Best diy/enthusiast scanner recommendations?

[RB55]

Hi everyone ,I am the proud owner of an A4/Avant/B8 8k/2008/CDN0044 with a cool 130k on the clock... 2.0 TFSI....
I am a enthusiast diy car mechanic and fixed etc all my previous cars .I realised (AFTER buying it) that this car and particular engine will probably be a project in more ways than I wanted .. Still I am willing to give it a go as it was cheap-ish and looks really good (black S-line).
This will probably be the start of a long line of questions (
Is there a dyi /medium level scanner you would recommend to be able to accurate read codes and code in new parts?
Thx!

 

[AlS3BE]

Obd11 and your Carista is your cheap and cheerful. Obd11 can do some coding although the labels are questionable.
vcds is the tool to have but not cheap.

 

[rum4mo]

Another consideration might be - do you want/need a mobile phone based system or a laptop based system?

VCDS is laptop based and the normal ones use a USB lead, legally bought and reg'd issues of VCDS can be sold on and re-reg'd to the new owner and continue to receive the same support as the original owner had - just one thing, I don't know how much or if there is a cost to re-reg a pre-owned version, I think some people have been confused about changed the free-ware version, ie VCDS Lite into full "strength" VCDS which obviously will cost quite a bit of cash. With your 2008 Audi B8 you don't need the latest version of VCDS, only new models launched after maybe 2015ish need the later version, is if you are happy to buy a legal fully legit version of VCDS HEX + CAN or maybe HEX + USB - I've forgotten what the earlier names were, you will still get all updates relevant to that version. What prompted my last upgrade from one of these previous versions was my oldest daughter buying a 2019 SEAT Leon Cupra - I knew that car would not be fully covered by my older version, so like a good father I took the hit and upgraded to HEX2. Just make sure that anyone selling VCDS can provide you with evidence that they did buy it new from either Rosstech direct of from one of their UK based authorised re-sellers, even after you are finished with it it should still have some value left in it, or if you stay with VW Group but buy a newer car, you should be able to trade that older version in against the latest version - but not get much for it! So, that is why many people sell on their legit versions when upgrading as they can get more via ebay than trading back in via an authorised VCDS re-seller - I was a wimp and got only maybe £150 when trading in against chancing my hand and getting £250 via ebay.

 

[RB55]

Thank you very much for your help! Done some research following your advise and I am inclined to invest in a VCDS ,is in the region of £250 for my car ,not cheap but seems to be a must for a VAG owner if it wants to code new modules in etc.. The local garages are charging £50/test or independent individual are @ £20/test ,so it really makes sense to buy one as I have the feeling that I will use it more than 10 times ...(already the driver and rear passenger door won't unlock from the fob )

 

[RB55]

bought the vcds @£225/best move ever ,thx all