STAR Diagnostics

[darkchild101]

Hi. I've got an ICarsoft 980 and it does pretty well everything I'll ever need for my 203. I had a friend round with an E Class that had the BAS / ABS light on and no Cruise. in the first five minutes we identified that the right rear ABS Sensor was wonky. I drove it forward and back six feet using live data and could see three wheel speeds with the rear right reading zero both ways. For £90 you won't be disappointed. It took us forty minutes to look at every sensor it was reading. When we were looking at the lighting circuits the lights showed a code. I cleared it, the lights relevelled themselves. It also reads ASSYST and tells you what jobs got done in the last service. I appreciate what Steve @ Avangarde is saying. It's not a STAR, but it's ****** good and will read any Merc with a 16 pin diagnostic socket up to this year's Maybach and the whole sprinter range as well. You also get unlimited free updates.

My worry is will this work on an an old 1997 w202?

 

[David Arnott]

My worry is will this work on an an old 1997 w202?

It will work somewhat but you do need the 38 pin to OBD adapter cable.
You will have the 38 pin socket in your car.

 

[darkchild101]

It will work somewhat but you do need the 38 pin to OBD adapter cable.
You will have the 38 pin socket in your car.

I already have that adapter fom when i bought the Torque app on android. Everyone swears by that app but for me it wouldnt work so i just put it down to the age of my car

 

[mercedes13156]

My worry is will this work on an an old 1997 w202?

It should work on a W202, but with extremely limited functionality. The scanner is set up to read the A class 168 and the C Class 203 as the earliest cars and they have less functionality than a W211 E class for example.

 

[mercedes13156]

I already have that adapter fom when i bought the Torque app on android. Everyone swears by that app but for me it wouldnt work so i just put it down to the age of my car

I've got the Torque App for my phone as well. It's pretty useless unless your car is fully EOBD Compatible. Even then it's not got much diagnostic power.

Have you tried the iVINi App for your phone, it's Mercedes specific and is a Beta version, but appears to read EOBD Cars after about 2004.

 

[darkchild101]

I've got the Torque App for my phone as well. It's pretty useless unless your car is fully EOBD Compatible. Even then it's not got much diagnostic power.

Have you tried the iVINi App for your phone, it's Mercedes specific and is a Beta version, but appears to read EOBD Cars after about 2004.

Yeah I have got Livi app too does nothing on my w202. I think the problem is diesel cars became fully Obd2 compliant from 2001 from what I have read and mine is 1997


I cant decide which to go for the clone star 3 or the icarsoft 980. Does the icarsoft do other cars?

 

[television]

My worry is will this work on an an old 1997 w202?

There is a good chance that the blink code reader will work well on a 1997 car.

http://www.mbslk.de/files/artikel/r170_fehlercodes.pdf

 

[mercedes13156]

Yeah I have got Livi app too does nothing on my w202. I think the problem is diesel cars became fully Obd2 compliant from 2001 from what I have read and mine is 1997


I cant decide which to go for the clone star 3 or the icarsoft 980. Does the icarsoft do other cars?

There will be hardly anything you can read from a W202 with the ICarsoft scanner. I've only ever seen one read by a STAR scanner with a multiplexer and that 32 pin round adaptor. I'm sure there are other scanners out there that will read a W202, but it's not the ICarsoft one. I may be wrong, so check with ICarsoft before you buy anything.

 

[turbopete]

There will be hardly anything you can read from a W202 with the ICarsoft scanner.

or any other scanner, really. the diagnostics system on the 202 was basic, at best, as was the case with all cars designed/built around that era

 

[m3gt2]

Richard,
I would go for a C3 (cheaper simpler etc.), it does need a laptop with a real serial (RS232) port. USB converters don’t work. C4 is only needed for the very newest cars.
The laptop needs to have Windows XP, don’t bother with virtual PC (VMware etc.) Suitable laptops are Dell D630 or E5500 or E5510 etc.
You can buy a C3 on eBay or AliExpress type dealers in China, Rhcartool.com is good about $230 inc. post (£150)
I can set up a laptop for you or give you detailed instructions, if you want to do it yourself. I can give a Acronis image to do it all in one step, if that helps.

Has anyone used rhcartool before? Also does it come with the software? I assume any Dell 630 will work or do I need to make sure it has enough RAM etc? Thanks

 

[Alfie]

The latest systems are now using ethernet via the MUX with firmware updates being held on DVD and loaded via Xentry. Snag is that it requires online access to determine which firmware update disks are required and xentry will only allow a firmware update to be performed once a check with MB Germany online has been made. As map updates often require a firmware update first, it wont be long before only those of us with genuine Mercedes maintained systems will be able to do these tasks.

The cables are changing too. We have just ordered the new cables that the MUX requires. Its getting much harder for the cloners to pirate this stuff. The MUX's check the cables have the correct microchip in them too.

 

[David Arnott]

m3gt2,
I have used, quick delivery, good price, they will put the "customs" value lower which helps with import / duty /VAT.

Email Cindy at info@rhcartool.com , she will give you a quote.

Any laptop with a serial (RS232) port will work e.g. Dell D620, D630, D820, D830, IBM T30, T43, these are old and slow but only about£50-75 on eBay. Also Panasonic CF-50 etc. etc.
Dell E5500 or E5510 is better faster, maybe £80-100 on eBay
2 or 3Gb is fine

 

[David Arnott]

The latest systems are now using ethernet via the MUX with firmware updates being held on DVD and loaded via Xentry. Snag is that it requires online access to determine which firmware update disks are required and xentry will only allow a firmware update to be performed once a check with MB Germany online has been made. As map updates often require a firmware update first, it wont be long before only those of us with genuine Mercedes maintained systems will be able to do these tasks.

The cables are changing too. We have just ordered the new cables that the MUX requires. Its getting much harder for the cloners to pirate this stuff. The MUX's check the cables have the correct microchip in them too.

Yes, some of this is correct, but never underestimate what the pirate can clone ! (not condoning what they do, by the way).
As regards cables, there are a couple of types, but no “chip checking”. One type has a black box with a RS232 to RS485 converter for one type of C3 mux. The other type is straight thru wires (but with a dummy black box). The chip checking is one piece of (much) false information that is spread about.

 

[Alfie]

Yes, some of this is correct, but never underestimate what the pirate can clone ! (not condoning what they do, by the way).
As regards cables, there are a couple of types, but no “chip checking”. One type has a black box with a RS232 to RS485 converter for one type of C3 mux. The other type is straight thru wires (but with a dummy black box). The chip checking is one piece of (much) false information that is spread about.

I beg to differ. We are using SD connect and if you plug the wrong cable in it knows and tells you on the screen.

there are no RS232 or 432 connections or cables on these newer systems. They use USB and ethernet.

 

[David Arnott]

I beg to differ. We are using SD connect and if you plug the wrong cable in it knows and tells you on the screen.

there are no RS232 or 432 connections or cables on these newer systems. They use USB and ethernet.

Yes, indeed and the SD Connect is also WiFi but when you say "plug the wrong cable", the only cable is a LAN / ethernet cable, this is a standard item.

The Xentry software does check the serial number in the SD Connect box but that is a separate issue. If allowed the Xentry software will disable the SD Connect for some serial numbers. The SD Connect then need a hardware fix.

 

[darkchild101]

I think the chinese clone it is

Might even start a weekend side line reading codes for others

 

[darkchild101]

or any other scanner, really. the diagnostics system on the 202 was basic, at best, as was the case with all cars designed/built around that era

So what does star do on the w202 then. I am now confused

 

[David Arnott]

I think the chinese clone it is

Might even start a weekend side line reading codes for others

Or a weekend side-line impersonating Yoda?

 

[darkchild101]

Or a weekend side-line impersonating Yoda?

I was joking mate

 

[David Arnott]

So what does star do on the w202 then. I am now confused

I don't have a real W202 to check but Xentry has a "simulation" mode which shows what you will get (more or less).
But W202 uses the HHT-WIN mode (hand held tester) (see Google for more details on HHT) which is a little basic by modern Mercedes standards.

see attached