my complaints

redspark

New member
I bought my 2005, 2.7l cdi 2500 158" hi roof sprinter new. It has been perfect for my remodeling buisness. I built shelves on either side to hold bins of tools and still have room in the center for materials. When I show up on the job with my sprinter peoples perception of me is always positive. It has been the single best decision I ever made reguarding my buisness. But.... I have a few complaints.
1. The visor! do the roads in germany only go due east/west. why, oh why is there not a side visor???
2. no tilt steering? is there a valid reason that there is no tilt steering? my previous vehicle cost 1/3 as much as my sprinter but it had tilt steering.
3. the lumbar support pump broke within a couple months and the dealer didn't have a fix
4. the intermittent wipers only have one time setting (about 10 seconds)
5. the air vent is always open! if you dont want "fresh" air you must push a button to close the outside air vent and then it only stays closed for 15 minutes! (I used a zip tie on the louver under the hood to hold it closed permanetly) If I want fresh air I will open a window
6. the lights in the cargo area fell into the body cavity when I tried turning them on (I replaced one with a larger replacement light controlled by a three way switch so it functions the same way as the original)
JUST SAYIN
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
1. I can't think of any vehicles that have visors on the doors?
2. The steering wheel angle in a T1N is a little flat for some tastes.
3. Easy to fix the lumbar pump.
4. Intermittent wipers, well ok if it bugs you.
5. The air vent is not always open. Yours has a problem.
6. The lights in the cargo area must be damaged to be able to fall back into the body cavity.

There's a search tool in the blue bar to help you sort the air vent and lumbar pump. You can lower the steering wheel using spacers, again search the forum for info.

It reads like really you've just been used to something very different to a Sprinter. The T1N was designed in 1998/9 and it shows in some areas - you either got to accept this or not!
 

ECU

2006 T1n 118 Sprinter
my 2006 will always put some air out the dash vents. Lots when you choose that, about half when you choose floor or windshield.
I venture that it is dirt.
Where, how do I fix this?
 

redspark

New member
1. I can't think of any vehicles that have visors on the doors?
2. The steering wheel angle in a T1N is a little flat for some tastes.
3. Easy to fix the lumbar pump.
4. Intermittent wipers, well ok if it bugs you.
5. The air vent is not always open. Yours has a problem.
6. The lights in the cargo area must be damaged to be able to fall back into the body cavity.

There's a search tool in the blue bar to help you sort the air vent and lumbar pump. You can lower the steering wheel using spacers, again search the forum for info.

It reads like really you've just been used to something very different to a Sprinter. The T1N was designed in 1998/9 and it shows in some areas - you either got to accept this or not!
I'm not saying I dislike the sprinter for these reasons. I just wish that these things werent like this.
1. I thought I read there is a aftermarket fix to the visor I just haven't gotten around to reading up on it
2. yes, a little flat. long trips could be more comfortable with tilt steering
3. havent gotten around to searching for that fix yet
4. only mildly irritating
5. the vent has always been like that, but Im fine with my fix. If I want fresh air I'll open a window
6. I'm not sure if this is related to the recall, but my fix is good enough for me
 
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NelsonSprinter

Former Nelson BC Sprinter
. But.... I have a few complaints.
1. The visor! do the roads in germany only go due east/west. why, oh why is there not a side visor???
Yes the roads only go East-West in Germany !
I missed the visor not swinging over to the door like most Japanese and American vehicles. Doesn't mean it's not a good vehicle tho

4. the intermittent wipers only have one time setting (about 10 seconds)
To get the adjustable timer MB would have to spend millions to the American who patented the variable timer switch, and that cuts into their bonus .
5. the air vent is always open! if you dont want "fresh" air you must push a button to close the outside air vent and then it only stays closed for 15 minutes! (I used a zip tie on the louver under the hood to hold it closed permanetly) If I want fresh air I will open a window.
Yes the recirculation will only stay on 15 minutes. Then it's fresh air mix. MB must know of a leak of exhaust into the cab so you don't get asphixiated they give you fresh air and you won't get sleepy in their product :snore:
6. the lights in the cargo area fell into the body cavity when I tried turning them on (I replaced one with a larger replacement light controlled by a three way switch so it functions the same way as the original)
JUST SAYIN
just sayin ,
P.S. some on here will complain about your complaints, and prefer solutions and fixes even though it's already perfect :cool:
 
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jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
1. I can't think of any vehicles that have visors on the doors?
<snip>
It reads like really you've just been used to something very different to a Sprinter. The T1N was designed in 1998/9 and it shows in some areas - you either got to accept this or not!
As an American I can say that nearly every vehicle we grew up with has a visor that swings toward the side window since well before 1998.... probably as far back as the 1950s, now that I think about it.

T1N owners in the US - in general - are often miffed that an owner had to buy into the 2007+ models to get a visor that does what every other vehicle on the US roads has... a sun visor that swings laterally, as well as vertically.

We take it for "granted," so much so that no one would check before buying.

I bet most of use would only just discover it when the sun was blinding us from the left.

For five decades, we've expected this feature. Not having it is like an optional tilt steering wheel.... oh, wait... :)

-Jon
 

redspark

New member
my 2006 will always put some air out the dash vents. Lots when you choose that, about half when you choose floor or windshield.
I venture that it is dirt.
Where, how do I fix this?
On my 2005 you could push the selector knob to close the outside air vent but it would only stay closed for 15 minutes. My fix was to permanently close the vent under the hood by using a zip tie on the control arm for the air intake. The control arm is located on the side of the air intake closest to the passenger door. I closed it manually then used the zip tie to hold it closed.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
1. The visor! do the roads in germany only go due east/west. why, oh why is there not a side visor???
Yes, it's a pain. Yes, there's an $80 "fix" kit available (i bought it and installed it...). That kit has no "capture" mechanism when in "swung" mode. On certain corners the visor swings back and hits you (hopefully) gently on the head. I glued a magnet to the body to capture one of the fix's screws.
The visor does not have a full-width metal stiffener, so you have to be gentle when grabbing and swinging it.

2. no tilt steering? is there a valid reason that there is no tilt steering? my previous vehicle cost 1/3 as much as my sprinter but it had tilt steering.
There's an aftermarket "kit" for that, too... it consists of an aluminum block/wedge and two long screws.
You unbolt the two screws holding the steering column against the dash. drop the wedge "behind" it, and use the long(er) screws to reattach the column to the dash.
It doesn't change the tilt much, and it pushes you back (a problem for short-legged folks). I didn't bother with this one.
3. the lumbar support pump broke within a couple months and the dealer didn't have a fix
As noted, it's fixable (search the forum). If memory serves, the "fix" is replacing the pump bulb (and valve) with one from something else.
Mine (probably) hasn't broken 'cuz i never use it.
4. the intermittent wipers only have one time setting (about 10 seconds)
Yeah, control would be nice... i don't recall if my Nissan offered a control, or if it just had two positions: too slow, and really too slow.
5. the air vent is always open! if you dont want "fresh" air you must push a button to close the outside air vent and then it only stays closed for 15 minutes! (I used a zip tie on the louver under the hood to hold it closed permanetly) If I want fresh air I will open a window
Different strokes... we only tend to go to recirculation if we're passing through smoke or are stuck behind something smelly.
6. the lights in the cargo area fell into the body cavity when I tried turning them on (I replaced one with a larger replacement light controlled by a three way switch so it functions the same way as the original)
I've got the passenger version, so the cargo area lights are just clipped into holes in the "soft" ceiling. I've been able to pull them out when desired, but i've never had them disappear into the ceiling.

Another creature-comfort item is the purchase of two additional armrest kits. This gives you "outer" armrests.
The mounting holes are already in the seat frame and foam, it's merely a case of drilling/cutting a small hole in the fabric and bolting them on with their included self-threading screws. Been there, done this.

An OBD-socket monitor like the ScanGauge, DashDAQ or UltraGauge is very handy for improving mileage and catching symptoms of impending (or just happened) faults.

--dick
 
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Amboman

New member
The inability to move the visor over to the drivers window i also thought was also a strange move by the mother country...
my fix was to tie a small nylon cord to and hang a tea towel over it, as the vehicle was second hand i could live with design flaws.
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
My apology to Redspark on the visor issue - I misunderstood, it is annoying how the visors don't rotate. I thought you meant an additional door visor!
 

Boater

New member
It reads like really you've just been used to something very different to a Sprinter. The T1N was designed in 1998/9 and it shows in some areas - you either got to accept this or not!
The facelift was maybe redesigned in 1998/9 but the original came out in 1995 :D:

I agree the non-rotating visor does have limitations, difficult to understand why because Germany does have roads running North-South, I have almost only done North-South trips in Germany :D:

Since ordering a replacement drivers side visor from a scrappy and getting the wrong one, I have a spare pax side one I could maybe mount over the drivers door..... My previous solution has been to carry a baseball cap and swivel it around so the skip blocks the sun - in fact the visor is so high I use it for frontal sun too!

The steering is meant to be flat, it's a truck! Makes my wrists hurt after a few hours though. :cry:

Intermittant wiper - did I find that eventually, I think I did but I can't remember where now. Is it down instead of up? My car wiper only has 3 speeds so I'm kind of used to that, none of them are ever quite right in the van or the car. :hmmm:

Air vent - can't you turn the vents off? Not sure if I have tried. Never open your window for ventilation, you will take around 10% hit on fuel economy, always use the vents. Running air con in summer uses less extra power than opening the window, and is cooler but many people in the UK insist that air con is unnecessary or wasteful and open the windows instead. Only time vents bother me is when I need cold air to stay awake and they insist on blowing over my hands (my car does this, I don't think the sprinter does) and freezing them (I'm not old enough to wear gloves for driving). The only other position for the vents blows the air directly into my face where it dries my out forcing me to blink more often which is a killer if I'm getting tired. A lot of long distance journeys see me napping in service stations, which is more effective in the sprinter because I can crawl up onto the bunk and sleep properly for an hour (most if not all UK service stations only allow 2 hours free parking so by the time I have parked, settled and allowed time to pee before moving on, I only dare sleep for an hour). :sleep:

Cargo lights - yes the design is pretty flimsy but I haven't heard of pushing them into the pillar, mind you mine are not push on/off but a sort of rolling switch so maybe I have different lights. Well only one in the garage area, in the living space they have been replaced with spot lights mounted in ply lining over the original holes, actually I'd quite like them to be able to come on when the door is opened so I might switch back to the OEM type unless I can find something with 3 position switches. :need-a-light-bulb-smiley:

You're right, they aren't perfect!
 

220629

Well-known member
...Never open your window for ventilation, you will take around 10% hit on fuel economy, always use the vents. Running air con in summer uses less extra power than opening the window, and is cooler but many people in the UK insist that air con is unnecessary or wasteful and open the windows instead....
You're right, they aren't perfect!
Your comment isn't supported by Mythbusters doing a real world test. With open windows they found about a 15% better economy @ 45 mph in their test. So in my mind even if greater speed takes away a bit from the windows open advantage it is likely still a wash.

You are correct that on hot days A/C is much more comfortable. On marginal days I prefer open windows, but that's just me.

Here's the video if anyone cares to watch it. There is a commercial segment before the actual condensed test. FWIW. vic


http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/eco-or-not.htm
 

Boater

New member
But who drives at 45mph? :bounce:
UK Motorway is a 70mph limit, mind you I am only allowed to do 50mph on A-roads in the sprinter. Our speed limits are all in increments of 10mph, except some private land like campsites which have 5mph limits or industrial sites maybe have 15mph.

I use aircon and recirc when it's raining to reduce the moisture in the air and keep the screens clear, even if it isn't hot out.
 

pdxh2o

Member
As far as the Visors go: go to a wrecking yard that has a '94 Nissan Pathfinder with a grey interior. Buy both visors and mount 'em on the sides so you have independent control...they interfere slightly with the stock ones in front if you mount them where they will block the sun, so I fold them up first and then the stock ones, which don't go all the way into their molded depressions in the headliner, but work fine and the end result is far superior to blinding sun, an overpriced aftermarket item or a goofball hat...$15 for the pair, and they both have (concealed) mirrors and (if you want to knock yourself out) lights...I posted a thread about this sometime back:rad:
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
A workaround for T1N visors is a $10 strap-on shade kit (from Auto Parts stores).
Here's a set on my visor, showing the behind-the-visor stowed position, the swung-sideways position, the swung-down position, and swung over with main visor up.

VisorShade.jpg

Then there's the "real" fix: the $82 hinge and retainer clip kit that lets the regular Sprinter visor swing to the side:

Visor5.JPG

--dick
 

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