).

Here is a video; showing the key programming process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htyjuktXyPc

Yiyang, if you have done programming successfully with Vag Tacho; let us know, how it went, version you used and if it was a genuine Vag Tacho cable/software or a hacked/pirated Chinese version. Thanks.

 

[billymade]

Interesting on your problems with VCDS; I have owned a genuine Ross Tech full registered version, since 2007 and scanned/programmed many different VW's and Audi's without any issues.


Question: was your version of VCDS genuine or was it pirated, a Chinese cable or the Lite version? The Lite version is limited; in it's abiltity to do things and the Chinese cables/hacked software are a known problem and typically, used a older version of VAGCOM, that may or may not be compatible with the later versions of the immobilizer systems or New Beetles.

Here are the limitations of the Lite version of VCDS:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/vag-functions.html

When you say "bricked" your speedo; do you mean, that VCDS just failed to do the programming or did you need to replaced the speedo cluster? It sounds, like you were able to get Vag Tacho to recover it or do what needed to be done?

The genuine "student" version of Vag Tacho is 390 Euros or 440 US Dollars; the full version is 690 euros or 778.42 USD. Not exactly cheap but if you were doing this type of work; all the time professionally, it could defintiely be a money maker. I have seen the eeprom software and hardware; they look pretty affordable, as well.

Buy the Original Vag Tacho Here! www.opelinfo.com

Fixmyvw.com: sells it for $500. I think many of these programs; much depends, if it is a genuine version of the program/cable and what version it is. However, I have yet; to hear or find a solution, that can change the odometer reading without using the traditional VW sequence of having it "zero'd" out; to be able to do programming and/or having the eeprom itself read and "cloned", using a programmer.

Any details and info appreciated; the more info we get, the more it can help people and find the solutions we all need, when working with these pesky VW's! Thanks.

 

[billymade]

Ok, I figured, you were using VCDS Lite. Yes, not using genuine VW software and hardware; sold and authorized by them, brings into question, all the other products sold to repair cars. I'm certainly, no lawyer but the "right to repair" here in the USA, seems to have been passed recently. This would require automakers to:

Automakers and repair shops have agreed to adopt a Massachusetts law as a national standard. The law, enacted last year, will

Require automakers to make available to repair shops the same vehicle repair information they give to dealers

Allow repair shops to purchase that data with an ordinary computer over a standardized, Internet-based service

Require automakers to offer a nonproprietary interface for diagnosing problems with vehicles, starting in the 2018 model year

So, at this point; the automakers, are going to have to make access to proprietary info available and stop, locking out independent shops from this type of info and access.

Back on the "pirate" nature of the scanning tools; I always find it interesting, that many of the immobilizer based scanning software is made in eastern europe, china and as we know, it is hard to prosecute and catch, these type of products being made.

Thanks, for sharing your experience; this type of information is helpful and you have a unique perspective, having worked for VW.

I see quite a few "genuine" VW/VAS scanning solutions for sale on sites like Aliexpress; what "chinese cables" have you used and do you think, they are of any use, to the average person without having access to VWAG's online servers, that provides access to information and the ability, to use security coding features and the ability to flash/update ecu software. One notorious VAS oriented scanning solution; is the VAS 5054A+OKI Chip UDS with the ODIS based software. The genuine VW scan tools; are available through ERWIN but the expensive, online subscription fees, would relegate that type of solution to a special pro shop, working the VAG line of cars all day, to make financial sense. Many of these obsolete VW scanning solutions; are obsolete and the VW dealerships, having upgraded a long time ago. Do you feel like these would be of any use or are they too old or not compatible enough, to be much use. I would be interested in hearing, what cables and software you think, are usable and worth giving a try. I tried Vag Tacho, Dash Command and others with limited success; needless, to say they were cheap chinese knockoffs. Ultimately, I was able to get my secret key code; that worked and in that case, fulfilled my needs. I would still like to have a solution; to read the secret key codes and have a scanner, that is easy to use and not require the long drawn out troubleshooting, software issues, problems, running them on a Windows PC required. Some hand held scanners claim to be able to do this; Super Vag, the VAG 401 and many others, seem like a possibility. I ended up sending all the chinese stuff back and did everything with my genuine VCDS. At this point, I have found VCDS; to be able to do everything I need at a affordable price, aside from immo related secret key coding for later modles, pulling the skc and being able to run software updates on things like the ecu. I appreciate any feedback and advice; you are willing to give, thanks.

 

[SkyKing1]

Okay.. Seems like one repair just leads to another, on these cars!
Yes, billymade, I have a legal, registered, version of VCDS, with latest updated software.
So... I'm out jacking around, with the Key Matching last week. after posting this thread. Still couldn't get the keys to match. Went to start the car with the only good key, and, NOTHING!! I nearly s#*t my pants! I thought I'd wiped out the only good key! Turns out though, I had just ran the battery down. Sitting in the driveway with the ignition on and the running lights on. So I jumped started the battery, Put a volt meter to it, and realized I was only getting 13 volts at the battery, and the alternator fuse was very hot and burned looking. A little research revealed that this was because of the defective charging cable (wire) issue on these cars. I replaced the OEM cable with, 4 gauge copper, cleaned up the fusable link and now have 14.4 volts at the battery.
Long story, but now I'm thinking maybe while I was trying to match the keys, on all of the previous attempts, I may not have had 12.5 volts at the battery. According to VCDS, Ross-Tech, 12.5 volts is a prerequisite to matching the keys!
So I will try again in a few days or so. I have a chip on order, for the valet key. (I took it apart, and it didn't have one) So when I get it, I will try again to match the keys with the PIN code, I found in the glove box.
Only this time I'll have a charger hooked up to the battery!

 

[billymade]

Bingo! Yes, minimum voltage and not having the RFIDf chip inside the valet key would make it impossible to program the key. When you get the needed parts to try it again; let us know, hoe it goes! Thanks!


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[SkyKing1]

Okay... Baby Girl has been driving "LadyBug" (formerly known as StinkBug) for the last three weeks, trouble free. Yesterday the stinking ABS light came on. DTC 01276. So I had her bring it by the house. I couldn't get the code to reset. So I pulled and cleaned up the ABS fuses on top the battery box. Jiggled the V64 electrical connection. Then cleared the code successfully. How long it will last... who knows? Does it ever end? Never mind, I think I may know the answer to that!
Anyway, thought it would be a good time to try and "Match" the other 2 keys to the immo.
Only this time, I would make sure I had 12.5 volts at the battery. Well, with the ignition off, I had 12.8 volts. With the ignition on, it dropped to 11.8, even with a battery charger set to 50 amps (start).
So I pulled the fuses for the running lights, and the voltage jumped up to 12.66 volts.
This was verified by VCDS and my volt meter.
Looking good so far....
Well, back to square one! The ECU is still rejecting my SKC Pin number!!
I know this is the correct TAG for my car, as the last 7 digits of my VIN number are on one side of the tag.
The only thing I can figure, is perhaps a previous owner changed out the ECU?? Just seems unlikely, as I've owned this car since 2004.
Any suggestions??

 

[billymade]

It would be best to "read" the skc with a scan tool and that way you would now for SURE, you have the right code that is presently in the immobilizer. This would require a vag scan tool of some sort; i used vagtacho but there are many others on ebay and amazon, that claim to be able to pull it. Fixmyvw.com, offers vagtacho for rental.

This site: claims the Xtool VAG 401 reads secret key codes; just keep in mind that they used it on a passat and not a new beetle (ymmv):
https://www.google.com/amp/s/frdiyo...er-for-vwaudiseatskoda-10-more-questions/amp/
One other "tip" is to remember to add a "0" (zero) in front of the SKC in vcds. Good job on the voltage; i also had a bit of a challenge, getting 12.5V reading (i added a charger and a jump box in series).

You might call around and see what mobile locksmiths charge for coding and see if it cost effective. If they are able to do it; it would be less hassle, no extra tools needed and quickly done.

What i learned in programming keys, clusters, soft coding, etc. and immobilizer issues; is everything has to be "perfect", all conditions met and procedures followed to a "t". Any small thing that isn't right; will make the coding process fail (not forgiving at all). To say this can be frustrating or really confusing at times; is putting it mildly! i will say, once i got it to work; it was really satisfying, to say the least! You have to go over things in a methodical way and be persistent; it can be done!

Otherwise try adding a "0" to the SKC and/or rent or buy a vag scan tool, capable of reading the secret key code. Good luck and let us know, what you end up doing and how things work out!


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[SkyKing1]

I may go ahead and order the cheap vagtacho cable, just to get the PIN, then "match" keys with vcds.
Billymade: any suggestions on which cable to order? Prices vary quite a bit.
I see where some don't work for retrieving PIN number.

I am, adding the zero to the front end of the PIN. I've tried to "Log In"
(11), through the "Instrument" cluster, and through the "Immobilizer", with no success. (not completely sure if it makes a difference) VCDS keeps stating that the controller rejects my PIN. I still think the "VAG Address", and the "Component" that I listed (Immobilizer Only)at the beginning of this thread, seems strange, at least compared to all of the other Vag addresses and Component numbers?

 

[01tdicommuter]

FWIW, and I realize this is an old thread, but I've got the same issues with my 2001 NB. I have the scratch off tag, the key code matches the tumbler in the door so it's definitely for my car, and VCDS says the SKC under the scratch off is incorrect. I doubt the cluster was changed, but I did run across a post stating that sometime before or in 2001, that scratch off code is no longer the SKC.

Now I need to either rent a genuine VagTacho or hope a clone will work.

 

[billymade]

What are you trying to accomplish? Getting the secret key code; can be pulled by buying or renting various scan tools (vagtacho, vag 401, supervag,etc.) or by having a auto Mobile locksmith do it for you with their expensive locksmith scan tools. I have used vagtacho and a Supervag K. Can plus scan tool. Note: keep in mind the knockoff Chinese versions of Vagtacho with hacked software/cables, can be hard or sometimes seemingly impossible to get to work correctly. Because of known issues with the new beetle immobilizer in the speedo cluster; it is recommended to use vagtacho ti pull the SKC with something like vagtacho and use vcds for the actual programming, as it is a reliable, compatible, solid vw specific factory level scan tool solution.

 

[01tdicommuter]

Update: I received a genuine Vag Tacho cable today from TuneMyEuro (rental). I mirrored my laptop HD, uninstalled the anti-virus, then installed the VagTacho software, hooked it to my Beetle and pulled the PIN without trouble.

The pin from VagTach read 05146. The pin on the scratch off is 1645. So the same digits, but not the same order (ignoring the leading zero).

I don't know if this will help anyone in the future, but if you have the scratch off and it doesn't work, try and re-order the digits like mine is re-ordered and see if it now works.

After trying a bunch of things, I finally now have 3 working keys/fobs.

 

[billymade]

Good work! Having the correct tools, makes all the difference; enabling you, to do the programming correctly!