Q: What is CAN and why is it important? A: CAN stands for Controller Area Network . CAN is a new means of communicating with the can for diagnostics used by the latest generations of VW, Audi, SEAT, and Skoda vehicles. Unlike the older ISO9141 system which a used a single K-line for diagnostic communications, the new CAN-Bus system uses a twisted pair of wires with differential signaling. CAN is considerably faster than ISO-9141 (500 kpbs vs. 10.4 kbps). Both new hardware and new software are required in order to communicate with cars using CAN for diagnostics.
Q: What Cars Use CAN for Diagnostics? (Click on the links of info on each vehicle)
All Golf-5 platform cars (A5 platform) including:
Q: Does VAG-COM work with cars that require direct CAN access for diagnostics? A: Yes! We have integrated CAN compatibility since the Release 404.0 version of VAG-COM, but as CAN uses different hardware, new interfaces are required in order to communicate with a CAN-based car. These are now available as well. The new HEX-COM+CAN and HEX-USB+CAN interfaces are fully compatible with the new latest cars which require a direct CAN connection.
Q: Do the CAN-Bus Interfaces also work with older vehicles that use the k-line? A: Yes! The HEX-COM+CAN and HEX-USB+CAN are fully backwards compatible with older vehicles that use either single or dual K-lines as well, so they work with all VW/Audi/SEAT/Skoda from 1996-2005.
Q: I am not a V-Tech customer. How do I buy an Interface and software to work with the vehicles using CAN-Bus diagnostics? See our Interfaces Page to learn more about our different hardware.
