Mercedes Workshop Software

Workshop Information System (WIS)
Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC)

Mercedes Software, Illegal.

I thought it best to start with this topic as it is the most important. All Mercedes software is copyrighted so therefore it is ILLEGAL to have a copy.

Even if you have managed to get hold of an original disc you are still breaking the law as you do not have the correct licencing agreement to legally run this software.

The legality of the software is obvious when you attempt to load it on your computer, the instructions tend to be poor and you are asked to use a keygen to activate it.

A keygen is a key generator program that opens the software using a code made to match your LAN ID, these are usually Russian coded with very few instructions.

No matter what is said, all versions of the WIS, DAS and EPC discs sold on Ebay are illegal.

Mercedes Software, Legal.

Since March 2008 there is a way to legally use the WIS, and EPC software. Daimler AG (who own smart) now offer an online version that you can pay a fee to use.

OEM Workshop Information for Smart and Mercedes.

Before you get excited, this service isn’t available to every country and some of the WIS licenses are ridiculously overpriced. The parts catalogue (EPC) is very affordable at only €17.25 including VAT for an entire years access. Reasonable I think considering
that it is updated regularly and has been rewritten and now looks nicer.

The smart only WIS manual however starts cheap for a very short license then gets silly.

1 hour = €2.00
1 day = €10.00
1 week = €36.00
1 month = €93.00
1 year = €621.00

As you can see, for the price of a 1 day license you can buy the illegal discs and use them forever. If you know exactly what you are looking for then perhaps consider an hour or day license.

With a 1 week license you could print almost every page you would ever need, make your own manual and just refer back to it when you needed info. It is worth noting that this software only works on a PC.

Illegal Methods

Typing the word WIS into Ebay will bring up a host of illegal software sellers. Find a seller with good feedback who claim to have the newest version.

Installing The Software

There are rumours that the software is hard to install, the rumours are correct. Almost anything will upset the instalation, in its normal environment, this software is placed on a PC with very little else to cause problems.

You often cannot have any networking on the PC you are using so forget installing it on your main PC because you won’t be able to do much else on it.

If by luck you manage to install the software you then have to authorise it by entering a code generated with the keygen program. The code is about 40 letters long and very hard to input correctly. If you clear that hurdle you then have to set up a user account but in German before you can start it all up and change the native language to English.

Experiences

I am happy to admit that I have owned both the WIS and EPC discs, that’s because I have an excuse and a get out clause. When I originally got mine they were unheard of in England and I paid over £150 for them both including shipping from America. At the time there was no indication that they were illegal and I thought they would be genuine for the price.

After trying out both pieces of software, I came to some conclusions:

They are hard to install,
Incredibly hard to use,
The instructions are absolute shit,
The photos are tiny, low resolution and in black & white.

I eventually sent them back for a refund, I did have to blackmail the guy to get it though. He was convinced the discs were 100% legal and wouldn’t budge but the fool also sent a copy of Windows 2000, that was the leverage I needed for a refund.

If WIS was any good, there’d be no need for my website.

WIS Werkstattinformationssystem

The English translation is Workshop Information System, why the Germans feel the need to join all their words together i’ll never know.

The WIS manual covers almost every Mercedes but most importantly, it covers the smart. Once you have selected Smart from the drop down menu and selected your particular car, you click on documentation and it brings up topics and subheadings.

Click a topic like work information if you want to see how a task is performed or wiring diagrams

if you want to trace some wires etc. Type a word into the search box and click search. This is where the software falls down and makes it not worth your while.

Although basic things are very easy to find, the instructions and pictures are dire to the point of being unusable. If you start trying to find more complex bits of info you are going to be pulling your own hair out trying to find it. The translation to English isn’t great.

The interface is clunky and works badly, nothing really works the way you want it to. It would look ok back in the 80’s running on DOS 3.1 but not in this day and age.

EPC Electronic Parts Catalogue

You can legally sign up to view the EPC here.

OEM Workshop Information for Smart and Mercedes.

Alternatively there are illegal copies on eBay or a free online version

here
here
here

(being illegal sites, they can come and go).

This is the software that smart use to work out what parts you want and the part number that they have to order. I am at a loss as to why us mortals aren’t allowed to have this particular bit of software. Surely looking up our own part numbers is better for the staff who then don’t have to waste the time trawling through more clunky 80’s software.

You click the up or down arrow until WME appears at the bottom of the screen, type in your VIN code and press enter. This ensures that it only shows parts for your car.

You click on a heading that your enquiry falls under, on every click it displays a more specific heading until it shows you the area you require. Holding the right mouse button over the pictures magnifies them, right clicking off the window goes back a level.

Left clicking on any item puts it in the work list, pressing enter shows the list of parts, the part numbers and the description of each part. Generally, the descriptions suck.

Conclusion

The only reason these discs are available is because Mercedes don’t want to help people, most other car manufacturers have workshop manuals in either book or electronic versions for people to look at. Although they are cheap copies, they are still illegal and hard to use.

The EPC is easy to use and understand but it’s still easier to contact your local smart dealer and let them get the parts for you. At least if they order the wrong part it’s their fault.

Mercedes Stance On The Copied Discs

Well, it’s very clear they don’t want us to have them but looking at how many people are selling them on Ebay, they don’t care that much. A few companies have quickly removed them from sale so I can only assume that Mercedes had a word with them.