I own a Mercedes C230, 2005 with 65K miles, bought the case actually with 34K miles, no major problems, other then bought a set of brand new tires, also changed the brakes/rotors/pads around 40K miles, from time to time the "check engine" came on (2 - times so far, if recall correctly), one time it was only a inexpensive pipe (some air related, was about 5$ to change) and the other time it was the charcoal filter (near canister tank), but after 2-3 days the check-engine turn off.
Now I have again the check-engine on and paying again 100$ to run a diagnostic is annoying while diagnostic tools are around 200-300$ (at amazon) the bests! What diagnostic tool would you recommend to buy ? Thanks
RepairPal Certified shops can diagnose and repair your 2005 Mercedes-Benz C230. They provide transparent pricing with a minimum 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty on repairs and services.
Understand that $200 to $300 code reader will only read emmision related codes. Sometimes the problem is on the enhanced (OEM) side. If you have a laptop there's software programs that cost under $1000 that will diagnose problems correctly. Contact me at autoknowhow@gmail.com
Cheap scanners quite often fail to interpret OE diag. codes to OBD. I see people replacing expensive parts, sometimes 2 or 3 times because their scanner gave them wrong information.
There is a lot more to diagnosing a vehicle than reading out DTCs. The scanner won't tell you what the exact problem is, it pretty much shows you that there is a fault in a certain system or a part might have failed - but will you fix the problem by replacing a MAF sensor when the problem is a missing reference voltage from the ECM or a loose ground? You need to read live data, know the specs and identify problems.
To answer your question: the best diagnostic tool for your MB is the SDS (Star Diagnostic System) and it's made by Mercedes Benz. That - and a technician, who knows what to do with it- will save you money by correctly diagnosing the problem.
By buying a cheap scanner is like buying a blood pressure tester - you know your blood pressure is incorrect, but you still need a doctor to tell you why and what would it take to fix it.
Zee
thanks, I have to agree with you, a good technician (with tools) is also needed, maybe some minor problems I would be able to resolve (if instructions are clear), but for anything more without appropriate tools I think you can end up breaking more then fixing. At the end of the day, I bought a Mercedes because proved to have a long history of reliability, as long as I have to do a diagnostic at each 15-20K miles, I think it is fine.
Thanks, I checked out the software, it looks decent, but does this really knows more then the OEM codes you are mentioning ?