Surge

What’s the best OBD-II reader for the W463A?

4 years and honestly ZERO issues with my 2019 G550. And one month after the warranty ends, the check engine light is on! Drives perfectly fine, but I would like to read the code.

Researching OBD-II reader market — what a hot mess! Fakes, model #s that make no sense (Autel 806 Pro is the same as the 808 Pro?). And very mixed reviews…
Not sure what to buy.

Who uses one and which model is recommended?

streborx

Totally agree! Worse yet, the Chinese own the OBD scanner market. Documentation on all brands is meager, and it's difficult to figure out what scanner is capable of performing what functions.

I bought a Topdon AD600 -- about $240 on Amazon. Reads/resets codes and sends a printed report, connects to wi-fi for updates (no PC connection needed). Topdon covers almost all car makes and isn't an annual subscription device. Topdon makes a full line of scanners -- however much you want to spend. Their product catalog at https://www.topdon.us/pages/topdon-catalog might help in choosing what you need. Topdon seems to be among the better quality scanners IMO.

When my battery died last year, it set off a chain reaction of error codes. After replacing the battery, it took about 3 reset iterations to clear them all, but the AD600 accomplished the task.

There are a couple brands that make MB specific scanners -- iCarsoft is one, but I know nothing about it.

Surge

Thanks! I’ll order the Topdon AD600.

Hodog16

I bought a Foxwell NT301 off Amazon last year when my 2022 had a check engine light a few weeks into ownership.

Worked fine and confirmed it was a bad thermostat which was covered under warranty. Felt good to be able to go into the dealership letting them know the likely problem.

streborx

Let us know what you find after scanning. My G550 is the same vintage as yours, and if there's something about to happen a bit of advance notice is always helpful!

Surge

I ended up getting the TOPDON AD900 Lite as it was not much more expensive than the other model, and it allows 2 way communication with the vehicle.

A number of codes came up, I was able to clear most but two that remained are:
Motor Electronics(ME)
• P240700 - The pump in the diagnostic module of the evaporative emission control system has a sporadic malfunction.

PTCU-Control Unit “Powertrain”
• U02A987 - Communication with coolant pump 1 of the charge air cooler has a malfunction. The message is missing.
• U02A902 - Communication with coolant pump 1 of the charge air cooler has a malfunction. There is a general signal fault.

Not concerned about the first one, but the second may be, although it seems like it’s a signal fault. And the Cooltant temp is Normal.

I was not expecting issues 1 month after the warranty ended, after having ZERO mechanical issues in the first 4 years and 35,000 miles.

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

obd readers are worthless for extended repairs
it's a good tool for people who just want to take a look and have professionals repair

streborx

Good choice upgrading. I just received a Black Friday promotion from Topdon -- 15% off, so I'm thinking about buying a 2-way version also.

Thanks for sharing the diagnostic codes. I assume you've had the last recall 23V097 (the one dealing with the possible wire harness chafing) performed, although it mentioned systems other than the charge air cooler possibly being affected. If not, maybe there's a comms cable in the same harness (?).

I run a diagnostic test every 4-6 weeks (even though no CEL triggers) just to see if anything unusual is going on. I have received unexpected error messages that seem unusual (and absent a CEL), such as "The switch 'brake light' has a malfunction. The signal comparison is faulty". I clear the codes, re-run the diagnostic scan, and then re-run it again after driving the car. When the codes don't reappear, I write them off as errors themselves. Did you try driving the car a short distance and then try again clearing the codes? My dead battery experience seemed to indicate error codes cascade, and once some codes get cleared, other codes can be cleared, but driving the car in between might be necessary so that all systems are activated and normalized. If the codes and CEL remain, I guess it's a trip to the dealer.

streborx

I ordered an AD900BT at the Black Friday $484 promotional pricing. Its description states it has ECU coding capability for customizing a vehicle's settings. I'll follow up with comments about what's possible.

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

good luck!

streborx

Thanks! Like I always tell my dentist, hope not to see you.

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

084runnerltd

I disagree, I have own about 5 of the cheap readers <$250.00 and finally stepped up and bought and Autel 906. It has saved me thousands over the past couple of years.

I guess if someone isn’t willing to do the repair themselves it is kind of worthless, but if you are semi-handy, their great.

BenzNinja

iTrader: (4)

you have been lucky, believe me on new headlights coding, your Autel will fail, even the $3500 fails