krazzdav

agree 100 with you; for some reason on my mobile all those reviews weren't showing up very easily but yes it is a shame sellers change manufacturers.

also not sure if the user talking about scanning old cars with the 38 pin is a quality problem with the mux itself or just compatibility. The C3 may be the only way to go for older vehicles just like a C4 on newer vehicles though you can get HHT to work from what I understand on the C4.

bobterry99

Someone was looking for a recommended C3 kit. This kit does not explicitly mention new relays, but the feedback reports that the electronics are of good quality. And at $188, I would buy it even if the relays are old.

MarkCan

After some more research I ordered the C4.
Will report back when it arrives.

tydriver

I guess I'll toss in my experience. I bought a C3 (2015) from this seller:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3295...4e4b4c4dyfSolS

$400 (+ $15 Paypal charge, but worth it not to give out my credit card info). It arrived quickly via DHL. I found a video on YouTube that stepped me through setting up the keycodes. Without the video, I would have been lost. But, with the video as a guide, everything is working perfectly. Keyless Go diagnosed and fixed. ABC code diagnosed and fixed. AC flap actuators diagnosed and fixed. Interior temp sensor diagnosed and fixed. SBC hold turned on. Cooling fan % commanded by AC increased. And I am still a rookie.

NHSl550

I want to buy a c3 unit complete with laptop and everything installed and ready to go. Can anyone direct me in the right direction?

bobterry99

This makes no sense to me. You'll pay a premium of perhaps $100 or more to avoid having to install a hard drive and software keys -- tasks which are quick and easy to do and indeed have been done by countless members of this and other forums.

Now, I do understand that there are some people who may find the setup daunting, but in a sense the setup is a litmus test: if the setup task is too difficult for someone, then learning use of the software and diagnosing car problems may simply be too great a challenge.

NHSl550

[QUOTE=bobterry99;7815137]This makes no sense to me. You'll pay a premium of perhaps $100 or more to avoid having to install a hard drive and software keys -- tasks which are quick and easy to do and indeed have been done by countless members of this and other forums.

Now, I do understand that there are some people who may find the setup daunting, but in a sense the setup is a litmus test: if the setup task is too difficult for someone, then learning use of the software and diagnosing car problems may simply be too great a challenge.[/QUOTE

I just don't want to deal with it. Is there a problem with that?

bobterry99

I really couldn't care less what you buy, because my post was written for anyone considering the purchase of a complete system which includes a laptop PC. A shopper who is aware how easy it is to setup a Dell D630 will rationally choose to buy it from eBay or some other inexpensive source.

850csi

Bob, (or anyone else) — any advice on picking a good one? Having trouble distinguishing.

bobterry99

You have to first decide if you want a C3 or a C4 based upon your needs as krazzdav summarized in post #12. Then go to dhgate.com and/or aliexpress.com and try to find something that appears to be well manufactured based upon what you see in the ad and buyer feedback.

It seems like MarkCan found a good C4, though if you look around you might find something which looks comparable at a significantly better price.

For a C3, this looks pretty good either with or without the software. The relays may not be new, but recently I haven't seen any product advertising new relays, so maybe they are not to be had.

Rudeney

I think one of the challenges in recommending any given seller of SDS is that one who delivers an excellent unit today may ship crap tomorrow. There is just no quality control with these "secondary market" Chinese sellers.

Leej

As always, the wise advice by @Rudeney and @bobterry99 (and others) is spot on. It's hard to recommend a specific seller or setup, as there are numerous options.

As someone who barely passed the litmus test @bobterry99 refers to (I'm not sure I passed, more like cheated with the help of others...), I would add the suggestion that you buy from a seller who has sold several units and specializes in OBD type tools (or maybe has "ODB" in the seller name), as these types of sellers will be more likely to help you get set up and support you. I had some issues and the seller (in China) was happy to log in to my laptop using team viewer and resolve the issues. It was a little difficult contacting them and getting a time when they could log in to the laptop due to the time difference and language issue, but they were awesome in getting it set up.

It is a pretty steep learning curve and is not something you simply plug in and pull codes like a simple generic OBD code reader (it takes several minutes to boot up and launch the software), and I still consider myself a complete idiot when using it, but it is an invaluable tool. If mine crashed today, I would not hesitate to replace whatever is needed.

I took Bobterry99's advice and bought a Dell 630 from ebay, C3 & HDD from aliexpress from a seller that appeared to specialize in OBD tools. I learned a lot from the set up process and was glad I did it that way (not just because it was cheaper, but it helped me learn about the software and system), and I learn something new every time I start SDS up.

I originally intended SDS for use with my R230, however I was recently looking for a car for my two sons who will be driving soon. I wanted something safe, reliable, and something they could work on. I thought an older high mileage W211 E320 would be good. I found one from a private seller, and before buying, I asked if I could plug up my OBD tool and spend some time; they said sure, expecting me to pull out a simple code reader. I spent about an hour looking at all the codes and info (it had a ton of stored faults, and a couple of current faults)... When the seller saw all of the fault codes and info, he offered (without me asking) to drop our already agreed upon price by another $600, which more than paid for the SDS setup...

As has already been said:
1. decide if you want C3 or C4
2. decide if you want a complete system (more expensive), or source a laptop separately from ebay or elsewhere (I recommend Dell 630) and source MUX and HDD (I like aliexpress)
3. pick a seller that has sold several units and/or appears to be in the OBD business that can provide support if needed
4. Be patient with yourself in getting it set up and learning to use it.

Hope this helps.

doug1754

Hey I have the laptop that works with the C3 setup. If you buy the one that comes with the HDD, I have the laptop and the power cord. I used this with the C3 system I had. Let me know if you're interested.

bobterry99

Presuming what you have is a Dell D630, a fair price would be about $50 with you paying the shipping unless you are including the hard drive with the Star Diagnosis software installed.

I needed another Dell, and two nights ago paid $38 + $13 shipping = $51. There were perhaps two dozen priced below $55 shipped on eBay.

MarkCan

My system is here and I’ll be setting it up today.
https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...ml#post7826272

Dhunch22

ok, i bit the bullet and ordered a C4 system and a software on an SSD.
while i wait for the delivery, i do have a question. do i need to get a Dell 630 to run this thing or can it be a different laptop?
i am just wondering because if it can be a better/faster laptop, what can i use besides 630?

thank you!

kbob999

My C4 uses the LAN cable, so no COMM1 port (for the C3) is required. This means it will likely work on any PC.
See what the others have to say.

bobterry99

I think that depends upon how the hard drive you purchased is configured; i.e., is it pre-configured to run on a Dell D630 or not.

You can find machines that are "better" than the Dell if weight or battery life is a factor, but in terms of speed I don't think it can be significantly improved upon.

Dhunch22

i ended up purchasing the same thing that Mark did (SSD version) and i read through whole description on their site and nothing
i read said anything about specific laptop
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3288...00000000000000

Dhunch22

Mark,

what laptop did you end up using?
thank you!

Dhunch22

bump.. anyone?

850csi

Guys, I'm considering going with this unit (need a C3):

Any thoughts?

Best Quality MB Star C3 Pro Diagnostic tool NEC Relays MB Star C3 Multiplexer with HDD Software 2019.09V full set for car/truck

Seller has been around for a few years, advertises new relays, and I don't see any bad reviews. Wants $230 for the multiplexer/cables + HDD.

bobterry99

The hardware looks good, but it seems the hard drive is not pre-configured for a Dell D630. Consequently, it will run relatively slower, and setup may be more complex -- or not -- I don't know.

I'd find another seller or buy the hardware from this seller and source the hard drive elsewhere. If you have no success at all, reply back to this thread.

Rudeney

Since it states that the software runs on any computer, I suspect it uses a virtual machine under VMWare. Personally, I prefer that over a dedicated system. There are several reasons.why. First of all, I keep the original HDD and just copy the files to my computer's hard drive. That way, I can always restore it to "factory state" if I hose it up by poking around with things. Also, i can put a copy on my good laptop and desktop to use for research (in WIS, EPC, Xentry demo mode, etc). As for speed issues, I have SSDs in all my computers (including the Dell D630 in the garage) and the virtualized system runs just fine that way.

danmm7

This is a great discussion. Very helpful.

I bought my C3 MUX + SSD from AliExpress about 8 months ago, i installed it on a dedicated Dell laptop ($60 from ebay) and with one remote session with the seller, i got everything to work in no time.
No issues so far, but i have no idea what grade/quality my MUX is. Seller seemed reliable, with many good reviews, "obd" in his name, etc... and he was good at communicating post sale.

MY biggest question is.... can i make changes to car settings and save them with my STAR system? People talk about having 'developer mode' enabled, additional keys, etc and I, being a real newbie to STAR, have no idea what my system came with.

How can i check if it has dev mode enabled?

When i was troubleshooting my ABC issues (bad valves, etc) ... i was able to lower and raise individual corners, did a few rodeos, all basic diagnostics stuff and sequences worked..... and i did find out the failing part(s).


However, if i wanted to permanently lower the car by adjusting all corners to a lower lever, i am not sure if my version of STAR can do it. Not even sure where/how to check if such changes are supported.
Is there anything specific in the STAR configuration that i need to look for?


Thanks!