What Did You Do To Your Sprinter Today?

[Green Maned Lion]

I spent more time than I cared to pulling off the passengers front door interior panel to properly secure the handle cable, which I had failed to properly secure when I insulated the panel last week. The aggravating part was one of the cheesed plastic screw clip thingamabobs (god alone knows why they didn't just put in some copper stand offs and some screws instead of this nonsense) was pretty darned stuck. I got it out, and replaced them with three new ones.

The problem was in the process of extracting the fastener, I also managed to chip a good amount of paint off a spot on the door. I know my limitations, so (for I think the first time?) I actually had my wife do that part. This has not really been a joint project thus far.

 

[Yardverkauf]

Got me a Roamrest mattress.

 

[mograb]

I found out one of my LP9 Sports is defective from the factory…

I was considering connecting to the aux battery fuse block, so I removed the seat, one of my least favorite activities, but I had a chance to check torque on my EcoFlow alternator connection to F55/6 block which was fine after 2.5 years.

For the lights, I ended up pulling power from the starter battery. Since I don’t have plans for other loads, 12awg cable to the engine bay. Routing out the battery box, up through the center console/dash and over the steering wheel, and out the driver side under-dash boot.

Wired up the on and off switch, tested it and walla, no center LEDs. Swapped the light between plugs and verified wiring is good. Time to exercise that lifetime warranty.

 

[NMmonkeyman]

After a long work stretch doing a deep cleaning of the van before a 2 month trip to Wyoming and Montana. Pulled everything out, vacuumed, leaf blow and wipe down of all the dust from the washboard roads from the last year. It's amazing how much dust gets into everything.

 

[NMmonkeyman]

After 9 years of living the DC life I finally added a 600watt DC to AC converter. I've only used the small cigarette lighter outlet converter to recharge my laptop in the past. The impetus for the upgrade is I bought an e bike. Im planing on mostly charging the bike before or during driving to let my alternator do most of the work. The 720watt/hr e bike battery is 1/3 of my total house battery capacity.
I wish there was a way to charge the e bike battery directly from a DC source as it appears inefficient to go from DC to AC and then back again, but these smart chargers are all AC. How do others charge up their bikes on the road?
I had doubts about getting an e bike for years but I think I will actually use the bike much more and for longer periods of time.

I still need to pack up the van, go shopping and sanitize the water tank before heading north to Wyoming next week.

 

[Happy29]

After 9 years of living the DC life I finally added a 600watt DC to AC converter. I've only used the small cigarette converter to recharge my laptop in the past. The impetus for the upgrade is I bought an e bike. Im planing on mostly charging the bike before or during driving to let my alternator do most of the work. The 720watt/hr e bike battery is 1/3 of my total house battery capacity.
I wish there was a way to charge the e bike battery directly from a DC source as it appears inefficient to go from DC to AC and then back again, but these smart chargers are all AC. How do others charge up their bikes on the road?
I had doubts about getting an e bike for years but I think I will actually use the bike much more and for longer periods of time.

I still need to pack up the van, go shopping and sanitize the water tank before head north to Wyoming next week.

You can charge from DC with an appropriate 12V to ‘insert bike battery charge voltage here’ converter/charger. Charger is key here. It cannot be a simple voltage converter only. It may or may not be more efficient than using 120V AC to charge with the included charger though.

 

[RVBarry]

Some (most?) e-bikes have the charger in the bike, and a voltage converter will do.

And some only have two wires, which makes it easy.

If so, you just need to read the output voltage off the e-bikes OEM charger, and find a decent DCDC for that voltage with a similar current rating.

Here’s a high-current one with lots of cooling. Probably overkill, but it shows the standard components.

 

[paravanlife]

Hey everyone!

Whether you are tackling a DIY van build or working as a professional vanuplifter, you always hit the same roadblock at some point: how to clean up and control all your electrical gear? Off-road lights, water pumps, air compressors, fridges, electric valves, Starlink, winches... the list goes on and on.

The factory switch area near the Sprinter's steering wheel is usually just a row of blank plastic covers. Why? Because OEM Mercedes switches are ridiculously expensive, can’t handle multiple heavy-duty devices, and offer barely any icon options. On the other hand, aftermarket switch panels usually force you to drill holes into your dashboard, ruining the clean look.

As a Sprinter owner myself, I faced this exact dilemma. I realized we needed to utilize that factory space but with modern, heavy-duty capability. That’s how the custom switch panels from moosevans.com were born! 🦌

What makes them a game-changer?

• Control up to 14 devices: Manage your entire vanlife setup from one central, ergonomic spot.
• Factory fit & finish: Installs directly into the original dashboard slot—ZERO drilling required. Keeps that clean OEM look.
• Fully customizable: You can choose your own button layouts from over 50 available icons to match your specific layout and needs.
• No soldering required: The panels come complete with wiring looms and connector plugs. If you hate soldering, you can simply crimp them directly onto your existing electrical setup.

If you’re looking for a clean, professional way to manage your Sprinter's electronics, check it out.

 

[The_D]

Hey everyone!

Whether you are tackling a DIY van build or working as a professional vanuplifter, you always hit the same roadblock at some point: how to clean up and control all your electrical gear? Off-road lights, water pumps, air compressors, fridges, electric valves, Starlink, winches... the list goes on and on.

The factory switch area near the Sprinter's steering wheel is usually just a row of blank plastic covers. Why? Because OEM Mercedes switches are ridiculously expensive, can’t handle multiple heavy-duty devices, and offer barely any icon options. On the other hand, aftermarket switch panels usually force you to drill holes into your dashboard, ruining the clean look.

As a Sprinter owner myself, I faced this exact dilemma. I realized we needed to utilize that factory space but with modern, heavy-duty capability. That’s how the custom switch panels from moosevans.com were born! 🦌

What makes them a game-changer?

• Control up to 14 devices: Manage your entire vanlife setup from one central, ergonomic spot.
• Factory fit & finish: Installs directly into the original dashboard slot—ZERO drilling required. Keeps that clean OEM look.
• Fully customizable: You can choose your own button layouts from over 50 available icons to match your specific layout and needs.
• No soldering required: The panels come complete with wiring looms and connector plugs. If you hate soldering, you can simply crimp them directly onto your existing electrical setup.

If you’re looking for a clean, professional way to manage your Sprinter's electronics, check it out.

Advertisement without link to the product?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

After 9 years of living the DC life I finally added a 600watt DC to AC converter. I've only used the small cigarette lighter outlet converter to recharge my laptop in the past. The impetus for the upgrade is I bought an e bike. Im planing on mostly charging the bike before or during driving to let my alternator do most of the work. The 720watt/hr e bike battery is 1/3 of my total house battery capacity.
I wish there was a way to charge the e bike battery directly from a DC source as it appears inefficient to go from DC to AC and then back again, but these smart chargers are all AC. How do others charge up their bikes on the road?
I had doubts about getting an e bike for years but I think I will actually use the bike much more and for longer periods of time.

I still need to pack up the van, go shopping and sanitize the water tank before heading north to Wyoming next week.

So you've moved from Washington to Atlantic City. Welcome to New Jersey. Remember, they charge tolls leaving the state and not when entering it to balance supply and demand. It is also important to remember that New Yorker's are so depressed because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.

 

[Maslin]

Towed with a the van a bit, and replaced the tires on the boat trailer. Went with radials, not sure how happy I am. Definitely a different feel, we’ll see how they hold up.

 

[vreihen]

I had a skylight installed in my roof, so I can lay in bed and look at the stars. Unfortunately, mother nature decided to rain on my parade and dump water onto my face as soon as the hole was opened up.....




.

 

[vreihen]

Oh, my DW and I also put this together and glued it in with Sikaflex 221 this afternoon:




.

 

[EBS-P]

fuel, air and cabin filters. Fuel filter is messy but I didn’t remove the drain plug. I think it’s less messy that way.

 

[LowkeySprinter]

After a long work stretch doing a deep cleaning of the van before a 2 month trip to Wyoming and Montana. Pulled everything out, vacuumed, leaf blow and wipe down of all the dust from the washboard roads from the last year. It's amazing how much dust gets into everything.View attachment 409487

Now that’s the type of build and usage photos I enjoy seeing. Looks like it is used and very utilitarian.

 

[tehbuM]

I

Hey everyone!

Whether you are tackling a DIY van build or working as a professional vanuplifter, you always hit the same roadblock at some point: how to clean up and control all your electrical gear? Off-road lights, water pumps, air compressors, fridges, electric valves, Starlink, winches... the list goes on and on.

The factory switch area near the Sprinter's steering wheel is usually just a row of blank plastic covers. Why? Because OEM Mercedes switches are ridiculously expensive, can’t handle multiple heavy-duty devices, and offer barely any icon options. On the other hand, aftermarket switch panels usually force you to drill holes into your dashboard, ruining the clean look.

As a Sprinter owner myself, I faced this exact dilemma. I realized we needed to utilize that factory space but with modern, heavy-duty capability. That’s how the custom switch panels from moosevans.com were born! 🦌

What makes them a game-changer?

• Control up to 14 devices: Manage your entire vanlife setup from one central, ergonomic spot.
• Factory fit & finish: Installs directly into the original dashboard slot—ZERO drilling required. Keeps that clean OEM look.
• Fully customizable: You can choose your own button layouts from over 50 available icons to match your specific layout and needs.
• No soldering required: The panels come complete with wiring looms and connector plugs. If you hate soldering, you can simply crimp them directly onto your existing electrical setup.

If you’re looking for a clean, professional way to manage your Sprinter's electronics, check it out.

Ive been wondering why no one makes a 3d printed panel in this area like Toyota people do. It would make it so much nicer and cleaner in the cab and it’s a huge area to take advantage off.

 

[pnassmac]

I

Ive been wondering why no one makes a 3d printed panel in this area like Toyota people do. It would make it so much nicer and cleaner in the cab and it’s a huge area to take advantage off.

You sound like the right person for the job!

Here you go!

Printer:

https://bambulab.com/en-us/p2s

Design Software:

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal?mktvar002=afc_us_nmpi_ppc&AID=10282382&PID=8206971&gclsrc=aw.ds&&cjevent=EAIaIQobChMIz-_RgfjllAMVtXBHAR1bchJNEAAYASAAEgKbcPD_BwE&click_id=EAIaIQobChMIz-_RgfjllAMVtXBHAR1bchJNEAAYASAAEgKbcPD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz-_RgfjllAMVtXBHAR1bchJNEAAYASAAEgKbcPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=739695588&gbraid=0AAAAADmwRu6_2NKmtuevZvkTlBZrVTClG

 

[marklg]

You sound like the right person for the job!

Here you go!

Printer:

https://bambulab.com/en-us/p2s

Design Software:

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal?mktvar002=afc_us_nmpi_ppc&AID=10282382&PID=8206971&gclsrc=aw.ds&&cjevent=EAIaIQobChMIz-_RgfjllAMVtXBHAR1bchJNEAAYASAAEgKbcPD_BwE&click_id=EAIaIQobChMIz-_RgfjllAMVtXBHAR1bchJNEAAYASAAEgKbcPD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz-_RgfjllAMVtXBHAR1bchJNEAAYASAAEgKbcPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=739695588&gbraid=0AAAAADmwRu6_2NKmtuevZvkTlBZrVTClG

Bambu Labs and Autodesk are not so customer friendly. Choose them if you want your designs to not be your own and require the cloud to work and pay for a subscription for what used to be free. Throw in a nice dose of litigiousness.

Regards,

Mark

 

[VanGoSki]

Swapped the Nations/Balmar setup for the Arco/Zeus combo. I've found that when I disable my charging at high-elevation on a cold motor, the dead pedal goes away. So, the Zeus regulator with the ability to disable charging until a specific RPM is attractive. Plus, my Nations alternator failed.

View attachment 408218View attachment 408219View attachment 408220View attachment 408221

Failed again? Any idea why?
Also, do you have the N62 bracket, and if so, how was the install?

Thanks!

 

[vreihen]

After light rain for most of last night, I gave up on my sky light idea and covered the hole in the roof:



Now that the Sikaflex is dry, I'm just waiting for my wire stripper order to arrive so that I can run the power feed and install the inside vents and stuff.....