SprinterFest EAST 2012, April 28, Sun Motor Cars, Mechanicsburg, PA

Ivessm

2014 Long/Tall BLACK Pass 4Cyl/7sp
We have given up on the month of July for SprinterFest EAST, it's just to - way to - hot in July. We have joined our SprinterFest NW event month of April as the optimum month for the SprinterFest EAST event this year.

Here are the specs for this year....

Signup: http://www.softecusa.com/sprintereast.html

Who: Sprinter owners & Sprinter wannabe owners and anyone interested Sprinters

What: 3rd Annual SprinterFest EAST

Where: Same place as last year, the fabulous Sun Motor Cars, 6677 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 facility. Everyone raved about the facility last year and Sun Motor's is gracious to sponsor us again this year. Take a look at this areal picture of the vast Sun Motor Cars facility...

http://tinyurl.com/3asy8ny

The 4 white top buildings are all Sun Motors - Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi, & Sprinter. We will be in the back (empty) parking lot and have the use of the building right next to the back parking lot. We will go up to the Mercedes building for the afternoon maintenance bay sessions.

When: Saturday, April 28, 2012, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (or later)

Cost: FREE!!!

Camping: Dry camping is available in the Sun Motors back parking lot on Friday and Saturday night. Just pull in and park. There are numerous pay camping areas within a short drive of Sun Motors.

The Schedule: We are still working on the schedule but basically we are looking at:

- SPECIAL - Possible arrival of a 4X4 Sprinter from John Bendt, Upscale Automotive & SprinterStore.com -Yes, a real 4X4 Sprinter ready to order and be delivered to your drive way. Check it out at SprinterStore.com John is seriously considering bringing his 4X4 East right after he shows it at the SprinterFest NW event. Lets hope he goes EAST!

- Morning Technical Sessions are in development for the morning: If you have any suggestions please let me know. Sean Seedy & a few others had some great ideas for presentations last year but we didn't have any room on the schedule for you. We are looking for items this year because Mike Sokol will not be presenting his "No~Shock~Zone" presentation due to other commitments on the event weekend.

- Lunch - provided by Sun Motors with Nick Walker, Sprinter Brand Manager, Don Yesacavage, Service Director, and Mike Lombardi, Parts Manager.

- Possible Presentation by Claus Tritt - General Manager, Mercedes Sprinter Brand USA. Claus was at the first year's event and provided some good information at to the direction of Sprinter in the coming years. He was under the weather last year and we are hoping he will be up for a visit this year.

- Afternoon Technical Session - In the Sun Motor's shop with Sprinters up on lifts and a chance to get your questions answered by Sun's Master Certified Sprinter Mechanics.

- Browse through the new Sprinters in the lot and all those Sprinters that came to the Fest. If you have been thinking about building a weekend camper into your Sprinter this is the time for you to learn from others who have done it already and get your ideas down so you can get to work.

- Before Event DETOUR - To spice things up a bit this year and provide some variety I am thinking about the following detour before the SprinterFest EAST event:...

- Thursday 04/26 - Meet in a campground in/near Pottsville PA, about 1 hour North of Harrisburg.

- Friday 04/27 - Tour the Yuengling Brewery - The OLDEST brewery in the US. Great history here. Other things - kick tires and just relax and talk about Sprinters.

- Saturday 04/28 - Depart Pottsville PA for SprinterFest EAST - Sun Motor Cars - about a 1 hour drive South. Arrive & enjoy SprinterFest EAST.

I don't know if I'll get any takers on this but I thought I would throw it out for a bit of variety.

Oh, and don't forget prizes and great conversations with other die-hard Sprinter owners.

So, it's time to sign up. Go to...

http://www.softecusa.com/sprintereast.html

and fill out the registration form. This will give us an idea as to who will be there. If you are in doubt then please register anyway.


If you missed last year's SprinterFest EAST and want to see what you missed or you just want to take a look at the pictures from the last 2 year here is the link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/SprinterFestEast

SprinterFest NW (North West) - Also, if you happen to be traveling on the LEFT coast in April, consider attending the 7th Annual NW (North West) SprinterFest on Saturday April 14th, 2012. The event will be held at the Upscale Automotove and SprinterStore.com shop ( Tualatin, OR 97062 ) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm or until finished. You can register for the event on line by going to http://www.softecusa.com/sprinterwest.html or give them a call at 503-692-0846 or just show up. They will have a pot luck table for those that would like to share their favorite dish and they will have the Weber grill going for any cooking that you would like to do. There will be lots of customer built conversions to check out and McCoy Freightliner will have a 2012 Sprinter for everyone to look over. We will have a T1N 4wd 4X4 and a NCV3 4wd 4X4 Sprinter on display and available for test drives! In the past, we have all enjoyed checking out a variety of unique Sprinters so come on by and join in the fun!!

See you there or here. Either one, see you.

stew
 

seans

Member
We had a lot of fun attending last year, and plan to be here again this year. I think the Weimaraner will join us this year.

Last year, the heat drove everyone off the lot by the end of the day, but the year before, we had a lot of fun chatting it up on Saturday afternoon/evening, with pizza and beer, and a couple of us stayed overnight at the lot - a few others went to local campgrounds.

It would be nice if there was consensus about hanging out on the lot on Saturday night, or choosing a nearby campground and reserving an area, so we can repeat the hangout. I kind of like the idea of circling the wagons on the lot, ordering pizza, maybe having a wienie roast, and maybe projecting a movie on the Sun Motorcars wall, and perhaps having a mini pancake breakfast on Sunday morning before hitting the road. But doing this at a campground would be OK too. The benefit of doing it on the lot is that those who aren't camping and live nearby can hang into the evening, which might not be possible at the campground. Thoughts?

The only possible issue could be a spring rain, but this is easily fixed with rope, tarps, and Sprinters in a circle, so we plan to be there, rain or shine!
 

Neuswede

New member
Just joined the forum and didn't see a spot for new member intro's. I just took delivery of my 2005 2500 158 from Sun Motors Sprinter earlier today for my business, so I was really pleased and surprised to see they are hosting Sprinterfest 2012. Just signed up for the event too. Should have the build-out of the interior completed in plenty of time for the event. I'm only about 40+ miles from the dealership. This is my first Sprinter, (but not my first Mercedes), and it was the BEST car buying experience I've ever had. I've bought/sold about 85 cars, and never would have guessed that I could be so happy with a dealership. Chris, Nick and the service department went above and beyond.
 

220629

Well-known member
...

It would be nice if there was consensus about hanging out on the lot on Saturday night, or choosing a nearby campground and reserving an area, so we can repeat the hangout. I kind of like the idea of circling the wagons on the lot, ordering pizza, maybe having a wienie roast, and maybe projecting a movie on the Sun Motorcars wall, and perhaps having a mini pancake breakfast on Sunday morning before hitting the road.
...
The only possible issue could be a spring rain, but this is easily fixed with rope, tarps, and Sprinters in a circle, so we plan to be there, rain or shine!
I am registered and plan to attend if my schedules hold. The parking lot venue sounds very good to me. A campground would also work if that is what the majority want.

As to the weather... most times there is no really bad weather, but there can be poor choices in clothing.

Thanks for bringing up the after get-together. That gives something to look forward to for evening rather than just heading home right after. vic
 

seans

Member
My vote is for the lot. It seems simpler. My kids will love trying out their new Razors on it. Between all of us, we should be able to scare up a projector for movies-on-the-wall for the kids.

Last year we were going to stay in the lot, and were prepared to plug in or run the generator to power a window AC fit into the passenger window, but since everyone else had left, we did not want to be the only campers in the lot. We found the campground that John of Sprinterfest West went to in 2010, and it was a nice campground, so if we are going to do a campground, that one is a known entity.
 

the brit

New member
I have something scheduled for Friday/Saturday that weekend, but if I can make it back in time I'll come out on Sunday as I'd love to move it :cheers:
 

Ivessm

2014 Long/Tall BLACK Pass 4Cyl/7sp
Sprinter Guys & Gals!!!

Who says that number 13 isn't a lucky number. That's how many fellow Sprinter owners, wanna-be owners, and drivers, that have signed up so far for the upcoming SprinterFest EAST event. THIRTEEN!!! That's a GREAT number!!!

We are moving up on 2 months left before the 3rd Annual SprinterFest EAST event and the planning continues. We are looking for some great ideas to present this year or maybe we just hang out and talk Sprinters all day. Don't know but lets get some dialog going here with some ideas for the day.

I remember from the first 2 SprinterFest events that I though the day just went to fast and I didn't get a chance to see all the great work everyone had done in their Sprinter or ask how things were done so I could learn from someone who has braved a customization before me. I like free time for everyone to kick tires but also some engineered time to hear from the Sprinter experts and a sneak peek at the crystal ball future of Sprinters in the USA.

Lets type.

See you Saturday, April 28, 2012, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (or later)

stew


PS: Yes, of course there will be PIE!!!

PSS: The first SprinterFest EAST event drew about 30 Sprinters and last year we had about 35-40 overall. We lost some last year because of the H~O~T weather. The end of April should be the perfect temperature.

PPSS: I like the idea of circling the wagons and hanging out in the back lot on Saturday night. Instead of projecting a movie on the side wall of the Sun Motors building, how about projecting it on the side of a nice white Sprinter. It seems to be the right aspect ratio for a WIDE SCREEN movie. How about the Italian Job or Avatar? Any other suggestions? I've got some speakers I can bring for some great sound.
 

seans

Member
I think one reason people might be leaving at 3 PM is because that's when the schedule says the event is over. Perhaps we can do this:

Code:
[B][U]Friday:[/U][/B]

  Evening - overnighters arrive

[B][U]Saturday:[/U][/B]

  [B]10 AM Official Tech Day opening[/B]

  10-12    Morning Tech Sessions
  Noon     Lunch Presentation: Mercedes Exec w/QA
  1        Break
  1:30     Afternoon Tech Session
  2:30     Session Wrap and Door Prizes (closest/furthest/youngest/oldest)
  3        Group Photo

  [B]3 PM Official Social Event opening[/B]

  3 - 5    Open Sprinters - show off your Sprinter (win an award)
           Theme: "If only we could drive to Hawaii..."  (suggest something else)
  5        Circle the Wagons - for those spending the evening
  5:30-7   Pot luck Camping Dinner (sign up! - (make list of items, like hot dogs, drinks, etc))
  7        Social & S'mores
  8:00     First Annual Sprinter Awards
           -- People's Choice (by vote)
           -- Judged:
           -- Best in Show
           -- Best Stock Sprinter
           -- Best Stock RV
           -- Best Hacked Sprinter
           -- Best Decoration related to Theme
           -- Best Decoration not related to Theme
           (will be photographed / recorded for Sprinter-Forum)
  8:30     Movies!
           Screen 1: Kid-compatible film (animated?)
           Optional: Screen 2: adult

[B][U]Sunday[/U][/B]

  8 AM     Pancake Breakfast
Of course, this is just a suggestion. Thoughts? Poll to find out who would come to the Sat. afternoon, evening sessions and stay overnight?

eg.

Code:
[B]Activity             Not Coming   Maybe   Definitely[/B]
Tech Sessions         __           __           Yes
Open Sprinters        __           __           Yes
Evening               __           __           Yes
Sat Overnight         __           __           Yes
 

Ivessm

2014 Long/Tall BLACK Pass 4Cyl/7sp
Seans - I like your idea. It looks like a great schedule. I'll run it by Nick Walker @ Sun to make sure the extended time is okay with the Sun folks. We certainly have enough room to "Circle the Wagons" in the back lot. Pot luck for Din-Din sounds great.

For the first SF-E event we sent out for Pizza and all dug in when it arrived. John Bendt (SprinterStore.com) was one of the winners of the case of Yuengling Beer and he opened it when the Pizza arrived so everyone enjoyed some great Pennsylvania beer with their pizza.

Orion - What a silly question. Of course there will be PIE!! What would a SF-E event be without PIE.

stew
 

MillionMileSprinter

Millionmilesprinter.com
Just signed up!:rad::rad:
I had a great time last year and only expect this year to be better!
(although I personally don't remember any pie last year)
Here's a suggestion for speakers- Dr. A :professor:
 

seans

Member
Joel - looking forward to seeing you again!
Stuart - that was a great time in 2010. That was very generous of John to share the beer.

I forget to mention something. There is a place on Carlisle Pike a couple of miles from Sun Motors, maybe a quarter mile from I-81, called Surplus City. One of the other owners pointed it out to us in 2010. I've been there since and picked up some square aluminum tubing which will eventually be used to attach solar panels to my roof rack. I also picked up a bunch of rare earth magnets to hold whatever to whatever temporarily in the van. They also had many kinds of pins which I've used to hold together my erector set roof awning system. Additionally, they have rows and rows of nuts, bolts and screws of all kinds and sizes. If you have a bunch of projects in store needing fasteners, you may want to take measurements at home and make a grocery list for Surplus City. All at good prices.

This is definitely a place for any Sprinter hacker visiting Sprinterfest to stop and browse for parts. The problem is that they are closed Sunday, so you need to get there before they close Friday night at 9 PM, or right after they open at 8 AM on Saturday morning, since once Sprinterfest starts, getting over there before they close is pretty much out of the question.

Perhaps several of us will scoot over there at 8 AM on Saturday which should give us a good hour and a half for browsing until we need to get back for the opening of Sprinterfest at 10 AM (which, in past years, has definitely been 10 AM sharp!)
 

MillionMileSprinter

Millionmilesprinter.com
Right-o, Sean. I've been there before and will make it a point to return. All kinds of good stuff to find there for the DIYer. :thumbup: In fact, I found some red touch-up paint for the Sprinter for a buck last time I was there.
 

MillionMileSprinter

Millionmilesprinter.com
Just went to Surplus City a few minutes ago. It's only a minute down the road from the MB dealership. Got a tire for my trailer, some electrical tape and a blind spot mirror.
Half of the store is a hardware/army surplus/Harbor Freight type store. The other half is a craft/sewing/home knick-knack store.
One thing they DID have that got me thinking was 6' wide grey rubber flooring in rolls. It ran 4-5$ a foot. It might be an easy way to deaden the sound in the van by replacing the super thin flooring with 1/4-3/8" thick rubber flooring... :hmmm:
 

seans

Member
Half of the store is a hardware/army surplus/Harbor Freight type store. The other half is a craft/sewing/home knick-knack store.
I think you might have pointed the store out to me. I thought the store layout was brilliant - we guys can look for our toys while the girls look at theirs.

One thing they DID have that got me thinking was 6' wide grey rubber flooring in rolls. It ran 4-5$ a foot. It might be an easy way to deaden the sound in the van by replacing the super thin flooring with 1/4-3/8" thick rubber flooring... :hmmm:
Gee, that sounds like a great idea, and one you might want to do sooner than later - maybe there will be a run on it at Sprinterfest?
 

Ivessm

2014 Long/Tall BLACK Pass 4Cyl/7sp
Sean, Joel, I've never been to the store you mentioned but the next time I'm over in Carlisle I'll stop by.

I'm certainly looking forward to hearing some news on the future Sprinters MB has on the drawing board and in the pipeline at this years SprinterFest EAST event. I read a post on the Yahoo Sprinter Forum that there are rumors of a new transmission for the upcoming Sprinter US models that are from Mitsubishi Fuso (85% owned by MB). If you look at the Fuso it is only a mit heavier than the Sprinter so its 6 speed automatic would fit perfectly in the Sprinter.

Can't wait.

stew
 

Ivessm

2014 Long/Tall BLACK Pass 4Cyl/7sp
OrioN,

If you will be attending the SprinterFest EAST event or even the SprinterFest NW event we would expect you to show up with a Sprinter load of PIE's. The objective for the day will be to guess or figure out how many PIE's you can fit in a Sprinter.

Your job will be to bring the Sprinter loaded with PIE's.

The job of all at the SprinterFest will be to EAT the PIE's.

stew
 

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