I am wondering if there are any decent diagnostic/service scan tools available that would be useful for a 2006 E320 CDI. Mercedes Star is definitely not feasible because I just have one benz. Has anyone here had a positive experience with any of the aftermarket tools? I was looking at the Autel MD808PRO and the MX808. I'm not sure how much the subscription costs after the first year. The basic expectations I have for a diagnostic tool is to read and clear codes, and to do things like deactivate the SBC to change brake pads. Currently my check engine light and glow plug light are on. An indy mechanic says its because I either have a bad glow plug module or a bad glow plug or both. I would love to have a tool that I could use to try and diagnose exactly what is going on with my glow plugs. Even if there isn't a decent affordable tool capable of diagnosing my glow plugs I would still like at the very least to have something that I can plug in and make sure no new errors have presented, because when my check engine light is on I worry that some new problem could arise without alerting me because the light is already on. Basically I would love to have something that works for some fairly common problems without having a huge annual subscription fee. One other concern I have is the possibility of corrupting/crashing the ECM or some other computer in the car because I used a cheap aftermarket tool. I don't know if thats even possible but it would be my luck. Let me know what you guy think. Thanks

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2006 E320CDI- current dd
1999 E300TD - retired
Wilmington, NC USA

I have used the iCarSoft MB II for years and am very pleased with it. While it can't do everything Star can do, it's pretty comprehensive. Now there's version 3.0. I think it's a good investment for $150 or so. No subscription needed. Others will recommend Foxwell, which I'm sure is just as good.

That said, I still think Star would be a good investment, even if just working on one car. I've never regretted having both the iCarSoft and Star. I have no doubt Star will save me money in the long run...plus it's fun!

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

I just got iCarsoft MB 3.0 for my 2010 e550 and it is great for the price. It does about everything I need it to do...resets, calibrations, some diagnostic tests, and live data readout.

For the price, hard to beat. If you need deeper tech invest in a star system.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Thanks for the info...

1. How much might I expect to spend annually on Star subscription/update fees?

2. I noticed on the icarsoft website the SBC system was mentioned on the V2.0 page but I did not see any mention of it on the V3.0 page. Is the 3.0 backwards compatible with the 2.0? additionally, I have something going on with either my glow plug module, and/or one or more of my glow plugs. Does anyone know if the icarsoft mb v.2.0 or v3.0 is capable of diagnosing glow plug systems?

Thanks

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2006 E320CDI- current dd
1999 E300TD - retired
Wilmington, NC USA

Just buy Star once from an Ebay seller....no annual updates.

IIRC, the OBD2 functionality alone should be able to tell you what's going on with the glow plugs. So iCarSoft certainly should.

FYI the relay is a real pain to replace. I was hoping to do it myself, even rented a lift. But I gave up....

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

If you’re just starting out doing diagnostics, get the cheapest obd2 reader. $10-20 gets you a bluetooth reader that you can read on your phone. ELM327 (for android, there’s another for iphone)

This will cover 90% of your issues…glow plug definitely. The code will even tell you which glow plug.

Working on sbc brakes…just disconnect the large connector at sbc unit before doing work, and reconnect when done (before you put key in)

Glow plug controller is definitely a pain, but i had that issue only on one car (out of 4).

Mark

I ended up getting the icarsoft MB 3.0. I couldn't find an affordable star system on ebay, I will check back periodically to see if I can find one. I also don't know exactly what I'm looking at when it comes to Star and what the difference is between Star and Xentry. Anyway I used the icarsoft to do an OBD2 scan and this is what its showing-
OBD_EN_TEST_00001>Read Codes:
Total Number : 1
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
P0683 1/1
Stored
Glow Plug Control Module 1 to PCM Communication Circuit

I also used the icarsoft to scan the ECM and this is what I got-
BENZ_EN_TEST_00002>VIN Identify>Auto Scan>ECM - Engine Control Module(CDI 3)>Read Fault Code:
Total Number : 2
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2538-4 1/2
State: Current and Historic
Check Component N14/2(Glow Output Stage). Communication Fault
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2513-1 2/2
State: Historic
Check Component M55(Inlet Port Shutoff Motor). Positioner Signals Fault.

I cleared the codes and the glow plug code returned the next time I started the engine. The historic 2513-1 code is gone. Would these results be pretty conclusive that the module is bad? I had an indy mechanic tell me that either bad glow plug could throw the module code, or a bad module could throw a bad plug code, I can't remember exactly which he said...

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2006 E320CDI- current dd
1999 E300TD - retired
Wilmington, NC USA

Yes, I'm pretty sure that N14/2 means the module is bad. When I had that exact code replacing the module solved the problem.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife