Ross-Tech is not responsible for any
damage or problems that may result from following these instructions. They
are to be used at your own risk. As always, you should refer to a
Factory Repair Manual for your vehicle!
Make sure to download and
install the latest
version of VAG-COM before performing this procedure and that you are
using a HEX or HEX+CAN series
Interface. The Suggested Coding and Manual Index will only work with
these professional-grade Interfaces.
Whenever airbags
have deployed and there is crash data stored, the airbag controller must
be replaced. They have an electro-mechanical switch that deploys the
airbags, somewhat like the hammer and trigger on a gun, it cannot be "recocked"
and you should stay far away from any people or companies who claim to be
able to "reset" a used airbag controller. This procedure details how to
code a new Airbag (SRS) Controller after it has been installed in a
vehicle.
New Airbag Controllers in
many VW/Audi vehicles contain a Soft Coding of all zeros from the factory
and must be coded once they have been installed in the vehicle. Any
problems with airbags or igniters should be repaired before trying to
install and code a new controller. These instructions apply to most VW's
from the Mk4/1J Golf/Jetta/NB onward and these instructions do NOT apply
to Audi's, except for the C6/4F A6 and Q7.
Suggested Coding
When connected to an
applicable Airbag controller (with all zeros in the Soft
Coding) VAG-COM can "Suggest" an appropriate Coding value. This
feature is available only when VAG-COM is used with one of our
Professional Grade interfaces. Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee
that the coding which VAG-COM may suggest will be correct, but
there should be no harm in trying it. If it's not correct, the
control module should simply refuse to accept it and the coding
will remain at 00000.
In the above
example, you would enter a Software Coding of 12342 then click
[Do It!]. After you exit out of the Airbag Controller then get
back into it, the Soft. Coding field should show 12342. If the
existing WorkShop Code is all zeros, you may need to enter a
WorkShop Code before the module will accept the new coding -
anything non-zero like 12345 should work for the WorkShop Code.
Manual Index Entry
In cases where VAG-COM would
offer Airbag module coding suggestions but cannot determine
the Index automatically, VAG-COM gives you the ability to
manually enter an Index to get the suggested coding. To find
the coding, you'll need the "complete" part number for the
new Airbag module, it can be found on:
-
The Box of new
Airbag module.
-
The Invoice/order
form for the Airbag module
-
The stickers on the
Airbag module (as shown below):
In the above example,
note that on the upper right, it says INDEX [03], this is NOT the
index/color code!
In many cases, the Index number is shown immediately following the part
number with either a /1 or /0 ahead of it, so the Index for /16A would be
6A while the Index for /01E would be 1E.
On the label at the bottom,
the part number is followed by a slash
then the Index/color code with a leading zero: 1C0-909-605-F /01E
In that case the Index/color code is 01E so the Manual Index Input you use
is 1E, which you enter into the Manual Index Input field below:
In this example example, if
the Index is 1E then VAG-COM should give you a Suggested
Coding of 12613, which you would enter in the Software
Coding field. In the above example, you would enter a
Software Coding of 12613 then click [Do It!]. After you exit
out of the Airbag Controller then get back into it, the
Soft. Coding field should show 12613. If the existing
WorkShop Code is all zeros, you may need to enter a WorkShop
Code before the module will accept the new coding - anything
non-zero like 12345 should work for the WorkShop Code.
Important Note:
VW parts departments have
recently been carrying and supplying to Mk4 customers the 04
Index of Airbag controllers as a replacement for several
different Index numbers. If the vehicle originally had a
different Index number such as 1E, then other components in the
vehicle like crash sensors may need to be changed in order to
make the 04 Index work. The dealership should provide
information on any needed additional parts.
