Bought a 2001 beetle, 2.0L, manual trans to tow behind my motor home and use around town.
Still looks and runs good so far for 186k miles
Joining the noobe ranks. (bought a beetle with only one key and aftermarket radio, YEP that guy)
Had UN-clear able fix-it lites plus airbag.(hence the cheap price)
my old DIY scanner wouldn't read it either..

After a lot of research, a cheap manual, a vag type cable (I think it is a vcds clone) but works
I have repaired and cleared all but the airbag issue. I see the problem just haven't got around to removing the seat and fixing the crushed wire.

Next goal to to recover the SKC
The nearest dealer is 3 hrs away an at over $350 a key and still no SKC. WOW. I know why now but still, if  you can prove ownership bla,bla,bla it should be yours. I now have the immo2 id.

Thanks to all on this site, ross tech wiki for sharing info.

Retired design engineer from a major telecom company. Used to build PC's  and home networks as a hobby. Drag raced and built big block chevy's. (tunnel rams, blowers, and carbs were still the norm)
 
Other than obd troubleshooting never got into tuning. not looking at building a bench just tune and be able to replace components when required. Haven't used Dos in years (going to be a lot of oh ya now I remember and when did they change that)
I saw a post on which cheap cable to buy and what software, but forgot where it was at
Thanks for listening