I have a 1999 C280 with 19k miles and my Check Engine light alternates between on and off for a few days at a time. I would like to know if there is an inexpensive code reader available that will allow me to determine the cause of the check engine light. The car runs fine, but I would like to fix whatever is causing the light to come on if necessary.

 

out here in california, you can go to autozone and "borrow" their scanner. i believe u have to leave your driver's lisence just in case you take off with the scanner, but that's what i do when i need to read codes for my C220

 

You can get some good code readers from Harborfreight tools at a discount price. I got one of these but I have not used it yet. They are reasonably priced, IMO, and should give you a good bang for your buck. Below is the link.
http://search.harborfreight.com/cpis...&Submit=Go