brasil

Hi Guys,

The CEL came on last night, just in time for the two year anniversary of owning my car. Bedford Park Motors in the Bronx wants $99 just to read the codes, and if this is something really stupid like a gas cap then I'm just throwing away money, right?

I was googling for OBD II Scanners and haven't figured out which one works with a 1999 W208, but as an IT systems admin I have a hard time stomaching paying $99 to someone just to plug my car into a computer and dump some data. While these are probably not the right models, the first site I found with these devices lists them at only 2X's the cost of getting the codes read just once at that shop: http://weoffer.com/obd-ii-scanner.html

What should I do in this situation? Blow the $99 and trust this shop to be honest about what's wrong or can someone clue me in on which device to buy. Another thread on here linked to this company: http://www.autoenginuity.com/products-scantoolpc.html Anyone using that software?

Help (me save $$$$) !!!

dlbehrns

If you are an IT guy, buy a scanner. It is well worth the $ if you are willing to do the repairs yourself. And they can be as easy as replacing a MAF sensor that will cost you around $200 but the dealer wants twice that and it only take 15 minutes. I have saved myself a lot of $ over the years. And, your year is under OBDII standards.

brasil

Thanks so much for the input. Since we have the same car could you tell me exactly which scanner you use or direct me to one that will definitely work? Seems the software-based versions are best for me since I have plenty of laptops lying around, but I'd consider a standalone version too. Thanks again!

brasil

Go figure, the CEL turned off last night! I had a feeling that might happen and that it might be the silly loose gas cap issue before my long drive from VT to NYC the other night. Of course, it could be something else but I assume if it turns off it's nothing to worry about right now.

Some people in the W202 forum have been helpful over here but I still don't know exactly which scanner will work, and how many pins the 1999 W208 connector has (16? 38?):
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ml#post4226302

MarcusF

I bought one of these from Manuals Unlimited several years ago. It does the job.

jbenz2001

I bought one even from autozone.it isn't gonna give u all the best info but if ur just in need of the code,it'll do the job.$50

brasil

Thanks Marcus, I'll check that out too. As long as the device can be updated by connecting it to a computer and can print out some data back to the computer it'll probably work fine. I may also look into the software version that plugs right into a laptop. This company makes them: http://www.autoenginuity.com/products-scantoolpc.html

MarcusF

Just about any OBDII generic reader with a cable interface for a J1962 will do the same job. Mine was $50 way back when. The best one I've seen is a Digimoto at $200. One look at those and everything else looks like cheap, feature-free, low tech junk.

dlbehrns

I have http://www.troublecodes.net/articles...e_reader.shtml and I got in off the net for under $100. It reads the codes and erases them. theres one on ebay http://shop.ebay.com/items/innova%20...&tt_encode=raw for $45 with only 17 minutes left on the auction.

Pancho

Got this on ebay about 5 years ago. Does the job for me. Use it with my old Compaq laptop. It's probably very illegal--copyright violation. You need a DB-9 port (mouse/keyboard) on your computer, though there might be a work-around, ie. DB-9/USB adapter?

http://www.panchogun.com/FVWebPhotos...-New-Gizmo.jpg

Here's a link to one on ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MB-Ca...motiveQ5fTools