Diagnostic scanner advice 2002 SL 55 AMG - iCarsoft or Star?

[CamaroKid]

Hi,

New to the forum and apologise for another thread on diagnostic scanners.
I have searched, but still have questions regarding what type to buy.

My dad just bought a 2002 SL 55 AMG with a Black Series body kit, and it has some issues.
I have only seen it once at the auction site, and don't know much about it yet.
The car will be picked up in two weeks.

Known problems:
- Engine is running rough
- Air suspension has faults. Probably a leak.
- One of the side windows are faulty
- Roof is faulty - don't know if it moves at all

These faults and probably more need to be scanned.
I see you mostly recommend the iCarsoft.
I am a fairly experienced DIY garage person.

The scanners I have looked at:
- iCarsoft MB v2.0 - avoid fakes - got it!
- Star Diagnostic pc and cables from eBay

Questions:
Will the iCarsoft MB v2.0 read everything I need for these tasks and future fun?
Is the Star diagnostic too advanced for a DIY'er?

If you recommend the star, please see the link below. Is this all I need, and what's it worth?
MB STAR C3 D-A-S Xen-try EPC WIS 2019.09Diagnostic tool+D630 DIAGNOSTIC LAPTOP | eBay


Thanks for all answers,

Kai
Norway

 

[Petrol Pete]

I have an iCarsoft MB11 and it works just fine for my DIY needs, obviously a Star system like the one you show here is far superior IF it is the correct one and you know how to use it. I think the bidding is going to take the price way above the cost an icarsoft unit.

The iCarsoft comes with lifetime (online) upgrades - as long as you buy from a reliable source - The MB Star ?? not sure, but someone here will be along soon to help out. Good luck

And Welcome along.

 

[markjay]

I have an iCarsoft MB11 and it works just fine for my DIY needs, obviously a Star system like the one you show here is far superior IF it is the correct one and you know how to use it. I think the bidding is going to take the price way above the cost an icarsoft unit.

The iCarsoft comes with lifetime (online) upgrades - as long as you buy from a reliable source - The MB Star ?? not sure, but someone here will be along soon to help out. Good luck

And Welcome along.

The 'affordable' STAR system will likely be a clone... with a version of the software hacked and frozen in time. This is before even considering the legality (or lack of...).

 

[Justintyme]

Hi,

New to the forum and apologise for another thread on diagnostic scanners.
I have searched, but still have questions regarding what type to buy.

My dad just bought a 2002 SL 55 AMG with a Black Series body kit, and it has some issues.
I have only seen it once at the auction site, and don't know much about it yet.
The car will be picked up in two weeks.

Known problems:
- Engine is running rough
- Air suspension has faults. Probably a leak.
- One of the side windows are faulty
- Roof is faulty - don't know if it moves at all

These faults and probably more need to be scanned.
I see you mostly recommend the iCarsoft.
I am a fairly experienced DIY garage person.

The scanners I have looked at:
- iCarsoft MB v2.0 - avoid fakes - got it!
- Star Diagnostic pc and cables from eBay

Questions:
Will the iCarsoft MB v2.0 read everything I need for these tasks and future fun?
Is the Star diagnostic too advanced for a DIY'er?

If you recommend the star, please see the link below. Is this all I need, and what's it worth?
MB STAR C3 D-A-S Xen-try EPC WIS 2019.09Diagnostic tool+D630 DIAGNOSTIC LAPTOP | eBay


Thanks for all answers,

Kai
Norway

Stick with the iCarsoft,,,it will do the job for you, and will not go that deep that you can do damage. Will give you the fault codes, and then you can investigate further. Would be my choice if I was in your position, ( BTW, I have the iCarsoft 11 myself, and find it does the job well )

 

[DSM10000]

Stick with the iCarsoft,,,it will do the job for you, and will not go that deep that you can do damage. Will give you the fault codes, and then you can investigate further. Would be my choice if I was in your position, ( BTW, I have the iCarsoft 11 myself, and find it does the job well )

I agree with the above 100%

 

[Petrol Pete]

Yes, as I said if you know what you are doing Star will be best, but as others have said you can do a lot of damage with it as well. I work in industry and have a saying.

"If you want to fruck something up use a big hammer, if you want to really fruck it up...use a laptop"

 

[alabbasi]

I'm going to assume that the OP is not an idiot go against the grain. Get the star if you're comfortable with it as it's always better buy more than you need because you might need more in the future.

If you're just reading codes, reading codes and a star won't damage anything. You will have the ability to program in the future should you need to and you'll also get repair instructions (more like hints) and access to the electronic parts catalog which is very handy, as they come bundled with most hard drives.

It does require a little technical know how to set up which you need to be comfortable with but nothing too crazy.

The icarsoft has some benefits in that it's self contained and will be plug and play. It's also likely to be cheaper.

 

[CamaroKid]

Thanks for all your answers.
I wasn't comparing the two on economy. I totally understand that the Star is going to be at least twice the cost of the iCarsoft.
It seems like the iCarsoft is the safest and simplest choice, but if it can't diagnose the issues mentioned above I'll have to buy the Star anyway (copy or not).
I try to do all the work on my cars myself, but I don't plan on coding modules yet. I hope..

Can the iCarsoft diagnose the issues I mentioned?
Can it turn actuators on/off?
Can it code a new battery?

I looked at a video explaining the Star, and the user interface seems to be OK.
What is the typical cost for a computer and Star, like the auction I linked to?
Is C3 correct, and can I go for a C4 or C5 as well? I guess they're backwards compatible?

Kai

 

[alabbasi]

While I have not used an icarsoft, I doubt that it can code a battery or actuate anything. It's not bi-directional tool. I have an Autel DS708 that can do that. it's a little more expensive than a star SDS. I've not had to do anything on my cars that the Autel cannot handle, and it can handle other brands. I believe that the new model is a DS808 or MS906.

As far as star; the chinese C3 clones can either can with an external hard drive with a VM installed or an internal hard drive will need to work with an old IBM laptop which the seller will specify. Later clones that use wifi can also be sold with a Windows laptop. All would be backward compatible.

 

[Petrol Pete]

The iCarsoft can (obviously) read and clear DTC's , it can also read live data stream from just about any sensor on the car, steering wheel angle, oil temp, air con fan speed, position of seats, current being drawn by myriads of coils and motors, injector pressure...the list goes on and on. Oil light/service re set. You scroll through the menu and pick out your specific car and which engine (Smart/van) it asks if its auto or manual and asks if its LHD or RHD, so it is very focused on looking at just the car you have it plugged into at any given time.

I own a 145000 mile 13 year old V8 AMG and this is the best piece of kit I have ever owned, I plug it in now and again and have a mooch through whatever takes my fancy. Buy one , what have you got to lose ? If in the future you think you need Star you could always sell it on as it is constantly fresh due to free updates.

P.S you can not activate anything from it, so no remote winding windows up or opening roof etc

 

[Petrol Pete]

iCarsoft MBv2 can

• EPB open and close brake pads,read and clear EPB/SBC codes.
• Turn off ECU and brake warning lamp
• Diagnose EPB/SBC caliper functionality
• Reset the brake pad thickness.
• clear ABS fault lamps
• It can cycle the ABS solenoids during bi-directional testing
• Retrieves ABS/SRS ECU information etc
• ETC

And more besides, not bad for a few hundred quid.

 

[CamaroKid]

Thanks!

I think I'll try the iCarsoft first, and invest in Star later if needed