Sprinter Owners

[CharlesD]

Mine's an '07 with 380,000 on it, but I haven't been using it OTR for a while. I enjoyed driving it and had a ball when I was out there, but I would second Turtle that you have to be a stickler for proper maintenance with theses things because some of the repairs can be quite costly.

The question I would ask right now has more to do with availability of freight than the capabilities of the vehicle. We're finding it a whole lot easier to book our straights for a decent rate than the Sprinters at the moment. Sure, that might improve in the summer, but when freight is slow, you can still keep a straight loaded more often than not but the vans take the hit.

If I was just starting out right now in expediting, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't go out in anything not dock high, and that's coming from someone who spent a lot of time expediting in a Sprinter and enjoying it.

 

[purgoose10]

Honest answer? I am comfortable with the Sprinter I have, (2008 model), but I would not purchase another.

There are options now, like the CargoMaxx that make it less than desireable.

The ONLY redeeeming feature of the Sprinter was the large capacity in the high roof, extended body.

Those things have been addressed by other manufacturers now.

The LARGEST drawback to these German wonders is the lack of rebuild capability. Want a u-joint? Buy an entire driveline!

Should a "newbie" invest in one? Sure, why not ... they've been providing service for a long time.

But so has the Ford E250, or the Chevy 2500 and MaxxAutomotive has provided an alternative for cargo capacity over OEM capabilities.

That's a good sensible answer.

 

[Jumbuck]

I wondering if Sprinter owners might give more direct answers to the original questions asked? Turritrans's question was clear and respectfully asked. I'm interested in
the answer too.

Well, let me give you an example of MB ownership VS Ford or Chevys. Yesterday I decided it was time for an oil and filter change so I called the MB dealer in Grand Blanc, MI...told them what I had etc and asked what the price for a oil and filter change? I about fell over stone cold dead when they told me $250.00!!! I said, no, I just wanted an OIL CHANGE not a Major overhaul!!!!! She basically said that was the price...take it or leave it, so I called a Dodge dealer and he said only $255.00!!! So, I calmly asked why so much, and the reply was the " labor " involved. So, I went to the Auto Parts store, bought 12 gallons of oil, new filter, and did the job myself for a grand total over 68.00 bucks!!! Now anyone who has a Sprinter, Dodge or MB will know that the any child with a 13mm wrench could do the job with white gloves on! The filter sits right on top of the engine and you don't even have to spill any oil becasue the filter might be upside down like on the Ford and Chevys. You just unscrew the top and pull the paper element out, put the new cartridge in and DONE!
You dump in 9.5 qts of proper in and you, my friend, are good to go! WHERE IS THE LABOR? I swear you can do it in 15 minutes with a Union coffee break in there!
Now, my Sprinter is a 2006, with 300, 000 miles on it, and (knock-on-wood) the only trouble I've had is the turbo hose developed a small leak and cut the power down. 218.00 bucks to fix.
Would I buy another Sprinter? Absolutley, and plan to!
To sum it all up, yes the MB dealers bone you as hard as they can when something goes wrong just because it is a "Mercedes" but fortunaltly, not that much goes wrong that often, at least not in my experience. The fuel mileage is OUTSTANDING if you keep your foot out of the radiator, and that helps on the bottom line. To sum it all up, IMHO, they are like anything else, they are great until something breaks and then "You Have to Pay!" But, as we all know, most everything is like that!
I hope this helps.
Jumbuck

 

[ebsprintin]

My 2007 sprinter is a one owner vehicle that has only known expediting. I did take off one year to drive a different vehicle. Last week I passed 400,000 miles.

Cargo van makes and models are all about trade offs. Where one is stealthy another is truckish. One sips the fuel, and the other is a pig. My in-shop maintenance and repair costs the last two years were $12,000 and $8000 respectively. The last two years involved two months each year waiting on parts. Your sprinter has to be able to recover these kinds of losses. I'm still here with a van that I paid off in three years, but I keep a close eye on future alternatives. If I were to buy a new van today, it wouldn't be a sprinter. I'm blindly hoping that in two years there will be better alternatives between all the major competitors.

Sprinter ownership is about forgetting everything you know about the mechanical universe and learning all the intricacies involved in loving and caring for your sprinter.

eb

 

[jj214]

My 2007 sprinter is a one owner vehicle that has only known expediting. I did take off one year to drive a different vehicle. Last week I passed 400,000 miles.

Cargo van makes and models are all about trade offs.


I started expediting in 1990 with a Dodge 3/4 extended. I have owned Ford, and Chevy vans. Long and short, diesel and gas. All gave me somewhere between 400-470 thousand miles. The Fords had tranny rebuilds but other then that, I never had major problems with any of them. I changed the oil every 9-10 thousand miles, and rotated the tires on a regular basis. Some of those vans are still in local operation with carpet installers etc. I found the Dodge to be the best in terms of drivability, the 08 Ford I currently drive (gas) is cramped, they have designed the front seat so your left let cannot drop down below the floor level as I could in my previous Ford. I took the vans out of service before they needed major repairs and never purchased a new van. 72,000 miles were the most on any vehicle I purchased. If you are lucky, you will find a local mechanic who know what he is doing and keep away from the dealerships.

 

[Turtle]

...and asked what the price for a oil and filter change? I about fell over stone cold dead when they told me $250.00!!! I said, no, I just wanted an OIL CHANGE not a Major overhaul!!!!! She basically said that was the price...take it or leave it, so I called a Dodge dealer and he said only $255.00!!! So, I calmly asked why so much, and the reply was the " labor " involved.

That's the problem with getting oil changes done at a dealer, especially for MY06 and earlier where "MB approved" oil is easy to get at auto parts stores. They aren't screwing you over, that's the actual price. Dealer pricing for oil (Mobile 1 0W-40) is list price at $13.22 a quart. The oil filter is priced at $19.50 at most dealers. 10 quarts and a filter will cost $151.70 for parts alone, plus between $90 and $120 for an hour of book labor (which is what the book says it takes to change the oil in a Sprinter, as it also includes using the DRBIII tool to reset the ASSYST and to run diagnostics on three oil-related sensors: quality, pressure and pump). So $250 isn't out of line.


"So, I went to the Auto Parts store, bought 12 gallons of oil, new filter, and did the job myself for a grand total over 68.00 bucks!!!"

That's pretty cheap for 12 gallons of oil. LOL

Mobile 1 0W-40 is about $9.50 a quart at Autozone, and with discounts and promotions I end up paying about $7.00 a quart. I buy filters in quantity from Europarts for $5.50 (it's a little more than that now). My oil changes cost about $72.

 

[geo]

i'm on my 3rd sprinter and hauls more than a ford or chev van
it's great for running local , low to ground, easy to unload
plus i sale them on the side with scott walters at tysinger motors in hampton va
you should get 300,000 miles or more
but one thing you must do is require maintance when it is due
i take it into dealer every 8 to 9 weeks that how long it takes me to put 10,000 miles on it
they had a fedex ground sprinter at tysingers that person who own it had a friend due maintance
on it and didn't have training on it cost how lot money to
fix it

 

[tumbleweeds]

So was 09 the last year for CargoMaxx?

they still make the CargoMax. The reason the 09's are around, a company ordered a bunch of them because they thought they would be the greatest things in the world. They still have a few left.