Imagine yourself driving quietly on board your Volkswagen Passat and suddenly an engine signal shows up on your dashboard ! The most frequent reaction is the fear of risking a major issue. To know what accurately this light corresponds to, you will have to learn how to read an Volkswagen Passat fault codes, you may have previously heard of OBD system, this is precisely what we are going to take a look at. Our editors have chosen to produce this document to help you quickly find the origin of this default code and to give you reassurance. To get this done, we will first examine the nature of a fault code on Volkswagen Passat , then how to read an Volkswagen Passat fault code, and finally how to erase this fault code to be able to turn off the light on your dashboard.
What is a Volkswagen Passat fault code?
A fault code is a universal or standard code common to all automotive companies , they are also named DTC (Data Trouble Code), the point is to be sure that any diagnostic OBD can interpret them. They will be symbolized by a standard format, such as example: P0255. Each data will have a precise explanation. Default codes are codes issued by the calculators of your Volkswagen Passat . These ECUs will continuously monitor your vehicle’s emissions, pressures, mixtures and when the values exceed the limits set by the vehicle’s ECU, the fault code will show up. The benefit of knowing how to read a fault code on your Volkswagen Passat is that you will have gain access to to precise info about your car which will enable you to discover what issue you are standing in front of.
How to read a fault code on my Volkswagen Passat ?
In this second part we will now focus precisely on what brings you here, how to read a fault code on Volkswagen Passat . To gain access to this useful data you will need to to obtain a diagnostic tool, also named OBD 2, named after the socket on your Volkswagen Passat to which you will have to connect. These diagnostic tools are easily available, you will be able to find some in Bluetooth version which connects to your phone and some standard versions with a reader associated to the socket, as far as price is concerned, you will be able to find models between 30 and 100 euros. Once you have obtained an OBD2 diagnostic reader, you will have to find the diagnostic plug on your Volkswagen Passat , it is located on the left side of your steering column on the lower part of your dashboard, behind a hatch. It is easy to locate because it is triangular shaped and has 16 pins. All you have to do is connect with your diagnostic tool to read the fault code of your Volkswagen Passat .
How to erase the fault code Volkswagen Passat
Finally, to finish this article, we are going to describe you the manipulation to do to erase a fault code on your Volkswagen Passat . Once you have navigated through the menus, you will access the list of active fault codes on your car. However, you will have to ask yourself an essential question, is it really useful to erase this fault code on Volkswagen Passat ? In fact, erasing a fault code without fixing the issue corresponds to burying its head in the sand. Furthermore, the computer of your Volkswagen Passat is made to take resolutions according to the data it records, if a vital fault code is present, it will possibly modify the engine general performance to protect it. So if you erase the fault code, make sure to solve the problem to which it is connected. Some OBD diagnostic tools do not allow you to do this. You have a dedicated navigation menu on most diagnostic tools that should allow you to clear this fault code on Volkswagen Passat .
In the event that you have any further questions about the Volkswagen Passat , do not hesitate to consult our Volkswagen Passat category.
