List of Popular MKVI VAG-COM Tweaks

[veedoubleme]

NOTE: All valid tweaks/codes posted in this thread get updated to this first post, so no need to go digging!

I have been chipping away at a master list of popular VAG-COM tweaks for the MKVI, and I figured it'd be good to share them here. Some of the the information below is my own discovery, but most of it has been scavenged from several threads across several forums.

The problem with every VAG-COM thread I've seen is that you have to dig through 10+ pages to see all the tweaks. The information is usually often not provided in a standardized format, so people are not always clear on where to find stuff. As new tweaks come are discovered, old threads are not updated. Ross Tech has much of it on their site, but again, it does not contain all of the tweaks below.

My goals with this thread are to provide the data in a standardized format, and to keep this first post update with all of the MKVI VAG-COM tweaks added to the thread, as well as any others I discover or come across. The hope is that people don't have dig through the whole thread to find what they are looking for. I am also reserving the second post for VAG-COM retrofit coding. I have not collected most of that data yet, but will begin filling in as time permits.

Please feel free to post any tweaks not listed, and I will continue to keep the first post up to date as a master list. Also please offer up any corrections you see needed. I've tested them on my US model 2011 GTI Autobahn pkg, and there are possible differences between model years.

This list assumes you understand how to use VCDS, and that you know what bits and bytes are with regards to the software.

Windows: Roll Up/Down with Key
Description: Roll down down your windows with your key remote when you unlock the doors
Check bit 5 of byte 3 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Option: If you want to be able to do this when the car is turned on, check bit 7 of byte 3
Option: Enable your lock switch on the door to roll all windows up/down without a key present, check bits 3, 4, and 7 of byte 3
Pic tutorial: Comfort Closing/Opening via Remote Control

Lock/Unlock Confirmations (horn/lights)
Description: When you lock your car, it flashes the lights and honks the horn. When you unlock, it flashes the lights. There are other options.
All of these are under byte 5 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper.
Option: Disable turn signal on lock/unlock confirmation, uncheck bit 0
Option: Disable horn honking on lock confirmation, uncheck bit 1
Option: Enable horn honking on unlock confirmation, check bit 4
Pic tutorial: Horn Confirmation when Locking MFA Menu

KESSY: Lock Car While Running
Description: this allows you to to start your car with KESSY, then get out with the key, and lock the car with the remote
Check bit 2 of byte 4 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper

Lighting: Fogs as DRLs
Description: Use your fog lights instead of your low beams for DRLs
For Xenon equipped vehicles or Halogen equipped using the main low/dipped beam:

Check bit 1 of byte 14 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Un-check bit 2 of byte 11 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper (or leave checked to run BOTH fogs and low beams)
Pic tutorial: Fogs as DRLs for Xenon-equipped Vehicles

For Halogen equipped vehicles or using a separate bulb or filament for DRL only:

Uncheck bit 6 of byte 15 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Check bit 1 of byte 14 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Fogs as DRLs for Halogen-equipped Vehicles

Note: Depending on the Byte 18 coding, this may result in all of the parking lights illuminating.

Lighting: Fogs with High Beams
Description: Your fog lights will become independent of your high beams, and will not go out when you turn on your high beams
Check bit 2 of byte 14 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Fog Lights active with High Beams active

Lighting: Fogs as Cornering Lights
Description: if your fog lights are not on, but your headlights are, it will illuminate the fog in the direction you are turning at low speeds)
Check bit 7 of byte 14 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Demonstration Video: MK6 GTI Cornering Lights
Pic tutorial: Cornering Lights via Front Fog Lights Active

Lighting: Auto On/Off Headlights w/o Auto Switch
Description: this will make your headlights go on/off with your ignition if they are in the ON position
Check bit 5 of byte 15 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: All Lights Shut Off When Turning Off Vehicle

Lighting: Enable DRL Turn On/Off in MFI (2011+ Only)
Description: Under lighting in your MFI, you can check DRL's on or off (this is better than hard coding them off)
Check bit 7 of byte 15 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: DRL MFA Menu

Lighting: Disable DRL with Turn Signal (2012 Only)
Description: When you activate your blinker, the LED DRL next to it will turn off until the blinker is turned off.
This one is a little more involved, so here is an external link: LED DRL Dim when Turn Signal Active

Lighting: Emergency Brake Flashing
Description: If you brake hard enough, this will automatically flash your brake lights and/or turn signals until you let off the brake pedal
Check bit 1 of byte 16 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper for brake light flashing
Check bit 2 of byte 16 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper for turn signal flashing
Pic tutorial: Emergency Brake Flashing via Brake Lights/Turn Signals Active

Lighting: Comfort Turn Signal Count 1-5
Description: When you tap your blinker it will auto blink 3 times by default, this changes the count
Go to Adaptation in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Choose "Comfort Turn Signals (Cycles)"
Set a new value up to 5 for the number of blinks you want
NOTE: After you set the value, you must go into your MFI on your car and reset it to factory settings to load the new value
Pic tutorial: Comfort Turning Signal

Lighting: Coming Home Lights
Description: Coming home activation requires you to pull the high beam stalk back briefly after shutting the vehicle off and before exiting. This will turn on your lights for a set period of time after you get out of the car. After this is enabled, it can be turned on/off in the MFA, and you can adjust the time period. Leaving home function requires an auto switch and light sensor.
Check bit 2 of byte 12 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Coming Home Lights

Wipers: Enable Tear Drop Wiping on Front Wiper
Description: This will wipe your front window one extra time, after a pause, when you use your front wiper squirter
Go to the Central Electronics module, and click on "Coding"
In the coding window, there is a pull down menu, choose the selection that says "Wischer" in it
After that, click on the Long Coding Helper
Check bit 3 of Byte 1 (Tear Wiping Active)
Pic tutorial: Enable Tear Drop Wiping for Rear Window

Wipers: Enable Tear Drop Wiping on Rear Wiper
Description: This will wipe your rear window one extra time, after a pause, when you use your rear wiper squirter
Check bit 4 of byte 21 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper

Wipers: Disable Rear Wiper with Reverse Gear
Description: If your front wipers are running and you put it in reverse, the rear wiper runs by default. This disables that feature.
Uncheck bit 6 of byte 21 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Automatic Rear Window Wiping with Reverse Gear Disabled

Wipers: Disable Rear Wiper
Description: Completely disables your rear wiper
Uncheck bit 0 of byte 21 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Disable Rear Wiper

Steering Wheel Push-To-Talk Button as Mute
Description: Converts the push to talk button your steering wheel into a mute button.
Uncheck bit 3 of byte 1 under Steering Wheel Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Steering Wheel Push-To-Talk Button

Instruments: Disable Seatbelt Warning
Description: Disable seatbelt warning chime and light
Uncheck bit 1 of byte 1 in Instruments Long Coding Helper

Instruments: Gauge Cluster Staging a.k.a Gauge Sweep
Descripton: When you turn your ignition to on, the gauges will "Sweep" to max, and then fall back to zero
Note: Does not work on G clusters, you can see which one you have in an autoscan under Instruments. It's the last letter of the part no.
Go to Adaptation in Instruments
Choose "Staging"
Set new value to "active"
Pic tutorial: Staging

Mirror Adjust Menu in MFA for 2011+
Description: Gives you a menu in the MFA to adjust mirrors together or individually.
Check bit 6 of byte 8 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Mirror Adjust MFA Menu

Mirror and Rear Window Heaters: Extend the Active Time
Description: Mirror and Rear window heaters run for 10 minutes by default, you can extend that as long as you want
Go to Adaptation in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Choose "Rear Window & Outside MIrror Heater Activation Time"
Choose a new value using this formula: New Value x 40 = Seconds Active
Example: 23 is about 15 min since 23 x 40 = 920 seconds = 15.3 minutes

Driver Seat Heater Memory
Description: When you turn the car on, the drivers seat ONLY will resume it's last setting (Off, 1, 2, 3) automatically
Go to Adaptation in Auto HVAC
Choose "Storage of driver seat heater level"
Set new value to "On"
Pic tutorial: Driver Seat Heating Memory Retention

Passenger Seat Heater Memory (2012 Only)
Description: When you turn the car on, the passenger will resume it's last setting (Off, 1, 2, 3) automatically
Go to Adaptation in Auto HVAC
Choose "Storage of passenger seat heater level"
Set new value to "On"
Credit to Tim S: Maintain Passenger Heat Setting

Disable TPMS
Description: For cars with TPMS sensors in the wheels, you can disable the light for winter wheels or wheels without sensors
Check bit 7 of byte 8 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper
Further reading: How to activate, reset, or swap the TPMS system on your VW Jetta or Golf

Electronic Differential Lock (XDS) Strength
Description: XDS is the electronic differential lock. On higher HP models (Scirocco R), this is set to 2, whereas the default on the GTI is 0. At 2, the system is more aggressive at applying brake pressure to the inside/slipping tire.
Go to Adaptation in the ABS module
Choose "Electronic Differential Lock (XDS)
Set new value to to 2 (0 is stock, 1 is weak, 2 is strong)
Pic tutorial: XDS and Brake Assist Settings

Brake Assist
Description: Brake assist will make it so you do not have to push down on the brake pedal as hard before the brakes engage. It does not actually make the brakes any stronger. Some people like this, some people feel it makes heel/toe harder.
Go to Adaptation in the ABS module
Choose "Brake Assist"
Set new value to to 2 (0 is stock, 1 is small, 2 is hard)
Pic tutorial: XDS and Brake Assist Settings

Driver Steering Recommendation (DSR)
Description: DSR is the use of sensors relating to the ESP sense when the car is going into a skid, and the steering ECU automatically provides a prompt to the driver to correct the car trajectory by giving the steering wheel a quick 'nudge'. There are 3 settings, nobody has reported changing this and if 1 or 2 is better than stock.
Go to Adaptation in the ABS module
Choose "DSR"
Set new value to: 0 for strong (stock setting), 1 for center, or 2 for weak

Torque Steer Compensation (TSC)
Description: Using the Steering Assist controller (not the brakes), TSC will help prevent torque steer on tuned cars. A TSC of 1 is used by default in higher HP FWD VW models like the VR6 FWD Passat.
Go to Adaptation in the Steering Assist module
Choose "Torque Steer Compensation (TSC)"
Set new value to 1
Discussion and test video: VAG-COM — Torque Steer Compensation (update: it works!)

Disable ESP
Description: This is not considered safe. The ESP in the MK6 is very good and not too obtrusive. That said, if you want to take the risk and turn it off, this is the only known way to accomplish that.
Go to Adaptation in the Steering Assist module
Go to Channel 09
Set new value to 1
Discussion: Really turning off ESP

Hill Hold Control
Description: Hill hold control (assist) is where the car will apply the brakes on a hill when stopped. It will occur if facing up hill with the car in a forward gear, or if facing downhill in reverse. Modifying this setting changes when the brakes release. You can also disable it completely.
To change the HHC setting:

Go to Adaptation in the ABS module
Choose "Hill Hold Control (HHC)"
Set new value to: 0 for normal (stock setting), 1 for early (start with low RPM's), or 2 for late late (start with high RPM's and slipping clutch)
Pic tutorial: Hill Hold Control (HHC)

To disable HHC completely:

Uncheck bit 0 of byte 16 in ABS Brakes Long Coding Helper
Pic tutorial: Disable Hill Hold Control

Adjusting Service Intervals
Description: Do you change your oil more often than every 10k miles and would prefer it tell you at 5k miles? That's what this is for.
For Days:

Go to Adaptation in the Instruments module
Choose "SIA - maximum value of time to service"
Under New value, enter your time as in days. '
Pic tutorial: Time to Service Interval Change

For Distance:

Go to Adaptation in the Instruments module
Choose "SIA - maximum value of distance to service"
Under New value, enter the new distance.
Pic tutorial: Mileage to Service Interval Change

CREDITS: Places I found information I did not discover on my own:

• zVp's 2012 VW GTI — All pic tutorials!
• VAG-COM (VCDS) helper
• Ross-Tech: VW Golf/Golf Plus (5K/52) Tweaks
• VCDS MKVI / MK6 Platform, Handy Coding tweaks
• ESP, XDS, DSR, ASR, Brake Assist, Hill Hold Control Settings Vag-Com
• Volkswagen MK6 "how to" index Golf, JSW, sportwagen, and Jetta TDI

[veedoubleme]

RETROFIT & HARDWARE MOD CODING

LED Tail-lights Coding & Error Clearing
DIY: How to adjust Bi-xenon headlight range (after lowering)

DIAGNOSTIC LOGGING

As you probably know, one of the most useful things VAG-COM does is record measuring blocks off your engine for diagnostics. I am not going to go into how to do this. APR has a very good page on this topic: VAG-COM DIAGNOSTIC LOGGING FOR APR TUNED CARS

What I did is made saved sets of APR's 5 different rounds for the TSI engine. Normally, you have to go in for each round and change all sorts of selections. This is a PITA and time consuming when you are sitting on the side of the road between each run. Download the attached ZIP file at the bottom of this post. You'll find 5 files named "APR-Round1-Logging.a01" through "APR-Round5-Logging.a01" in the ZIP file. Here is how you use them.

When you click on "Adv. meas. blocks" the window below will pop open. This is where you normally make all of your selections. Instead of that, click on the VCDS icon where the red arrow is pointing and choose to load saved selections. From there, you can pick round 1-5 and it'll select all of the correct blocks for you. It's a huge time saver.



Here is the zip file:

[Red2011GTI]

Nice summary!!!!!

[Grownman]

Thanks veedoubleme! Sticky this please!

Hopefully others will chime in, but I think for the the OEM LED tails, they require different coding depending on year model? Not sure since I've had my light bulb error since I installed them and don't have access to vag-com.

[xd-data-ii]

zVp's thread also has just about them and illustrated with screenshots. Its the best thread to review for vag-com coding.
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32219

[f00kie]

Originally Posted by veedoubleme

KESSY: Lock Car While Running
Description: this allows you to to start your car with KESSY, then get out with the key, and lock the car with the remote
Check bit 2 of byte 4 in Central Electronics Long Coding Helper

This is a cool one - will have to check it out.

[grambles423]

Good shite right here!

You have my vote for a sticky!

[veedoubleme]

Originally Posted by xd-data-ii

zVp's thread also has just about them and illustrated with screenshots. Its the best thread to review for vag-com coding.
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32219

That's a great list!

Too bad it's in a member journal where people won't find it very easily.

[veedoubleme]

I updated with a few more things, but also aded credits at the end. It's important to give credit where it's due for all the prior work!

[Mindfields]

Nice ... saving for the future when I get VAG-COM

[NoRegrets78]

Fantastic post! Saved for future reference!

[cwGTIautobahn]

Nicely done...good information.

Thx

[zVp]

Nice thread and thanks for the references :P

I'll probably start making the pictorial tutorials for the ones I've missed post it on my journal

[veedoubleme]

Originally Posted by zVp

Nice thread and thanks for the references :P

I'll probably start making the pictorial tutorials for the ones I've missed post it on my journal

The pictorial tutorials you made are great!

Do you mind if I add links in my list to your pic tutorials for each one you have? For people used to poking around in VCDS, the bit/byte info I posted works great, but for newbies your pics definitely make the process easier and more comfortable.

[zVp]

Originally Posted by veedoubleme

The pictorial tutorials you made are great!

Do you mind if I add links in my list to your pic tutorials for each one you have? For people used to poking around in VCDS, the bit/byte info I posted works great, but for newbies your pics definitely make the process easier and more comfortable.

Not a problem! Feel free

[trainyourhuman]

Nice list. I need to do about 6 of those!

[veedoubleme]

Originally Posted by zVp

Not a problem! Feel free

Done! Thank you!

[maxtdi]

Absolutely great!! Should be a sticky for sure.

If we could get retrofit HID headlight coding in here also, that would be helpful. As well as that bluetooth volume adjustment.

[JhnR]

+1 for sticky good job!

[mk6-k]

Wow, really great job, thanks!