Diagnostic Equipment
Anybody who works on Mercedes knows that these
vehicles get more complex by the day. The good old screwdriver and
wrench just won’t do it anymore. Read on to learn about the
diagnostic tools that will help you keep up with these ever-changing
problems.
Snap on
( No coding, limited diagnostic)
Mack
(No coding, limited diagnostic)
AST
This is the least expensive tool with the most value,
although it is limited in diagnostics, and has no coding abilities.
Launch
This “new kid” on the block is made in
China with a retail price tag of about $2975. Very handy for
all-around shops that maintain many different makes (Honda, Toyota,
Nissan, BMW, etc), but insufficient for Mercedes-only shops as it
has strong limitations diagnostic- and coding- wise. Still, this is
a useful tool and a good investment.
There are still other systems; To name a
few:
Car Soft– many limitations, very limited programming
KTS– Very good product ( Made by Bosch in Germany).
Not available in English yet . It is supposed to come on the market
in the near future. I will be interested to see if it does.
SBD 102 World Pac version for Mercedes. The Launch
does more and is cheaper.
Clones
There are clones of the star machine. They run between $8000—$12000
They normally work very well, although there are rarely updates or
tech support.
Original star machine are available
but are either very expensive or hard to get. Some come out of
Eastern Europe. They must have walked out from Lenins hideout. They
are original machines, not sealed, but they are new. We do not have
the contact .
Other Choices
Do the following situations sound familiar?
The ABS and ASD lights are on, and you go in with your diagnostic
tool. It tells you that the ABS/Speed sensor is the problem – but
you have no idea on which wheel the malfunction is occurring. Or
let’s say you need to marry the transmission to the module, but
Oops! Your machine cannot do it. You spend a pretty penny to call
tech support, and all they tell you is that they are working on it.
Many diagnostic systems create these kinds of problems, and these
situations are not acceptable for a working shop with paying
customers.
Or you need to marry the transmission to the module and -ops– the
machine does not do it– Tech support says:We are working on that–
Great.
Original Mercedes Software
Mercedes software call WIS German for “Werkstatt Informations
System”.
The parts catalogue is call EPC. "Electronic Parts Catalogue".
"Starfinder" shows you where a part is located.
"Star Machine" or "Star Diagnose" are the factory diagnostic tools.
They are laptop driven on an IBM P3 or P4, which is basically a T23
with an attached multiplexer.
The old impulse counter and HHT from Mercedes
If you work on "older" Mercedes Mercedes this might be a way to go
(Pre 2001). Simple to work and not so expensive. But sooner or later
you will need the new Scanner.
HHT stands for Hand Held Tester.
You should have a Mercedes code book,
and the Mercedes software -
Obviously, this is the best tool to
have, but it is very expensive. Purchasing the tool costs about
$27,000 with $7,000 yearly maintenance. Another drawback is that the
system works best when you have 2-3 laptops each with different
versions of the software. This is because new updates are
continuously put out, although some issues are left with the old
versions and so on.
WinStar Diagnostics
This is, in our opinion, the best
alternative to the Original Mercedes Diagnostic Machine. It does
reading and writing (coding), it is laptop driven and broken down
into parts- HHT (as described above) for models up to 2000, and
2001-2006. The complete system includes the multiplexer, 9 pin
serial cable, 38 pin connector, 16 pin connector, OBD-2 connector,
the sprinter connector, and the carrying case for under $5,000. We
strongly recommend IBM’s T23 laptop for this system as that is what
Mercedes Benz uses.
 Feedback- Input
If you know any other scanner, or have some input, please let us
know.
If you have any input towards the mentioned diagnostic tools we like
to hear from you. |
