Mercedes Star diagnostic clones

[jmp49]

Bit of a niche question, but has anyone got any personal experience of the chinese STAR clones on ali express etc, ie the ones that come with a VCI interface and a clone of a hard disk, any specific chipsets to look for on the pcb in the ad's so they actually work etc and if they cover the older stuff better etc?
I'd ask on a merc specific forum, but in the past one make forums tend to shut down discussion on non oem supplied diagnostics quickly because they have specialists who have the real thing.

I have to get something because I bought my wife a 97 SLK R170 as a cheap project to tidy up ready for her birthday, it currently is ok and has a fresh mot but is 28 years old and covered with electronics systems and it has only 1 working key, so will require new passive coding to the immobiliser etc and the ignition lock barrel is horrible so will need attention, apart from that its cosmetics (wheels, flaked lacquer) and broken trim inside (plastic welding...)
I don't see any scenario when I want to get into using it for other people's vehicles but I'd like to avoid the unpleasant experience of having to booking a appointment at the nearest Mercedes dealer to have a STAR fault code run at 160 quid for a diagnostic print out with a issue in some mercedes specific sub module not covered with a generic scanner and driving 45 minutes each way to have them look down their noses at me dressed in teeshirt, jeans and boots.

 

[Dcal]

Calling @JOEPRO

 

[JOEPRO]

Yes I have had alot of these systems. I will start by saying AVOID the higher priced kits from UK vendors. They are just charging extra and will offer zero actual support on these systems they are just peddling ali express kits for extra £.

I have had a C2 kit which still works. I had issues with it before buying from UK vendor. Then, I located a 500E board forum member in Russia who fully rebuilt it for me with genuine high quality chips. It still works great. I also have a C3 Mux kit and Panasonic toughbook that Yuri built for me. (He specialises in MB Mux's and works for Diamler) However paypal etc is blocked to Russia at the moment but if you really want his details let me know. He could send the system via Turkey to it to UK.

I require C2 Mux so it has capability of older Mercedes diagnostics. HHT win. And C3 for newer cars. Never used any newer Muxes than that which are purely China design.

In terms of software, I can do offline coding using either mux for cars up to about 2012 year at a guess. Anything newer than that is dealer only nowadays as MB stopped other licences, making online connecting to mothership essential as far as I am aware. (Could be wrong)

Besides coding, you want the Star systems for diagnostics as they are the only proper system to get into every module and be able to carry out guided tests. Plus having access to factory procedures and parts catalogues is very handy.

The carsoft MB systems are pants - avoid. There is another cheaper ob2 diagnostics system I have which is very good - autel. It is specifically recommended for mercedes - can look up the model if you are interested in that at around £120 VS hundreds for a Star setup.

 

[jmp49]

Thanks for your reply, that all makes perfect sense. I'm firmly onboard with getting one of the ali express clone systems, rather than a carsoft or autel or buying from a local reseller.

I dont want newer than 2012, and it'll only be to work on my own cars so c3 sounds the ticket, although eventually something which uses HHT might popup in future. Right now I just envisage covering the 1997 SLK, but my son is dreaming of eventually buying a early/mid 2000's kompressor in a year or two (I'm not sure he's made of the same irresponsible hooligan material that I am but hey ho, each to their own...) I'm not at all interested in working on more modern cars and none of them can afford a newer than that Mercedes anyway, and if they suddenly can then the garage of dad certainly won't be doing any unpaid work on it out of pity.

I was looking at getting this one with the cloned ssd. I'm hoping because they are making a big point about the chipset being fully populated, and a stable crystal oscillator and importing quality relays means they know the issues people have with cheaper clones which cause the timing errors when conversing in the mux that it sounds like Yuri fixed for you, and they've bothered to use the right components. The question becomes if that's genuinely better, or its just marketing and theyre just as crap as everyone elses but more expensive.

MB STAR C3 multiplexer Car Diagnostic Tool pro SD connect scanner for Panasonic CF-19 Laptop with HDD Software for car trucks - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[JOEPRO]

Thanks for your reply, that all makes perfect sense. I'm firmly onboard with getting one of the ali express clone systems, rather than a carsoft or autel or buying from a local reseller.

I dont want newer than 2012, and it'll only be to work on my own cars so c3 sounds the ticket, although eventually something which uses HHT might popup in future. Right now I just envisage covering the 1997 SLK, but my son is dreaming of eventually buying a early/mid 2000's kompressor in a year or two (I'm not sure he's made of the same irresponsible hooligan material that I am but hey ho, each to their own...) I'm not at all interested in working on more modern cars and none of them can afford a newer than that Mercedes anyway, and if they suddenly can then the garage of dad certainly won't be doing any unpaid work on it out of pity.

I was looking at getting this one with the cloned ssd. I'm hoping because they are making a big point about the chipset being fully populated, and a stable crystal oscillator and importing quality relays means they know the issues people have with cheaper clones which cause the timing errors when conversing in the mux that it sounds like Yuri fixed for you, and they've bothered to use the right components. The question becomes if that's genuinely better, or its just marketing and theyre just as crap as everyone elses but more expensive.

MB STAR C3 multiplexer Car Diagnostic Tool pro SD connect scanner for Panasonic CF-19 Laptop with HDD Software for car trucks - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

If getting that one get it complete with the laptop ready to go. The software is a total PITA to get going yourself.

Ps apologies also - I mixed up my terminology. I meant I use a C3 older system and also a C4 later system. For the year of car you have there the C3 is ideal anyway. Do you know does the car have OB2? (My 1996 W140 doesn't for example)

Re C3 mux - these are videos Yuri sent me at the time that I added to my you tube account worth a watch for more info

 

[m_c]

I've still got a Xentry C5 Truck system buried in the workshop, which I'm not sure what to do with.

 

[jmp49]

If getting that one get it complete with the laptop ready to go. The software is a total PITA to get going yourself.

Ps apologies also - I mixed up my terminology. I meant I use a C3 older system and also a C4 later system. For the year of car you have there the C3 is ideal anyway. Do you know does the car have OB2? (My 1996 W140 doesn't for example)

Re C3 mux - these are videos Yuri sent me at the time that I added to my you tube account worth a watch for more info

Obscure software config is right in my wheelhouse, so I'm going to do the thing I wouldnt recommend to others & buy it without the bundled toughbook. I'll either clone the ssd into a kvm virtual machine instance or I'll find a predone vmware one and convert it to kvm so it can live on the diagnostics laptop with the other manufacturer's diagnostics I use. If all else fails I have a old thinkbook that can become the host using the ssd as a backup plan.
Putting suspicious programs (malware analysis...) in virtual machines to study them without the program realizing and triggering protection mechanisms is part of my professional skillset and odds on any image is going to be completely untrustworthy and wanting to dial home to china, so I hope I can keep it in a kvm jail offline and just give it serial comms privileges instead.

Understood on the C4 vs C3, I found a thread on benz.org after your post when trying to wrap my head round the specifics Mercedes use to describe versioning, and it explained the era's and what was needed. As you already know, the wifi enabled systems on aliexpress are for the c4 onwards stuff, but MB stepped up their anti clone game and its awkward to get it set up as a result with a lot of pitfalls. I really do want mine only for older stuff and I'm happy to just have a big cable, so I'll avoid that mess completely as you say C3 support is great for that era.

The SLK R170 is obd2, but for only the basic legally mandated obd2 data generic standard, if its similar to other older obd2 stuff, the main basic obd2 communications happens on the standard pin to comply with legislation, but to access different modules, the diagnostics interface has to switch what pin it talks on in the obd2 plug to reach the bus for that specific hardware module for communications. In the opcom and lexia-3 boxes you can hear the relays flicking between pins when it starts talking to different modules and buses and I imagine all the relays in the linked aliexpress box is doing the same. Which is why its important to have good quality relays for the data path switching as bad relay contacts for low power data comms = flaky interface, along with a really stable clock signal to time the bus communications.

My understanding of it is in newer obd2 stuff all the different modules communication bus's are all muliplexed onto one data pin, and as long as the interface box knows the protocol and speed to decode the relevant mux, it can communicate without having to switch pins in the plug by switching the selected mux instead, which means less wires to the diagnostics plug & in the car = cheaper to make but also makes diagnosis interfaces more awkward to implement, which suits them too but less so people trying to diagnose their own stuff as you have to know the correct protocol, speed, and the specific verbs in use by that one manufacturer for that specific model and module.

I watched the videos, and I agree using a aftermarket amphenol clone plug and a plugged in idc cable or having the mosfet heatsink not bonded the main board are not the same quality as the original and if its to be used in a commercial workshop, the box wont be as robust. But for my use as long as the relays are the japanese quality they say they are in that ad, I think I'm comfortable taking the gamble and treating it appropriately. For the stickers being loose and not applied to sidestep licensing issues, this is common. If they are applied, its a complete unlicensed copy, if not its a generic interface that just happens to come with some stickers in the box. I've had the same with other interfaces previous.

This SLK still has a round Mercedes specific obd2 socket but under the bonnet under a rubber cap next to the (in)famous k40 relay box housing(the source of 90% of underbonnet electronics issues in the early SLK), not a socket inside the cab like the SLK R171 and later variants so diagnosis while driving down the road is out anyway unless its with a big cable duct taped to the windscreen and the hard top down, its different (larger) to the round mb specific one my late 90's era sprinter had that I still have the adaptor cable for, but a simple plug adaptor came on saturday which fits this one specific one so I'll plug in a basic elm327 obd2 reader and see if it works for really basic stuff, which can be useful for out and about if the adaptor cable and a interface is in the boot somewhere.

M_C, a working xentry c5, I imagine some people who have newer stuff to work on would tear your hand off if you offered it up for sale. I'm deliberately not getting kit to cover newer stuff because I already end up having to do stuff for other people too often and it might only lead to even more of my free time being absorbed, and I'm not that into having a newer car or van myself.