service diagnostic fiche question - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

cth350 · #1 07-19-2004, 12:12 AM

I've just been going through a friend's collection of service fiche for him, culling out his outdated films (I'm a nice guy, this is tedious work). There's something about his diagnostic fiche I don't understand.

Perhaps he's sloppy, but he can't be this sloppy. Benz seems to have shipped lots and lots of updates to the diagnostics fiche. He latest is revision 79, dated 8/97 (see attached photo). He also has revisions 78, 75, 74, and dozens of others.

The vast majority are like this photo, missing a film #1. From 1986 to 97, he has two dozen sets of these films, and only one has a film #1. In fact, it has two, a "Diagnostics Directory 1" and a "1A".

Those two films cover groups 01-98, as do the films 2-5. I presume that these two films are sort of a master index, and the other films are the details. And, like all the other updated microfiche throught the system, the 2-5 pages have been updated often, while the films 1/1A have been updated rarely.

Sound about right?

Also, if anybody has the nicely formatted memo from Mercedes that lists the complete set of films available as-of 1995, 96, 97 or 98, I'd love a xerox of it. I have them for earlier film sets. It would make my cataloging this fiche a heck of a lot simpler.

Thanks. -CTH

cth350 · #2 07-19-2004, 12:15 AM

Hmm, the picture went away (musta been due to the preview). -CTH

mbdoc · #3 07-19-2004, 08:09 AM

That is the last version(9/97) of that type of microfische! The correct number 1 & 1a are from 3/97.
MB then changed the format & that ran until 11/2000. Now all info like that is on WIS only

MrCjames · #4 07-19-2004, 11:40 AM

You may want to keep all of the DD fiche as some information was printed on a particular revision and that was it. I believe it may have been intended to be an ongoing updateable system, just did not pan out that way. This may have been due in part to the amount of updates that were being published on a monthly basis.

A lot of coveted repairs on the early versions of the DD, (priceless)

cth350 · #5 07-20-2004, 02:58 PM

yeah, I was not looking forward to comparing the many versions to see what got dropped. I figured there were way to many versions from 86 to 97 to have all the data be preserved on 5 films.

Thanks for your help guys. -CTH

Gilly · #6 07-20-2004, 09:16 PM

Stuff looks vaguely familiar

.
I think, but not positive, that DD1 is for even older models than are listed on the ones you have there, or at least are older topics.

Gilly

cth350 · #7 07-21-2004, 07:38 AM

Gilly, this is from a different pile. These are just a short term loan from a friend who can't organize technical documentation anywhere near as well as he can fix my dear old 600. -CTH

Gilly · #8 07-21-2004, 05:30 PM

Charles
What would help you and your friend TREMENDOUSLY is what is called the "Validity List". MB would send these out from time to time, usually with a fiche update. It's just a bunch of stapled-together sheets which show exactly how the fiches are to be filed, and shows the date/number of the current fiche. Looks more or less like a black and white "drawing" of how the fiche pages should look.
I'm not 100% certain, but I think MB mailed out what I believe they said was the "final" microfiche Validity List. I may have access to the one at the shop I worked at.

Gilly

cth350 · #9 07-22-2004, 08:41 PM

Gilly, that's exactly what I'm looking for. The most recent I have is from 1994. Any intermediate versions, so I can track history would be greatly appreciated. -CTH

Gilly · #10 07-22-2004, 11:09 PM

Charles
I should be able to get the latest, if I'm lucky. In some of the piles of stuff in the basement I may have some intermediate versions, rather doubt it, but maybe. They'd be hard to find, typically once you got a new one the old one was pitched. I would think the latest version would be the most useful.......

Gilly