Vehicle Connection Interfaces (VCI)
Pick the right OBD cable for your Mercedes coding job. We match your VIN to the cable your chassis needs: Openport for CAN, ENET + AT adapter for DoIP.
Every Mercedes coding job needs a cable between your laptop and the car's OBD-II port. Buy the wrong one and the software can't see the modules at all, so check your VIN against the picker below before you spend anything.
What's a VCI?
A Vehicle Connection Interface (VCI) is the hardware bridge between your laptop and the car's OBD-II port. Which one your Mercedes needs depends on how it talks to its modules.
- Older Mercedes (NTG3.5 → NTG6 / MBUX Gen 1) speak CAN. A cheap J2534 pass-thru like the Tactrix Openport 2.0 is enough.
- Newer Mercedes (NTG7 / Gen20x, meaning MBUX Gen 2 with the Zero-Layer interface) speak DoIP over Ethernet. CAN-only cables can't see the modules at all, so you need an ENET yellow cable with the MB pinout.
Find your cable from your VIN
Enter your VIN below and the picker names the cable your chassis needs.
Cable compatibility by NTG generation
If you already know your NTG generation, find it in the table below. Each row gives the model years, the bus the car uses, and the cable that talks to it.
| NTG | Era | Bus | Required cables |
|---|---|---|---|
| NTG3.5 | 2009–2013 | CAN | Tactrix Openport 2.0 |
| NTG4.5 | 2011–2016 | CAN | Tactrix Openport 2.0 |
| NTG5 / NTG5*1 | 2014–2018 | CAN | Tactrix Openport 2.0 |
| NTG5*2 | 2016–2020 | CAN | Tactrix Openport 2.0 |
| NTG5.5 | 2018–2021 | CAN | Tactrix Openport 2.0 |
| NTG6 (MBUX Gen 1) | 2018+ | CAN | Tactrix Openport 2.0 |
| NTG7 (MBUX Gen 2) | 2021+ | DoIP | ENET Cable (Yellow) |
| Gen20x (Zero Layer) | 2024+ | DoIP | ENET Cable (Yellow) |
Cable catalog
Two cables cover every Mercedes coding job, the Tactrix Openport 2.0 for CAN cars and the yellow ENET cable for DoIP cars.
Tactrix Openport 2.0
CAN onlyBudget pick for pre-MBUX coding
Reliable J2534 pass-thru for legacy CAN-bus Mercedes. Great for coding, not recommended for flashing.
ENET Cable (Yellow)
DoIP / EthernetDoIP tunnel into MBUX Gen 2
Standard yellow Ethernet-over-OBD cable. Required for DoIP (NTG7, Gen20x) coding sessions.
Where to buy
Buy the cable from a third-party seller. We don't sell hardware directly.
- Tactrix Openport 2.0. Sold by the official Tactrix store, Amazon, and eBay.
- ENET yellow cable. Search AliExpress for "BMW ENET cable". Despite the name, it works on all Mercedes DoIP cars. These run €10 to €20 and are the same hardware sold under MB branding at 5× the price.
Confirm your cable by email
Send your VIN to contact@mbretrofit.it and we'll name the exact kit before you spend anything.
Related guides
- Vehicle coding overview. Feature unlocks, pricing bands, and DIY versus remote.
- Star3 SECoC coding. Gen20x partner coding with ZenZefi certificates.
- Region conversion (US → EU). Imported Mercedes to EU spec, covering cluster units, headlights, ambient zones, MBUX languages, and navigation map region.
- Remote diagnosis. Xentry sessions for workshops and owners.
Mercedes Coding Guide
Mercedes-Benz vehicle coding and feature unlocks, to factory standard. AMG menus, full LED, ambient tiers, MBUX extras, region conversion. Switched on the way your car was built to run them.
Star3 SECoC coding
SECoC commissioning, ZenZefi certificates, and timeback for the newest Mercedes chassis, including W206, W223, X254, EQE, and EQS. We run the full Star3 backend so partners can code, re-sign, and teach in modules on Gen20x cars.