Inertiaman,
Please consult your Maintenance Handbook (the one that came in the clear pouch in the glove box in your Sprinter).
There is a WHOLE lot more that needs to be checked/adjusted/tightened at the first 15K service.
You going to do the entire checklist DIY?
It's way more than a simple oil and filter change.
Hope you like laying on the ground or you are fortunate enough to have a rack that will support a Sprinter with all the wheels off.
15k is definitely time to rotate the tires, check the torque on the rear axle U-bolts, and a whole checklist of other inspections.
If you can get a 1st "A" service, for $290.00, at an authorized Mercedes Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer (a commercial dealer if you can
find one) that would be a very good deal.
Roger
Hey Roger, thanks for the thoughts. I read through the A Service checklist before I called the dealer. My original intention was to do exactly as you're suggesting: first Service A at the dealer. But once I looked in detail at the actual services and talked w/ the dealer, I had a change of heart.
The person I talked to at the service desk told me that the rear axle U bolt torque/tighten wasn't part of the service. This is somewhat consistent with some other threads here, where some have reported that the U bolt tightening was an extra $40 ala carte, or others that had been through their first Service A and subsequently found loose U-bolts on their own. Its printed clearly in the manual, but that apparently doesn't necessarily translate to it being done at a given dealer. The same dealer was ambiguous about the tire rotation, too, suggesting that they would inspect the tires. So I wasn't left with a particularly confident feel about the level of service.
Anyway, the U-bolt torquing is an easy task. The nuts are super accessible, I have a 1/2 drive torque wrench. A deep wall 19mm socket was only $6. My DEF and wiper fluid are already topped off, so no value to me from that perspective.
Tire rotation is admittedly a pain in the a$$ to do yourself. But the normal service place I take my other vehicle will do it for $25. Since they don't have to lift the Sprinter all the way up, they can do it in their normal service bay. Just need to get it off the ground to swap wheels. Nothing special about rotation w.r.t the
first Service A . . . we all face the same challenge for each subsequent service interval.
All that said, I'm still half tempted to use the dealer, just on the off chance they'd catch anything odd before a real problem develops. I may be near the dealer that originally sold me the vehicle when I hit 30,000, so maybe I'll consider a dealer service on that interval.
