Adaptive cruise control upgrade
- Thread starter Swoop1
- Start date
Hi
I wonder if anyone can help
I have a t6 transporter 2018 and it has cruise control with steering wheel switches the van aso has front assist and radar fitted.
I changed the steering wheel buttons to include the ACC button.
How do I enable the coding on the van so the ACC will work.
Is it something I can do myself.
I wonder if anyone can help
I have a t6 transporter 2018 and it has cruise control with steering wheel switches the van aso has front assist and radar fitted.
I changed the steering wheel buttons to include the ACC button.
How do I enable the coding on the van so the ACC will work.
Is it something I can do myself.
Yeah, I looked into this a while back and it’s not as straightforward as you’d hope. It’s definitely not just a coding job unfortunately.
ACC needs quite a bit of extra hardware, not just the radar. Even if your van already has Front Assist, that doesn’t mean it’ll support adaptive cruise without swapping parts and adding wiring. Then there’s coding and calibration on top of that.
From what I’ve seen, people have done it, but it’s pretty involved and not really something you knock out over a weekend unless you really know what you’re doing. Most end up going to a specialist.
Personally, I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle/cost in the end. Standard cruise does the job fine for me, and ACC seems a bit hit and miss in real-world driving anyway.
ACC needs quite a bit of extra hardware, not just the radar. Even if your van already has Front Assist, that doesn’t mean it’ll support adaptive cruise without swapping parts and adding wiring. Then there’s coding and calibration on top of that.
From what I’ve seen, people have done it, but it’s pretty involved and not really something you knock out over a weekend unless you really know what you’re doing. Most end up going to a specialist.
Personally, I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle/cost in the end. Standard cruise does the job fine for me, and ACC seems a bit hit and miss in real-world driving anyway.
I can completely understand why the retrofit looks so daunting at first glance, there is a lot of misinformation out there, but I actually have to strongly disagree based on my own experience doing this. It’s definitely not as complicated or expensive as the specialists make it out to be, provided you have the right base spec.
If your van already has Front Assist and standard cruise control on a Multi-Function Steering Wheel (MFSW), the hard work is practically already done for you.
If you already have the MFSW and standard cruise, the wiring is already right where it needs to be. Upgrading the steering controls is quite literally just a plug&play replacement of the MFSW buttons.
You don't need to worry about Component Protection and you can simply buy (or trade in your current sensor for) a patched, plug&play radar unit.
The coding can be done in your driveway with basic enthusiast tools like VCDS or OBDeleven. It just requires a few simple coding adjustments in the ECU and ABS modules to tell the van the system is active.
If you swap your replacement radar onto the existing bracket, the physical alignment remains exactly the same. No additional alignment or expensive calibration is needed.
I'm definitely not going to try and convince you to get ACC if you prefer standard cruise. ACC is really a system designed for people who fully understand its principles of operation and respect its limitations as an assist feature, rather than full autonomy.
However, for me, it has been an absolute game changer. It's not just a massive upgrade for driving convenience and reducing motorway fatigue, but the added safety aspects are incredible once you get used to how it behaves.
If your van already has Front Assist and standard cruise control on a Multi-Function Steering Wheel (MFSW), the hard work is practically already done for you.
If you already have the MFSW and standard cruise, the wiring is already right where it needs to be. Upgrading the steering controls is quite literally just a plug&play replacement of the MFSW buttons.
You don't need to worry about Component Protection and you can simply buy (or trade in your current sensor for) a patched, plug&play radar unit.
The coding can be done in your driveway with basic enthusiast tools like VCDS or OBDeleven. It just requires a few simple coding adjustments in the ECU and ABS modules to tell the van the system is active.
If you swap your replacement radar onto the existing bracket, the physical alignment remains exactly the same. No additional alignment or expensive calibration is needed.
I'm definitely not going to try and convince you to get ACC if you prefer standard cruise. ACC is really a system designed for people who fully understand its principles of operation and respect its limitations as an assist feature, rather than full autonomy.
However, for me, it has been an absolute game changer. It's not just a massive upgrade for driving convenience and reducing motorway fatigue, but the added safety aspects are incredible once you get used to how it behaves.
