2018 sprinter with CEL on 3500 miles

I was on my way home the other night when my CEL came on. I had the van on cruise control and I was cresting over the top of a mountain when I had to apply light brake to cancel cruise control to slow down for fog. The van was probably close to full boost when this happened. My guess is it had something to do with the CEL coming on. Water temp was normal so it wasn’t like it was running hot. Van didn’t miss a beat other than the light bothered me the rest of the way home.

So my questions are has anyone else had a similar experience?

And two I need a scan tool for 2018 3500 Chassis cab. I have reached out to AUTEL to inquire about the MD808 and they said I would need the MX808 at a minimum because the MD808 only goes up to model year 2016. I have an appointment with the dealer but I would really like to know the code prior to taking it in.

Thanks for the help
TP

tpruitt said:

I was on my way home the other night when my CEL came on. I had the van on cruise control and I was cresting over the top of a mountain when I had to apply light brake to cancel cruise control to slow down for fog. The van was probably close to full boost when this happened. My guess is it had something to do with the CEL coming on. Water temp was normal so it wasn’t like it was running hot. Van didn’t miss a beat other than the light bothered me the rest of the way home.

So my questions are has anyone else had a similar experience?

And two I need a scan tool for 2018 3500 Chassis cab. I have reached out to AUTEL to inquire about the MD808 and they said I would need the MX808 at a minimum because the MD808 only goes up to model year 2016. I have an appointment with the dealer but I would really like to know the code prior to taking it in.

Thanks for the help
TP

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Have you filled the DEF tank? My 2018 uses about a gallon every 1000 miles.

3500 miles would put you at about minimum.

Yes. It’s been 1400 miles since then but I still have 3/4 of a tank. I did a 1400 mile round trip last weekend

TP,

OBDII codes are OBDII codes irrespective of the year of manufacture!

So basically any scanner which can read OBDII codes (such as the Autel MD808) will be able to read the codes even if it cannot 'talk' fully to your 2018. You may have to go in through the OBD side of the scanner rather than manufacturer/model specific listings.

I use my MD802 on brand new MB's, Audi's and Merc's at work on a regular basis and get codes and info out of all of them even if they are too 'new' for my updates.

Find someone with a similar scanner and give it a try.

Keith.

tpruitt,
So, you are going to go to an authorized Mercedes Benz Sprinter dealer to have the diagnostics run to determine what caused your Check Engine Light (CEL), but you want to do a lower level scan so you can tell them what the code (s) is/are?
Why not let them diagnose the issue and take care of it under your new vehicle warranty?
Telling the service advisor (or the technician) what you think the problem is, when they have the diagnostic system that's most capable of dealing with Sprinter CEL issues, may simply confuse the issue, particularly if they go down a rabbit hole looking into what you have discovered, right or wrong, rather than doing the complete MB SDS diagnostic scan and dealing only with the issues the diagnostic scan discovers.
At 3500 miles, you are under the full bumper to bumper warranty so the diagnostics and repair should be completely covered by the new vehicle warranty.
You may have to be a little assertive, and get out your warranty book/paperwork, but everything should be covered completely.
Roger

Thanks for the responses above. I would like to know for my satisfaction what caused the light to come on. I don’t really trust any dealer to give me the full story. Seeing that my sprinter based RV (Winnebago View) is not 100% Mercedes I can see this potentially tuning into a lot of fingerpointing. Maybe I am making a big deal of it but I haven’t heard great stories about dealership visits. Hopefully I am wrong but I am still going to get a scan tool in the future.

We have a snap on solstice scan tool at my shop but it doesn’t support any of the auto German brands. A simple scan tool that can do resets, clear codes, dpf regens, etc is what I am looking for. Based on my conversations with Autel the Mx808 is what I need.

TP

I had a check engine light come on my 2015 at 15,000 miles while, I was 750 miles from home. I took it to AutoZone and pulled DTC P2459 "DPF regeneration interrupted three times."

Spent three days speaking to various people at Mercedes-Benz.The final consensus was, it was not a component failure but a emission system interruption, and as long as I wasn't experiencing any noticeable performance issues, continue to operate the vehicle. The check engine light self extinguished somewhere between Crescent City, California and Medford, Oregon.

I want to be a knowledgeable consumer so I don't get grabbed by the ankles and turned upside down to see how much money they can shake it out of me like a pregnant piñata. I would find out what the code is prior to taking it the dealer. As long as I'm not experiencing any performances issues, I would reset the code and wait to see if it returns. No sense having somebody, most likely incompetent, monkeying around with it if there's not a problem.

IMHO, not all Mercedes-Benz service departments are created equal. I'm skeptical about service departments in general and service advisors and technicians/mechanics in particular . I'm left with the impression there exist enormous pressure to get things done right or wrong.

Requires years of training and experience to become a certified and competent Mercedes Benz technician for employment that does not particularly pay well and assume that dealership service departments experience a high-rate of employee turnover. I have no data.

Finally, what is the extent of the service advisors knowledge relating to automobiles and why would they even have to be, they're not going to work on vehicles?

So, please keep us advised what the code is and the subsequent solution.


Happy Sprintering.

tpruitt said:

2018 sprinter with CEL on 3500 miles

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I don't need to read any further than this to say take it to the dealer. Let them do what they're paid to do.

They can't shake you down for any money - the vehicle is clearly under the full bumper to bumper warranty at this point.

Any mucking around that you do - particularly clearing codes - is a potential source for problems down the road. Clearing codes with any scan tool is going to also clear some history of smaller (as in not enough to set the CEL) issues that could be important to diagnosing your issue, or could be early signs of other potential issues.

You also want to get every potential issue documented in case things turn sour down the road.

Going the honey instead of vinegar route, I'd politely ask for a copy of any diagnostic codes found. Perhaps the "want to document things because I'm on the road a lot and may need to see a different dealer" explanation would be useful here. It sounds like you may have an RV rather than a cargo or passenger van, so that's a very sensible thing to do.

Having said all that, I see no problem with getting a code reader and checking the codes for your own information and learning. Combine that with the print out from the dealer and you can see if your reader is giving you the same information as the official Mercedes reader, and what any differences might be.

But I wouldn't let the service writer know that you've read the codes yourself. If they become your adversary, you don't want them to necessarily know everything that you know. It's your way of checking on their work. As already mentioned, if you tell them what you want done rather than letting them diagnose the issue themselves, you may give them a good reason to limit their diagnostic procedures. It's the "trust but verify" argument. Trust them to do their job, but verify that they are worthy of the trust.

tj,
So, what part of your Sprinter cab/chassis (that can be diagnosed on the MB SDS diagnostic system) is
not 100% Mercedes Benz or Freightliner?
Maybe the auxiliary battery connection and possibly the trailer tow wiring harness (if you have that option) but nothing in the Winnebago up fit portion of your Sprinter will be seen by the MB SDS diagnostics.
If you have a problem with the Winnebago up fit....take it to a Winnebago dealer shop for analysis/repair.
For sure do not try to erase any code (s) you discover.
Perhaps a Scan Gauge II set to monitor % engine Load would help here.
It will give you the information necessary to drive your new RV in a manner that will give you both the most performance AND the most efficiency.
I hope the Mercedes Benz dealer you have scheduled to diagnose and fix whatever is causing your CEL has the full high bay/heavier duty racks/full complement of Sprinter specific tools.
A regular Mercedes Benz dealer will not have the ability to get your RV inside the shop and onto the heavier rack. They can diagnose it, but you also need Sprinter specific technicians with the special training that Sprinter repairs require.
Roger

tpruitt said:

I was on my way home the other night when my CEL came on. [...]

So my questions are has anyone else had a similar experience?
TP

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I have had 2 CELs on my 2017 van; one at about 400 miles, the other at about 6,000 miles. Both times I took my van in to the dealer.

The first time I brought the van to a large metro area dealership about 2 hours away from my home, because I was passing through and knew that a) they were large, b) they sold a lot of Sprinter vans. The service folks checked the code, ran diagnostics, and sent the results to the factory as per a tech bulletin they had. They explained everything to me and gave me a printout describing the codes, their diagnostics, and the results.

The second time I brought the van to a smaller metro area dealership about 1 hour from my house, because they are more convenient to me (and that is where I bought the van in the first place). The service folks checked it out, told me they had to replace a part that had to be ordered, and sent me on my way. After the part came in I returned, they installed the part, and give me a printout describing what they had done, but it was no where near the level of detail that I received from the first dealer.

I paid nothing either time because my van is under warranty. However, the part that the second dealer replaced is part of the DPF regeneration system. They gave me a history of regens that they thought proved I was short cycling the system (making lots of short trips, never making long trips, and never letting the van finish a regeneration). This made me unhappy, because that is the exact opposite of the way I drive my van, and they never asked me how I drove it, they just assumed that I was "doing it wrong." So... I've put enough (long distance) mileage on the van to have at least one more regeneration on the history, and I'll be bringing my van to the first dealership where I think I'll get a more informed result and find out why the history shows many interrupted regenerations (ignition off) even when my driving log shows me driving straight through on 1,300 mile runs.

So... I agree with the folks who suggest that since you have a full warranty on the van, take it to the dealer and let them sort it out. Don't try to tell them what it is - just tell them you have the Check Engine light. It is their job to diagnose it, which should include asking you questions if they need clarification on behavior or circumstances surrounding the illumination of the light. But, if you have a choice of dealers, head for the one that has more Sprinter van business.

I don't think it hurts to have a code reader and pull the codes yourself before heading in, though. If nothing else, it might help you determine the sense of urgency with which you respond to the CEL.

1) Yes, by all means, take it to a dealer for warranty service.
2) Yes, get yourself a code reader. Many folks like the Scangauge II (myself included), and leave it "permanently" connected & displaying.

3) I know of at least two instances where a stretch of heavy load and subsequent heavy draw of both fuel and DEF (towing a heavy trailer uphill, extended hard acceleration, etc.) has caused a temporary low pressure, essentially a vacuum, in the DEF tank. This will trigger the CEL and store a code (P20EE), though the engine will run quite normally. In both cases, unscrewing the DEF cap allowed a very noticeable whoosh of air to enter the tank; after a code reset, all was well. Perhaps this is what happened in your case, climbing a hill while in cruise...? (But do NOT clear any codes until a Mercedes shop has had a chance to look at it.)

Thanks all. Luckily my local MB dealer is a sprinter dealers as well. They have the capacity to service the vans and RVs.

My intention with the scan tool was not to clear the codes however if I am going to spend the money I would like a scan tool that can do more than just look at codes. I plan to let the MB dealer do all their own diagnostics, that’s their job. I just like being an informed consumer.

Irvingj: I will check to see if the def tank has a vacuum on it. Your scenario sounds very similar to mine. As good as it ran the rest of the way home I do t think it’s anything major. Something simple like this is kind of what I was expecting.

Once I know the codes I will report back. Dealer was 2 weeks out from being able to look at it. So I have a little time. Good thing I am not in a hurry for it.

Depending on how long it's been, the pressure in the DEF tank may have equalized on its own. There is an atmospheric vent in the system, but it apparently has limits as to how rapidly it can allow air to go back into the tank, so it's possible (again, apparently) for it to be overwhelmed.

BTW, mine's a 2015 Roadtrek SS Agile, which has the 3.0L V6 on a short/tall 2500-series chassis. My situation occurred while on the road in 2017 (with approx. 25K miles on the Sprinter), hundreds of miles from home; I didn't wait to visit a dealer once I had a potential solution. Check for that code.

Our 2015 threw a couple CEL within the first few months...dealer said they were "interruption faults" and "cleared and updated"...these were at abour 6K and 8K miles...we now are passing 50K without a hitch since...

Flagster said:

Our 2015 threw a couple CEL within the first few months...dealer said they were "interruption faults" and "cleared and updated"...these were at abour 6K and 8K miles...we now are passing 50K without a hitch since...

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What's an "interruption fault"?

Is it as in "it interrupted my vacation"?

avanti said:

What's an "interruption fault"?

Is it as in "it interrupted my vacation"?

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Guessing that the DPF regen interruption or not completing.

Yes ...........on the vacation............means come to the dealer from free donuts and coffee ....we will get your vehicle in two weeks.

"Interruption Fault" a new term coined, on the fly, by an unusually fast-thinking Service Advisor.

I guess DTC P2459 could be considered a "Interruption fault." The print-out from Auto Zone revealed "DPF regeneration was interrupted by operator three times." After the vehicle was operated on the highway for a few hours, the CEL self-extinguished. The screenshot is not from Auto Zone.

Now, all of this undue mojo turmoil could have beed avoided had my, Best or Nothing, Sprinter functioned as described on page 213 in Owner's manual alerting of regeneration. POS!!!! I just can't understand the genius...er...German engineering.

Mentions updating software? How many service departments are going to voluntarily update out-of-date module firmware? Especially while under warranty.

The 2007 Service Manual, 12,000 plus pages, is pregnant with info. Particularly interesting is the Onboard Diagnostic System and the importance of a well-maintained battery as small voltage fluctuations can throw false or phantom codes. Especially during start-up after storage. (See 2007 Service Manual Section 25 for details).

avanti said:

What's an "interruption fault"?

Is it as in "it interrupted my vacation"?

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Actually he added "ghosting codes" as in he or the service tech couldn't tell me what casued it...
"they just appear" and "usually go away on their own"

Stated "they regularly happen on the new vehicles as they are breaking in"...

Bobnoxious said:

The 2007 Service Manual, 12,000 plus pages, is pregnant with info. Particularly interesting is the Onboard Diagnostic System and the importance of a well-maintained battery as small voltage fluctuations can throw false or phantom codes. Especially during start-up after storage. (See 2007 Service Manual Section 25 for details).

Click to expand...

Maybe the "cooked" battery caused it...hahahahahahaha