Thanks again, another nugget to add to my body of knowledge. If I decide to take the plunge and move up to a 210 or 163, this sounds like a good investment. Might also be very useful with my 124 cabriolet. ------------- Max Charleston SC
On Sun, Oct 14, 2018 at 7:57 AM Dan Penoff via Mercedes < mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > Thanks for asking - good question. > > Two areas that I have found with the Snap-On scanner that compare with the > Xentry are the engine and transmission section. Very detailed, goes into > all the individual component level areas in both sections, such as ignition > firing time for each cylinder or fill times for clutches in the > transmission. > > Areas where it lacks: SRS, ACC, body > > At least this is what I have found so far. > > You can get software cartridges that cover up to 2003 that are retroactive > all the way back to the late W126 and early W124 that read the LED > “blinker” systems, so with a W210 chassis and older you’re good. You need > the scanner, a cable with the 38 pin connector (MB-1) and at least three > “personality keys”, S-20, S-33 and S-34. The cable can be found for around > $20-$25, the personality keys for under $10/each, and the Mercedes software > card about $50-$75. > > If you do like I did and buy a setup that has all the stuff, you’ll > typically find most have a bunch of domestic software cartridges, cables > and personality keys. I listed all of this on eBay and have sold most of > it off, more than paying for my scanner and the additional items I had to > buy for it to work with a Mercedes. Again, as I mentioned previously, one > nice aspect of this is that if you have other makes of cars in the driveway > of similar vintage you can get the software and cables for them, too. > > The personality keys are how they get around a mux. The cable that > connects to the car has a slot in it where you insert a particular > personality key based on what you want to see in the way of a specific > system. When you scroll to that system, say “Engine” in the scanner, it > will tell you what key to insert in the slot. This “programs” the cable in > an analog fashion so it connects to the correct pins in the 38 pin > connector. > > I like this setup as it’s powered by the car, is small and lightweight and > doesn’t require external power. It’s far easier to set up and run compared > to the Xentry system as well, however, it does not cover nearly as much as > the Xentry with the different systems of the car and is not as > interactive. On the other hand. the color version of the scanner, the > MTG2500, does real time graphing, which would be nice for troubleshooting a > problem with the car on the road or running. This would be comparable to > the “actual values” section of Xentry only you can see the data as it comes > in over time. > > -D > > > > On Oct 14, 2018, at 7:28 AM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes < > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > > > Thanks Dan, good info to squirrel away for later. > > > > When you say "not as good", can you put some color on that? > > ------------- > > Max > > Charleston SC > > > > > > On Sat, Oct 13, 2018 at 8:30 PM Dan Penoff via Mercedes < > > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > > >> For those that might be interested, I’ve found that the Snap-On MT2500 > and > >> MTG2500 (color version) scanners are quite inexpensive and relatively > easy > >> to use compared to the Xentry systems with the computer, mux and cables. > >> > >> I recently bought an MTG2500 on eBay for around $165. I had to spend > >> maybe another $150 on Mercedes software, cables and “personality keys”, > but > >> I’ve sold all the software modules, cables and personality keys that > came > >> with the scanner I bought and have ended up covering what I spent for > mine > >> and making money on top of it. > >> > >> It’s not as good as the Xentry system, but it’s a lot easier to use, > >> especially if you want to drive the car with the scanner connected to > see > >> things like engine and transmission data. I bought one because it’s a > heck > >> of a lot easier to use in the field when you go to look at a car. You > >> don’t have to mess with all the Xentry stuff and find a power source. > >> > >> Not only that, if you have other cars in your driveway besides Mercedes > >> you can get the software and cables for them, too. > >> > >> -D > >> _______________________________________ > >> http://www.okiebenz.com > >> > >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >> > >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >> > >> > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
