HappyFamilyVan
Captain Ahab
During my quest to find out all that I could about the Sprinter before I bought one, I finally used family connections to speak with a senior production engineer in the Dusseldorf plant in Germany. Lucky for me I speak German. My first question was, are the German 3.0L diesels the same as the US version. The answer was…the engines are identical except for bolt on emissions required by the US. I asked why the German diesels have a recommend oil maintence schedule of 24k miles while the US version has a maintence schedule of oil 10k. He laughed and said …this was a decision based on the US market. He detailed 3 points, 1) no vehicle in the US had a 24k change cycle and the fear was that if that long of a cycle was given, people would forget or not change their oil as well as not have their vehicle have preventative inspections that are now done during the 10K changes. 2) since the proper oil in the US is not widely available, it would cause less damage to the engine if the wrong oil was accidently used and was changed on a shorter cycle….but he questioned this logic himself 3) There was also concern that if there was no need to go into the shop except for every 1.5 years (24K miles) service revenue would fall.
He then went on to explain that changing the oil on a diesel Sprinter was designed to be a “clean affair”.
No need to get dirty. He pointed out in Germany; most Sprinter owners perform their own maintence. The engine was designed to have the oil sucked out of the fill pipe like a boat, not to pull a plug from below like most US vehicles. He recommended that I buy a boat oil/siphon pump to remove the oil through the fill pipe. This way I could pump the oil out into a receptacle versus a drain pan….much cleaner. The oil filter is on top of the engine for easy access…another easy change and can be done without mess. He did recommend that during the warranty period to change the oil every 10K to prevent voiding of the warranty, but every 24k after warranty expires. He also said that since many places in the US have low quality diesel to change the fuel filter every 10K if not sooner. He also recommended that I change the oil myself that way I know the “proper” MB spec’d oil was used. Lube it myself, and visually inspect the hoses, belts, ect…myself after every change. I called several Freightliner and Dodge maintence departments around the US about what oil they would use for a ’08 Sprinter…ALL quoted the Mobil 1 ESP as I expected (it’s in the book)… but they also added on their own (I did not expect this) that if the Mobil 1 ESP was out, they would use an “acceptable alternate”….since they added the “acceptable alternate” part I will assume they have a cheaper oil that they prefer, higher profit margins.
I asked him why are there so many issues with the US version of the Sprinter….he quickly had 2 reasons…bad fuel and wrong oil. He said that the new 3.0 absolutely requires ULSD. Even 1 tank of LSD can cause problems. The use of the wrong oil will also cause issues. He noted, you must use Mobil 1 ESP or and ESP equivalent. His recommendation…use Mobil 1 ESP as that is what is used by the factory. He also noted NOT to change oil before 10K as it is essential to keep the Mobil break in oil specially formulated for MB in the engine for at least 10K. Then to make sure that the next oil change is absolutely Mobil 1 ESP oil. Again he stressed fuel filter changes as an absolute must in the US. He also alluded to untrained mechanics working on Sprinters. He said; just because you can work on a Dodge, does not mean you are qualified to work on a MB. He said the level of training that a MB mechanic in Germany goes through is extensive, time consuming, and not cheap. Most US dealership will not incur this expense and try and substitute training with a few on-line courses.
The reason behind his convictions for these recommendations…after all the issues relating to the US emissions equipped engines and the EGR value, MB took a US version and ran it in Germany for an extended period…no issues. They sent engineers to evaluate the issues…everything came back to diesel quality and oil. After the engineers were finished with their evaluation, the H44(ECM) recall was issued. This recall reprograms the engine to extend the “self clean” mode in an attempt to account for the bad diesel and oil.
I asked him about transmission issues. (I have personal experience with my US vehicles in this department). His comment…they actually lowered the GVWR because of people overloading the vehicle due to its large cargo size…in attempt to prevent issues. He noted transmission issues are not localized to the US. No issue should arise if the vehicle is not continually subjected to overloading. However, because of high fuel prices and ever tightening margins…commercial operators choose the Sprinter because of its size…then load it up as if it were an 18 wheeler…Since I plan on using mine as a passenger van he said I should have no issues.
I asked him about idling the vehicle in case I wanted to pull over and sleep in it at night while traveling. (A.C) He said…not recommend as the Sprinter engine wants to be “driven, driven, driven”…if you must idle he said, keep it at 1200 RPMS with a high idle control. He also said, do not park for several weeks. Make sure you drive the vehicle regularly…it wants to be “driven, driven, driven”.
He said the Sprinter was a good vehicle and designed to last a lifetime…however he said …it is a highly engineered vehicle that needs proper care….and food(fuel/oil). He personified the Sprinter and compared it to a friendship…If you take care of it and nurture it with the proper care and attention it will last a lifetime…however if you neglect and abuse it…it will fade by the wayside.
Sorry for the long post…just wanted to share what I learned…
He then went on to explain that changing the oil on a diesel Sprinter was designed to be a “clean affair”.
No need to get dirty. He pointed out in Germany; most Sprinter owners perform their own maintence. The engine was designed to have the oil sucked out of the fill pipe like a boat, not to pull a plug from below like most US vehicles. He recommended that I buy a boat oil/siphon pump to remove the oil through the fill pipe. This way I could pump the oil out into a receptacle versus a drain pan….much cleaner. The oil filter is on top of the engine for easy access…another easy change and can be done without mess. He did recommend that during the warranty period to change the oil every 10K to prevent voiding of the warranty, but every 24k after warranty expires. He also said that since many places in the US have low quality diesel to change the fuel filter every 10K if not sooner. He also recommended that I change the oil myself that way I know the “proper” MB spec’d oil was used. Lube it myself, and visually inspect the hoses, belts, ect…myself after every change. I called several Freightliner and Dodge maintence departments around the US about what oil they would use for a ’08 Sprinter…ALL quoted the Mobil 1 ESP as I expected (it’s in the book)… but they also added on their own (I did not expect this) that if the Mobil 1 ESP was out, they would use an “acceptable alternate”….since they added the “acceptable alternate” part I will assume they have a cheaper oil that they prefer, higher profit margins.
I asked him why are there so many issues with the US version of the Sprinter….he quickly had 2 reasons…bad fuel and wrong oil. He said that the new 3.0 absolutely requires ULSD. Even 1 tank of LSD can cause problems. The use of the wrong oil will also cause issues. He noted, you must use Mobil 1 ESP or and ESP equivalent. His recommendation…use Mobil 1 ESP as that is what is used by the factory. He also noted NOT to change oil before 10K as it is essential to keep the Mobil break in oil specially formulated for MB in the engine for at least 10K. Then to make sure that the next oil change is absolutely Mobil 1 ESP oil. Again he stressed fuel filter changes as an absolute must in the US. He also alluded to untrained mechanics working on Sprinters. He said; just because you can work on a Dodge, does not mean you are qualified to work on a MB. He said the level of training that a MB mechanic in Germany goes through is extensive, time consuming, and not cheap. Most US dealership will not incur this expense and try and substitute training with a few on-line courses.
The reason behind his convictions for these recommendations…after all the issues relating to the US emissions equipped engines and the EGR value, MB took a US version and ran it in Germany for an extended period…no issues. They sent engineers to evaluate the issues…everything came back to diesel quality and oil. After the engineers were finished with their evaluation, the H44(ECM) recall was issued. This recall reprograms the engine to extend the “self clean” mode in an attempt to account for the bad diesel and oil.
I asked him about transmission issues. (I have personal experience with my US vehicles in this department). His comment…they actually lowered the GVWR because of people overloading the vehicle due to its large cargo size…in attempt to prevent issues. He noted transmission issues are not localized to the US. No issue should arise if the vehicle is not continually subjected to overloading. However, because of high fuel prices and ever tightening margins…commercial operators choose the Sprinter because of its size…then load it up as if it were an 18 wheeler…Since I plan on using mine as a passenger van he said I should have no issues.
I asked him about idling the vehicle in case I wanted to pull over and sleep in it at night while traveling. (A.C) He said…not recommend as the Sprinter engine wants to be “driven, driven, driven”…if you must idle he said, keep it at 1200 RPMS with a high idle control. He also said, do not park for several weeks. Make sure you drive the vehicle regularly…it wants to be “driven, driven, driven”.
He said the Sprinter was a good vehicle and designed to last a lifetime…however he said …it is a highly engineered vehicle that needs proper care….and food(fuel/oil). He personified the Sprinter and compared it to a friendship…If you take care of it and nurture it with the proper care and attention it will last a lifetime…however if you neglect and abuse it…it will fade by the wayside.
Sorry for the long post…just wanted to share what I learned…