Car model and year: a UK Market, 2005 R230 350 SL.
Purpose:
I’m not that interested in coding, I just want to be able to fault find and diagnose problems. I’m quite happy to get bored with it if the car is running well lol.
Benz diagnostic scanner: Foxwell NT530
the one Foxwell NT530 I purchased has finally arrived and I'll do an unboxing and a review of what it does.
OK then had a chance to have my first play with the Foxwell.
Initial Background.
The Foxwell cost me 169usd and I bought mine from foxelltool.com. This is an authorized dealer with online technical support.
Got the unit, a carry case, some paperwork and manuals, a small USB Memory stick and a USB connection cable.
Set Up
1. Firstly you have to go to the Foxwell site and register yourself as a user. Quite a straightforward process. You also register the Foxwell using its unique serial number.
2. Once this is done you then have to download a Foxwell "Software Updater" programme to your computer. the programme is Windows only. It will not work on a Mac.
3. Then you connect the Foxwell to your computer with the supplied cable and can update the installed programs to the latest releases. At this point I have heard varying opinions so I can't state factually, but my belief is that the unit ships as a "Blank Canvas" with only generic OBD2 software. At time of purchase I bought "Mercedes" version and I think during the connection process and registration of serial number, it knows this is a Mercedes version and allows full installation of the Mercedes software.
All of the above process was clearly explained in the paperwork provided with the unit.
irst Use
I hooked up the Foxwell inside the car via the OBD2 port underneath the dash. The unit powered up and provided the following display. Note it appears that a full range of Mercedes cars and vans can be catered for, but I haven't looked for a complete list as yet, as I'm only currently interested in the R230.
From here I selected "Mercedes" and got this option.
And then "Benz" which took me here.
I went for "Smart Vin" option and got this.
And then it recognised my car and displayed the chassis number.
Selecting "complete" took me to this screen for model year.
And then finally to the interesting stuff.
I went for Quick Scan. the unit started working....... as you can see there are 59 modules that it is checking. As it runs it becomes clear that some of the 59 are not actually fitted on my car and when it reaches those it just moves on through.
It quickly became apparent there were a large number of Fault Codes being generated and this is a big difference to my iCarsoft which only found a few.
I ended up at this screen
I then decide to explore the codes and entered "read codes"
Here's an example of what was coming up
Notice there is a "Save" option. I didn't explore this to far but if you take the option it asks you to name a file. I'm assuming from there the file can be downloaded so you can print off your fault codes.
I then went back a stage and selected live data on one of the modules and got this:
And a switch position test.
I then tried clearing a few codes and retested and the fault clearance worked.
Then I thought I'll look at "Control Unit Adaptations". Got the following options which I'm not sure about so didn't go any further....
At that point I thought I'd see if a "Rodeo" option was available. Firstly I found the ABC module report, which happily shows no faults!!
Selected the module.....
Went for "Active Test" and hey presto there is the Rodeo option.
it's clear that I've only just scratched the surface of what the capabilities are. Welcome any feedback or questions/suggestions of what I can experiment with next.
I really like it as I'm a beginner at this sort of stuff and just dipping my toe in the water.
After plugging in the unit and going through the VIN No and model select process you come to this screen
I selected the "Oil Reset" option and got this option...
I stopped at this point as I didn't want to risk resetting service indicators, but it does seem that you are able to reset the service intervals in the car.
Next I thought I'd have a closer look at some of the control modules, so went back in the menus to here..
And selected "Control Modules" and got this.....
Selected "Drive" and up came the modules
Decided to look at "PSE Systems" as I'd recently fixed my PSE Pump with a new impeller...
Got this menu.
And then a series of stored codes, which I was expecting as my pump had previously failed.
I cleared the codes but then had a look at "Active Tests"
The following options came up. I used them all and they all worked the appropriate functions in the car.
I also got appropriate safety info as well
Then I went back some stages and had a quick look at "Chassis" modules
And thought I'd look at SBC
There were a number of routines available...
I thought the brake counter reset was something that gets mentioned on the forum so I'll have a look...
Got this for my car. I'd be grateful for some advice on how much life I have left lol....
There were a series of options for resetting. I didn't take any as I would prefer to understand what these mean first, but the clear implication is that if you are reaching end of life on your own SBC, there's an option to reset history and get more life out of yours.
While I was running tests I got some scary error messages on the dash! They all cleared after each test though.
Thats all for now. I think I'm at the point though that in my opinion I've shown that for the money the Foxwell is an excellent piece of kit and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it.
Enjoy!
Source:http://www.foxwellsupport.com/foxwell-nt530-benz-r230-350-sl-2005-review/
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