I'm not going to waffle on here... so apologies If I don't list every single feature etc...
Volkswagen are currently giving away a dongle that fits into the car's OBD port (small socket usually under the steering wheel). It then pairs with your phone, and using an app you can see things like
Your last trip , shown on google maps Your efficiency How you drive Where you parked the car
and a few other bits n bobs.
People are selling these on eBay and the VW parts shop sells them for about £40 but until the end of December these are free.
My VW garage tried to sucker me into paying £500 for a service with the tempt of one of theese dongles... but then I asked VW where to buy one and they told me it was free... sure enough if you check the website link given (vwconnect.com) you can see on there that it is free.
Just pop into your local VW garage and ask for one. If they try to get you to do a service, remind them that the website actually says the device is free. But I was also warned that the garages have a limited number of them. I picked one up today and it was fairly interesting. Driving efficiency is quite interesting to me as I drive long distances... but the other features are nice too. It will report issues to the phone as well.
Yes.. it's similar to Torque pro but with less stuff and some other things that Torque doesn't have ... but the main point is the official VW dongle is currently FREE.
enjoy.
All comments (121)
daskapital
28 Sep 17#1
Quote from the website:
What costs can I expect?
The VW Connect DataPlug is currently available free of charge for the remainder of 2017 (usually £35.00) . The app and the associated functions are free of charge. Please note that your smartphone must be linked to an existing mobile phone contract including a mobile data packet in order to use the app. This may lead to additional costs.
matth5182
28 Sep 17#2
Audi will want £400 for this, Skoda meanwhile will prob pay you
osrick
28 Sep 17#3
Doesn't include the Phaeton - their flagship car. Which is a bit useless.
M_z to osrick
28 Sep 17#6
I think they only ever sold about 25 of those though, so not too many people affected. :wink:
ses6jwg to osrick
29 Sep 17#31
Yes I'm sure all 6 owners will be livid.
OrribleHarry
28 Sep 17#4
It will lie and say emissions are like fresh air.
powerbrick
28 Sep 17#5
Would you trust the reading a VW device gives you?
AndyRoyd
28 Sep 17#7
Is the device "always on" requiring removal from OBD socket to prevent battery drain when the engine is not running for prolonged periods?
daskapital to AndyRoyd
28 Sep 17#8
From the website:
Does my DataPlug consume electricity when I park and leave my vehicle?
To avoid draining the vehicle battery, the DataPlug turns itself off as soon as the vehicle is parked and the ignition turned off.
So sounds good, no need to remove.
AndyRoyd to daskapital
28 Sep 17#9
Thnx.
daskapital
28 Sep 17#10
HAHAH someone actually downvoted a free deal. I love you guys :grin: hahah
thekanester to daskapital
29 Sep 17#23
Don't own a Volkswagen so cold...
... :sweat_smile: (Only kidding. Hot!)
greencode
28 Sep 17#11
The cost calculations are completely wrong. It says I'm doing about 15mpg whereas in fact I'm doing 32mpg. Been in touch with VW customer service and they were hopeless.
daskapital to greencode
28 Sep 17#13
It told me I had to change gear earlier. It's a DSG
I think they have a few bugs, but it was only recently released. Probably better to write a review on the app store or email the develoepers directly: [email protected]volkswagen.de
greencode to daskapital
28 Sep 17#16
I've done both. They told me to email them with a huge amount of details that I wasn't prepared to send in a insecure email. I asked them whether there was anywhere I could send it securely online. There wasn't. Oh well.
daskapital to greencode
28 Sep 17#17
Yeah that's pretty much all you can do I guess. I haven't owned one long enough to comment on the features that don't work for you. Did you register a tank fill up when you filled up the car?
I think, this is basically a gimmick to get users to service their vehicles more often. My guess is they are giving it away for free because the app reminds you about servicing and points you to potential issues.
If you like the idea, check out Torque pro. I got it for free with my car head unit but I bought a £5 OBD dongle from eBay to use with Torque. If you haven't tried it.. it's quite cool. Shows lots more detail like turbo boost pressure etc.
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Opening post
Volkswagen are currently giving away a dongle that fits into the car's OBD port (small socket usually under the steering wheel). It then pairs with your phone, and using an app you can see things like
Your last trip , shown on google maps
Your efficiency
How you drive
Where you parked the car
and a few other bits n bobs.
People are selling these on eBay and the VW parts shop sells them for about £40 but until the end of December these are free.
My VW garage tried to sucker me into paying £500 for a service with the tempt of one of theese dongles... but then I asked VW where to buy one and they told me it was free... sure enough if you check the website link given (vwconnect.com) you can see on there that it is free.
Just pop into your local VW garage and ask for one. If they try to get you to do a service, remind them that the website actually says the device is free. But I was also warned that the garages have a limited number of them. I picked one up today and it was fairly interesting. Driving efficiency is quite interesting to me as I drive long distances... but the other features are nice too. It will report issues to the phone as well.
Yes.. it's similar to Torque pro but with less stuff and some other things that Torque doesn't have ... but the main point is the official VW dongle is currently FREE.
enjoy.
All comments (121)
What costs can I expect?
Does my DataPlug consume electricity when I park and leave my vehicle?
So sounds good, no need to remove.
... :sweat_smile: (Only kidding. Hot!)
It's a DSG
I think they have a few bugs, but it was only recently released. Probably better to write a review on the app store or email the develoepers directly: [email protected]volkswagen.de
I think, this is basically a gimmick to get users to service their vehicles more often. My guess is they are giving it away for free because the app reminds you about servicing and points you to potential issues.
If you like the idea, check out Torque pro. I got it for free with my car head unit but I bought a £5 OBD dongle from eBay to use with Torque. If you haven't tried it.. it's quite cool. Shows lots more detail like turbo boost pressure etc.