OBD or OBDII or EOBD?

[philharve]

Hi All

For some time now I've been searching for a car diagnostic kit that would accommodate my current Mercedes, a C230K, and any future (newer) Mercedes car I might purchase. My C230K is fitted with the OBD 38-pin diagnostic connector but later OBDII cars come with the 16-pin connector. My objective was therefore to obtain a kit that could accommodate both OBD and OBDII interfaces and was based upon the Carsoft 7.4 standard and requires a PC with a serial interface as the control element. Such kits are often very expensive but just by chance I stumbled upon this kit (see attachment) on ebay for approximately GBP65.00, delivered. This is a dedicated Mercedes-Benz kit and looks highly promising. Handheld DTC readers can cost just as much but usually offer fewer features. This kit, being PC-based, is software upgradeable. I have yet to test it but I have seen the reviews of similar kits and the results have almost always been positive. What attracted me to this kit is that it has both types of diagnostic connector. I don't have to purchase another adapter (OBD to OBDII).

I copied the picture from the traders advertisement but there are slight differences in the items supplied to those shown in the picture, most notable being the 38-pin adapter (mine is black, not brown), but they are all good quality, durable items.

The trader has chosen to overlay the Mercedes '3-pointed star' emblem over 3 of the items but I can see no purpose for this other than to emphasize that this is an M-B kit. The 'black box' I received is clearly marked 'MB Diagnostic Interface'.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[philharve]

trader's ID

Hi All

The ebay trader goes by the name 'ruggedcomputing' which may help because there are quite a few diagnostic kits and DTC readers for sale on ebay.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[roofless]

it takes a brave man to plug a cheap obd 2 interface in to his car BEWARE

 

[philharve]

Beware?

Many thanks for your contribution 'roofless'. I do my homework when making purchases like this so I know what kind of performance to expect from equipment like this. All the items in this kit are well made and the 'black box' does contain quite a bit of electronics, a subject which became a lifelong profession.

The CarSoft software is known to me but I'm unfamiliar with its many features. I don't know how reliable it is and what kind of support I can expect. This aspect of my purchase represents my greatest risk.

I expect CarSoft has its competitors but I don't yet know what they are.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[roofless]

well you will know what the ad says on ebay is not always what you get & for £65 you will get what you pay for ?

 

[hcrobinson]

Have you tried the the scanner out. how did you get in?

 

[dragon]

Definitely fradulent at £65, I have been looking for one and the cheapest is £700 plus another £77 for postage from Shanghai.

Ask him whether you can send it back if you are not happy with it and be able to get a refund and report back to us then we follow suit.

 

[dragon]

I couldn't find the it at ebay, anyone can attach the link please.

 

[dragon]

Brand New Mercedes Benz Diagnostic Interface for Carsoft 7.4

at ebay from Shanghai

US$58 + $14 about £50

anyone bought it and does it include the software?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merc...m14&_trkparms=72:727|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

 

[Kapeesh]

Hi
i have nothing against the MB 7.4 kit except , they don't work fully . they use cheap parts and the software is effectively stolen .

i would rather spend a little extra and get a better tool , here is what i purchased

http://www.doityourselfdiagnostics.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=36

i contacted them before i bought mine and they give me the 38pin adaptor for free + it was delivered next day .

it is a much better item than the MB 7.4 kit because it is upgradeable on-line , it covers many other manufactures (so if i sell the Merc i keep the tool).
it also fits nicely in my glove box , it is packed full of features .

Sealey want nearly £400.oo for the same tool .

 

[dragon]

I got one for £260 I bought at Euro car parts in 2006.

I am really after a Star diagnostic tool or DAS that being used by Merc technicians. Someone told me it was developed by IBM.

This will be good but £750!

http://www.doityourselfdiagnostics.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=11

 

[Kapeesh]

Hello mate

For what you get, i cannot see how it is worth the money unless your in the trade , you also need to purchase a hp laptop.

 

[television]

Hello mate

For what you get, i cannot see how it is worth the money unless your in the trade , you also need to purchase a hp laptop.

Could be worth it to me as I could clear the fault codes every day

 

[dragon]

Already got a laptop. The worry bit is whether the hard drive that comes with it fit in my current laptop.

They are certainly making a large profit out of it.

The Chinese can do it for US$60

I bought a code reader for £260 two years ago now it just £50. Price will come down if enough people buy them.

 

[Kapeesh]

Could be worth it to me as I could clear the fault codes every day

For clearing codes , abs ,trans and so on the code reader is more than capable and like i say its upgradeable(a very important feature).
the mb7.4 will become outdated far sooner .

The main reason i posted about the code reader is that not everyone likes to use a laptop and i have not seen a code reader that comes close to doing half the jobs the eu702 does on Mercedes .

 

[television]

For clearing codes , abs ,trans and so on the code reader is more than capable and like i say its upgradeable(a very important feature).
the mb7.4 will become outdated far sooner .

The main reason i posted about the code reader is that not everyone likes to use a laptop and i have not seen a code reader that comes close to doing half the jobs the eu702 does on Mercedes .

As a hobby I am thinking of a good one,,maybe the X431 so that I can do jobs for a few garages around here,, having it MB dedicated has got a limited use.

Its only with my last spate of faults that I have needed more than a code reader so the SAM's could be coded

 

[dragon]

I needed one because of the sbc, don't fancy having one, it too expensive.

Nice to have a toy to play with though.

 

[Mark A]

For clearing codes , abs ,trans and so on the code reader is more than capable and like i say its upgradeable(a very important feature).
the mb7.4 will become outdated far sooner .

The main reason i posted about the code reader is that not everyone likes to use a laptop and i have not seen a code reader that comes close to doing half the jobs the eu702 does on Mercedes .

I also bought an EU702 and think it works very well with all of my cars. The software is also upgradeable via the USB port.

 

[Kapeesh]

I agree mark , the more i use mine the more i like it .

i also plugged into my mates Toyota the other day , worked very well on that too