Those of you with a positive experience with your Sprinter - please post!

Well, after reading and researching for hours one can easily get a bad taste in their mouth as far as reliability and issues with sprinters. Of course, that is the nature of a forum in which many people come for help with issues. I believe it tends to skew the data a bit and maybe give a bad impression.

Owners out there with positive experiences with your Sprinters please post! ie.. 300K miles plus with no issues, good mpg etc etc. I want to hear to mix some good along with the bad.

Please post up your model year, roof config and engine for reference.

This: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4083

Doesn't meet your need for info?

-Jon

jdcaples said:

This: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4083

Doesn't meet your need for info?

-Jon

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I have read that. Most owners post after recently purchasing. I'd like to get more long term feedback.

You have to realize that for the most part, on a forum like this, you will tend to see more negative posts than not, because people don't generally post when things go right, not to mention the thousands of people out there who are getting good service out of a product that just don't show up on threads like these.

My personal opinion: I think Sprinters are great vehicles for what they are for. Total long term cost of ownership relative to other vehicles that suit the bill are likely to be less. The bottom line is that all vehicles are getting more complicated and ergo more problematic (read expensive) to fix when things go wrong. The biggest issue with all modern vehicles is the electronics. I don't think that is limited to Sprinters

The biggest problems that I see with Sprinters is the shortage of dealer networks. Assuming that MB continues to push them, and they gain market acceptance the hope is the the dealer network will get better, and the number of independent service agencies will grow as well.

The other issue with Sprinters (and not limited to Sprinters ) is the Diesel emission systems that require expensive oils and are quirky with faults etc.

Good luck.

Icarus

icarus said:

You have to realize that for the most part, on a forum like this, you will tend to see more negative posts than not, because people don't generally post when things go right, not to mention the thousands of people out there who are getting good service out of a product that just don't show up on threads like these.

My personal opinion: I think Sprinters are great vehicles for what they are for. Total long term cost of ownership relative to other vehicles that suit the bill are likely to be less. The bottom line is that all vehicles are getting more complicated and ergo more problematic (read expensive) to fix when things go wrong. The biggest issue with all modern vehicles is the electronics. I don't think that is limited to Sprinters

The biggest problems that I see with Sprinters is the shortage of dealer networks. Assuming that MB continues to push them, and they gain market acceptance the hope is the the dealer network will get better, and the number of independent service agencies will grow as well.

The other issue with Sprinters (and not limited to Sprinters ) is the Diesel emission systems that require expensive oils and are quirky with faults etc.

Good luck.

Icarus

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as Icarus says above is true.i have my sprinter since 2005 with 160k "miles"and all i had to change was the balljoints.

she still drives like new and is very comfortable and with its size its perfect for my job which is hauling anything.i would recommend the t1n its just a pity they don't make them anymore.

icarus said:

You have to realize that for the most part, on a forum like this, you will tend to see more negative posts than not, because people don't generally post when things go right, not to mention the thousands of people out there who are getting good service out of a product that just don't show up on threads like these.

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This is the thing I do realize. What I'm afraid of is other new potential owners may not..

I think it's a good idea to hear from others who have been happy with their sprinters just to keep the issues into perspective and realize that problems are not a wide spread issue.

I'm 65 and I've owned virtually nothing but vans since the 60s. I've put over 30K miles on my T1N in about a year's worth of driving. The vehicle is off the road from November to April. It mainly works as a simple RV, at which it excels. The only disadvantage is that my friends all know I have this hugely capable van, so when they need something moved, I always get the call.

Nothing compares with these vehicles. Nothing. The versatility, comfort, cargo-hauling capability, fuel economy, ease of use and all around driving pleasure can't be equaled in anything else on the North American market. The more I drive it, the more I like it.

Were ever I go and park ..... people stop me and ask me about it ..... particularly because it runs on WVO.

I have never had a vehicle like that ...... there are many things I could say about my van but most of those things have already been mentioned some were in this forum.

-D- said:

Well, after reading and researching for hours one can easily get a bad taste in their mouth as far as reliability and issues with sprinters. Of course, that is the nature of a forum in which many people come for help with issues. I believe it tends to skew the data a bit and maybe give a bad impression.

Owners out there with positive experiences with your Sprinters please post! ie.. 300K miles plus with no issues, good mpg etc etc. I want to hear to mix some good along with the bad.

Please post up your model year, roof config and engine for reference.

Click to expand...

I LOVE my long/tall 2006 T1N Sprinter with 2007 LTV camper build!!!
In 3 1/2 years we have Circumnavigated North America 3 times (that means Alaska to Nova Scotia to Florida to California and back to Alaska) amassing 70,000 miles and hitting just about every US and Canadian National Park/Monument along the way.
Of course I HATE MERCEDES so I might be disappointing some Sprinter fans .
I love my Sprinter because it's (1) well packaged (tall for head room, narrow for maneuverability and long for interior space); and (2) fuel efficient (24 MPG average over the entire 70k miles). For me, the fuel efficiency alone trumps all the complaints I have against MB .
I hate MB because the company arrogantly refuses to recognize and fix a myriad of relatively small engineering defects (I'm sure that's why year after year Consumer Reports magazine rates MB as one the least reliable automotive products on the road...(based on polls from MB owners by the way). The list: Turbo Resonator, RSN, Black Death, poor rust protection (a combination of bad paint and poor body engineering), bad handling (requiring the addition of after-marcket Koni shocks and aftermarket anti-sway-bar), week brakes and poor air intake snorkel design (OK, I admit I may be the only Forum Member to ever report that the air intake picks up dry snow and packs the air cleaner causing an engine shut-down, but it is a disaster when it happens on the middle of the AlCan in winter, and the Whitehores, YT Chrysler dealer told me it happened to nearly all the Sprinters they sold).
On balance, I'm very pleased with my Sprinter; I could not possibly be happy with a Ford or Chevy van without adequate headroom and getting 11 MPG in camper configuration. But, like a '50s British sports car, a Sprinter is best owned my a pretty good amature mechanic (or, like MB automobiles, some one with deep pockets).
PS: Fortunately, I have not (yet) personally experienced severe body rust or the Black Death and have only had mild RSN; all the other problems I have fixed myself with little effort although the suspension fix is costly and the constant vigilance for rust is a pain in the ass.

Boy have you got the right guy for this.
I had a 2003 (t1n) Dodge 2500 long tall cargo, I traded it in for a 2007 (NCV3) Dodge 2500 long ext. tall cargo and just ordered a 2011 (NCV3) Freightliner 2500 long tall cargo. (only because Dodge don't sell them any more)
I have many posts on this forum of the troubles I had with the 2003. It was a money pit. If they did not change the whole truck in 2007, I would have not gotten another one.
I worked for Roto-Rooter since 1987 and went through 1 Ford E150, 2 Ford E250s, 1 Chevy 2500 Van and a Ford E350 when I saw my first Sprinter in 2002. I think my last Ford was a 2001 and to new to trade at the time. The next year I ordered a 2003 Freightliner 2500 and was told it would take 6 months to get in. About 4 months later Dodge started selling Sprinters and They had one that was close to what I ordered, so I got it. At that time Diesel was the cheapest fuel to buy, Less than Regular Gas. Even though I had to pay $200. a month more for truck payments for the Sprinter over the Ford, I saved $200. a month in Fuel bills. I broke even and had a new bigger van and the Flagship truck at Roto-Rooter.
Shortly after the 1st 6 months I learned you can't Idle the truck which in Florida in the Summer you need to do to keep cool between jobs. It clogged up the EGR. The next was the Brakes, They needed changing every 8 to 9 months at $500. per axle. Oil changes even though only at 10,000 mile interval was over $200 at the dealer, and Quick Lubes could not or would not do them at the time.
Wiper arms broke, Fan motors broke, Had to replace the A/C compressor, Fan belts kept failing, Head light bulb kept going bad. I had an electrical problem a couple of times. The dam truck was at the Dealer a lot and I would miss time at work. When the warranty went out It started to cost me a lot of money that went on a credit card.
I wanted to get rid of it but knew the 07 was going to be a new truck and waited for the 07s and ordered one as soon as they would take orders. During the 4 months waiting for the 07 the rear axle on the 03 started leaking oil. The dealer put a new seal on it but said the differential was going bad and a replacement would cost $5000.00, It started leaking again just before my new truck arrived.
The 2007 NCV3 was a whole lot nicer than the t1n 03 both in quality and finish. But at almost $10,000 more in price, it should be. If you look up my past posts you will see far less post about my 07 because other than a couple of glow plugs and a problem I had when I installed Air Springs, The NCV3 has been good to me. The oil changes still cost almost $200.00 and the Brakes still cost $500.00 per axle but last almost a year and a half.
Until Ford starts to import the full size Transit, or some one else builds a similar size van, I'll stay with the Sprinter. Once you work out of a Sprinter, you just can't go back to the smaller Ford and Chevy Vans.

It's an 08 chassis with 09 conversion. Had it since new and clocked 40 k up to now. The original Continentals just replaced. Used as a daily driver plus trips west in winter and east coast summers. Short wheelbase driven through the Black Hills, Glacier (Going To The Sun), Maritimes, and most of the east coast. All we're missing is South Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Been reliable had some issues with EGR, every trip. Bad glow plug in Halifax. Purchased a Scan Gauge this summer and on the trip west we had the CEL as usual only now I could understand what was happening and cleared the code, EGR again. I'll start using a Cetane improver as from what I gather the problem is probably our fuel quality in America. I don't idle, and most of the time it's freeway driving, except when we get where we're going then it's a town car. Also experienced a ESP light on this trip home. Had the wifey read what the book said. Vehicle didn't shut off the cruise and I couldn't notice any driveability issues and the light went off on restart. We were in a high wind condition, gusts in the 40-50 mph range and it bucked us pretty good which triggered the fact my driving style had changed, pretty smart vehicle. All in all very satisfied with the vehicle, always look forward to another trip.

For me the positives far outweigh the negatives. I do wish it was more dependable, but it has never left me stranded. There is no other vehicle on the road available that will do what i am able to do with this one. It is comfortable to drive (could use better than truck seats, but they do work), very economical to operate, even with service prices the interval between is large. The only thing i would change after 3 years of owning this rig, and only putting 20,000 miles on it, would be to get a 4 cylinder version, if it was available. This van has more power than i need it for, which for some is a good thing.
Jef

Bought a 2006 140 WB Passenger with a low roof new from the dealer in '06. Just turned over 75,000 miles. I did the turbo resonator and the air hose fix to prevent those known issues. We have not had any problems with it. I have not even replaced a light bulb. Word of caution: Don't let kids put coins in the 12v dash outlet - you end up replacing 15 amp fuses!

After seeing a guy with a fleet of T1ns at 400k, I decided to buy a sprinter. I've owned a few vans over the years, VW, Dodge, Ford going back to the 1960s. I love this sprinter. I picked it up 2 years old with 300k miles. I drive it every day, it is my work truck. I've managed to put almost 50k on it in six years. The short tall is easy to park and fun to drive, the best of every van I've owned. This tank is running at 21mpg in the city. 20% biofuel purchased at $2.29/gal.
My friend with the fleet has them hitting 800k now and is headed to 1M. Sure he has NcVs and even a new Transit, you have to keep moving forward. But he still will buy a low mileage T1n.

ECU said:

My friend with the fleet has them hitting 800k now and is headed to 1M.

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Wow. Not many vehicles can boast that kind of service life. What's the usage? Highway expediting?

glasseye said:

Wow. Not many vehicles can boast that kind of service life. What's the usage? Highway expediting?

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Wheelchair cabs.

So, here's an idea the folks down at the tractor factory shared:

If I buy a widget (Sprinter) and it turns out to be an excellent vehicle, I will share this information with a handful of people.

If I buy a widget (Sprinter) and it breaks, well, I'm telling folks on the elevator, in the Drs. office, on the forum and basically every where I can on what a hunk of junk I bought.

Just sayin

I placed a new 3500 dually into daily service Jan 1 2013.

It works 5-6 days a week 50 weeks a year.

2 years and 20K later aside from a cracked wiper fluid lid, and a bunch of white paint on my detail rags, its been a flawless vehicle.

It's needed 2 oil changes and a new set of tires.



UD

I've owned many vans since my family started growing larger (seven kids right now). I have loved all my vans, but the Sprinters most of all.
I'm on our 2nd Sprinter, both T1Ns. I bought my first one with about 75K on it and had to fix the fuel system before it was driveable. I loved it until I drove it through a car wash that was mis-labeled and tore up the roof. I guess I still loved it, but had visions of a bigger, better Sprinter (it was a low roof, 140" passenger). So I sold it to another forum member who fixed the roof and put many thousands of miles on it. It's still going strong as far as I know.
My current one had 340K miles on it when I bought it and I've put 20K miles on it in the past year or so. Almost half of those miles have been pulling a 4500# travel trailer from Philadelphia down to TN, all the way over to CO, and back up along the Great Lakes. The Sprinter can't be beat for traveling.
I have talked 4 other families with lots of kids into buying Sprinters and they all are super happy. Sure, there are a few issues here and there, like with any car, but overall, they are all REALLY happy and tell me so often. I plan on driving our current Sprinter until it completely rusts out or until another Sprinter comes along that will suit us better at the right price (really cheap). I also plan on staying with the T1Ns because that's what I know best, for now.

ECU said:

Wheelchair cabs.

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Gotta drive a little more sanely with wheelchair passengers. Driving sanely drastically prolongs the life of a vehicle.