Trusted Sprinter Service Mechanics Shop List

mk216v

Active member
I thought that what was this whole Dealer Supply List/Regional Locations sub-forum was about - including the breakdown by state and province: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=125
Seems moderators are moving threads around? One got moved from Oregon section to this section. I made a post there about posting to each State section vs Dealer Info, since Dealer section is regarding Dealerships, correct?;

MATRIX INTEGRATED--Bend OR and Portland OR locations
 

Kimball

Active member
Here is my recent experience with Collie Autoworks.
My van wasn't building adequate fuel pressure to start properly. I'd already performed significant work/testing and narrowed the issue down to either being the high pressure fuel pump or the injectors leaking off too much fuel. This included an injector leak off test where each injector was putting out approximately 5 mL at 10 seconds of cranking time. Note that this test is done (so I've read) with the cam position sensor undone, and the MAF sensor unplugged since you've got to remove the air box. I recently had the DPF sensor die on me, and replaced it. The MAF sensor is also new. Collie did the teach in when I took the van to them previously.

I didn't want to blindly play parts darts when deciding whether I needed to replace injectors or the high pressure pump. Didn't have those kinds of dollars. I called Collie and asked if they had the diagnostic capabilities to discern which of the two needed replacement. They confirmed that they did. I told them everything I've done in relation to the fuel system to date, so they wouldn't needlessly replicate any work.

I drop the van off and am told that I'd get answers in a day or two. Roughly two weeks later they called me back.
After their diagnostics, they reported to me that it was indeed the fuel pump, but also that I needed a new cam position sensor, a new MAF sensor and probably a new DPF due to stored codes, as well as a new turbo resonator because the seal was bad.

I told them that those codes were due to the fact that I'd just been cranking on the van with the sensors unplugged (dpf sensor aside) and that those codes had not been present before that time, and was told that they cleared the codes, and they immediately returned.

I declined everything but the fuel pump and asked for a quote: Out the door, $2400.
I'd either understood this or assumed this to mean a new pump for $1800 plus labor, plus tax.
I searched on europarts and found that a bosch factory reman could be had for $1200 + a $300 refundable core deposit. I talked to Roger and told him that if he could charge me the $1200 for the part, I'd pay them for the install. Installing this part is within my capabilities, but I view a good relationship with a reputable shop as a a solid investment, so I'd rather not jerk them around, having them do diagnostics but not any repair work.
This proposal of using the specific part at the specific price turned out to be way more of a haggle session than anticipated. Roger wanted to charge me $1500 for the part, plus the labor, plus the diagnostic, plus tax. That's how he got to the $2400. Sure. Makes sense. He eventually agrees to the $1200 for the part and I tell him to proceed.
Roger said he hoped to have it done by the end of the week.
Roughly two weeks later he calls me back.
The good news: they got the pump in and the van starts.
The bad news: it doesn't start very well. Roger says that they installed it, and it wasn't great, so they went in and pinched off the leak off tubes after each injector, and injectors 5 and 6 built up a lot of pressure. So they contacted a supplier (I didn't ask, nor did he offer who) and bought two used injectors for $100 each, and charged me $100 for the install. That plus all of the other work that the van needed due to persistent codes means that it just really doesn't run very well. Again, I caused these codes myself. And the issue with the van was sort of a night and day scenario: running smoothly enough -at least without a single one of these codes- and then all of a sudden fueling problems, beginning with a seized lift pump and carrying on from there.
I was less than enthusiastic about negotiating a $300 price difference based on the known cost of the agreed upon part, in the agreed upon scope of work, only to be met with an identical increase in an unapproved scope increase.
By the time I drove the van from San Rafael to west Oakland, it's performance was identical to when I dropped it off and spent $2400 on it. None of the maf or cam position codes were present, though. Nor are they now, after putting about 500 miles on the van.

So I see two ways that this could happen:

I'm a mechanical engineer who has designed, fabricated, built, and tested all kinds of different products and equipment. I'm also a life long wrench, admittedly not with sprinters, but I have built plenty of motos and fixed plenty of cars. I also fully have adhd and can come across as a scatter-brained kook on my bad days. Maybe they just saw a scatter-brained kook and threw every possible code to fix at him. Maybe they then got the new fuel pump in, and made up the story about putting two used injectors in the most buried place in the van to get the profit they need to, because unless I wrote down the injector codes it'd be impossible to tell. Maybe the $1500 they quoted me was actually $1200 for the pump and then they were pocketing the $300 core charge. Seems to all add up.

Or.
The way it was communicated to Roger was that I really did need all that extra crap. To be fair, the resonator seal *was* garbage, and I did replace the whole resonator because some of the mounting threads were also garbage. Maybe they did replace the pump and found no real improvement, and then really did use a dubious diagnostic method to discover that injectors 5 and 6 were the worst offenders in the van, and decided that it was better to go ahead without my approval so I wouldn't have just spent all the money for none of the gain.
But if that's the case, why did they say that they would diagnose the problem between the injectors and the fuel pump in the first place and then seemingly just play code reader and parts darts with it? At the outset, I specifically communicated that the entire reason I was bringing it to them was because they said that they could accurately diagnose the problem. Maybe I needed both the pump *and* the injectors, but then why was the problem literally no different by the time I got home?

Some shops are thoroughly dishonest. Even good honest shops have their swings and misses. This shop absolutely knows sprinters, but since I can't say for certain which treatment I've gotten from them, I don't think that I will be going back. That was $2400 for literally no change. I took the van somewhere else for injectors, got a cheaper rate, faster service, and the van immediately sparks right up flawlessly.

Your mileage may vary, but since I'd seen other "buyer beware" posts about them, and since this thread has both good and bad reports of them, I figured I'd share all of the details here.
 

eranrund

Active member
Kimball, do you have any shops in the bay area you would recommend? Who's their competition?
Thanks!
(For what its worth, my experience with them has generally been good even if a bit slow in some cases)
 

Kimball

Active member
Kimball, do you have any shops in the bay area you would recommend? Who's their competition?
Thanks!
(For what its worth, my experience with them has generally been good even if a bit slow in some cases)
Unfortunately I don't have any recommendations. Replacing injectors is only marginally harder than replacing sparkplugs, and dang near anyone with the right pro level scan tool can get it done. There are fists full of heavy diesel shops in the east bay, and if you tell them that you just need injectors replaced and programmed, they'll probably be able to do it. If I had a xentry clone or whatever, I'd have just done it myself.

I also want to be careful to reiterate, in explicit terms, that I can make no definite assertions why I had a bad experience with Collie Autoworks. All I have is a gradient of unprovable suppositions between "one of those bad days" and outright "we just need to make X dollars for this job and we'll get it how we get it."
Darren and Roger are both conversationally friendly and seemingly very helpful people, who both seem to know their stuff inside and out. If they were constantly bilking people, I'm not sure if they would have a shop full of sprinters all the time, in addition to everything else they work on.
For a whole host of reasons, I find it very unfortunate that I've found myself in a position of lost trust.
Maybe they're great almost always, and I was just one of the unlucky ones, but I don't think that I can go back.
 

SanDiegoSprinter

San Diego Sprinter Service & Repair
I did not have a good experience. They do service alot of Sprinters but also take shortcuts when I went for transmission fluid related work.
Let me introduce myself. My name is MAXIM and my partner VLAD. We are "Sprinter Service and Repair" in Vista, CA (N San Diego). We are dedicated to repair and fix Sprinter vans. Check us out- www.Sprinter.Repair We will do our best for you. We specialize ONLY in Sprinter Van/RV Service & Repair. Changing oil, fluids, filters, leaks, belts, pulley, brakes, DEF EGR. DPF etc.
Free diagnostics and inspection, free Brakes fluid test. This is our ADDRESS on Google Map https://maps.app.goo.gl/Avw76uWvjuHrGcRs9 (we are right in the front of Melrose Mini Storage). Pls check what customers are saying about us - Google reviews: https://g.co/kgs/Y4NRJU
Honesty and integrity are very important for us. We treat customers as our Sprinter family. Pls call me we will help you, 2538462171
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Here is my recent experience with Collie Autoworks.
My van wasn't building adequate fuel pressure to start properly. I'd already performed significant work/testing and narrowed the issue down to either being the high pressure fuel pump or the injectors leaking off too much fuel. This included an injector leak off test where each injector was putting out approximately 5 mL at 10 seconds of cranking time. Note that this test is done (so I've read) with the cam position sensor undone, and the MAF sensor unplugged since you've got to remove the air box. I recently had the DPF sensor die on me, and replaced it. The MAF sensor is also new. Collie did the teach in when I took the van to them previously.

I didn't want to blindly play parts darts when deciding whether I needed to replace injectors or the high pressure pump. Didn't have those kinds of dollars. I called Collie and asked if they had the diagnostic capabilities to discern which of the two needed replacement. They confirmed that they did. I told them everything I've done in relation to the fuel system to date, so they wouldn't needlessly replicate any work.

I drop the van off and am told that I'd get answers in a day or two. Roughly two weeks later they called me back.
After their diagnostics, they reported to me that it was indeed the fuel pump, but also that I needed a new cam position sensor, a new MAF sensor and probably a new DPF due to stored codes, as well as a new turbo resonator because the seal was bad.

I told them that those codes were due to the fact that I'd just been cranking on the van with the sensors unplugged (dpf sensor aside) and that those codes had not been present before that time, and was told that they cleared the codes, and they immediately returned.

I declined everything but the fuel pump and asked for a quote: Out the door, $2400.
I'd either understood this or assumed this to mean a new pump for $1800 plus labor, plus tax.
I searched on europarts and found that a bosch factory reman could be had for $1200 + a $300 refundable core deposit. I talked to Roger and told him that if he could charge me the $1200 for the part, I'd pay them for the install. Installing this part is within my capabilities, but I view a good relationship with a reputable shop as a a solid investment, so I'd rather not jerk them around, having them do diagnostics but not any repair work.
This proposal of using the specific part at the specific price turned out to be way more of a haggle session than anticipated. Roger wanted to charge me $1500 for the part, plus the labor, plus the diagnostic, plus tax. That's how he got to the $2400. Sure. Makes sense. He eventually agrees to the $1200 for the part and I tell him to proceed.
Roger said he hoped to have it done by the end of the week.
Roughly two weeks later he calls me back.
The good news: they got the pump in and the van starts.
The bad news: it doesn't start very well. Roger says that they installed it, and it wasn't great, so they went in and pinched off the leak off tubes after each injector, and injectors 5 and 6 built up a lot of pressure. So they contacted a supplier (I didn't ask, nor did he offer who) and bought two used injectors for $100 each, and charged me $100 for the install. That plus all of the other work that the van needed due to persistent codes means that it just really doesn't run very well. Again, I caused these codes myself. And the issue with the van was sort of a night and day scenario: running smoothly enough -at least without a single one of these codes- and then all of a sudden fueling problems, beginning with a seized lift pump and carrying on from there.
I was less than enthusiastic about negotiating a $300 price difference based on the known cost of the agreed upon part, in the agreed upon scope of work, only to be met with an identical increase in an unapproved scope increase.
By the time I drove the van from San Rafael to west Oakland, it's performance was identical to when I dropped it off and spent $2400 on it. None of the maf or cam position codes were present, though. Nor are they now, after putting about 500 miles on the van.

So I see two ways that this could happen:

I'm a mechanical engineer who has designed, fabricated, built, and tested all kinds of different products and equipment. I'm also a life long wrench, admittedly not with sprinters, but I have built plenty of motos and fixed plenty of cars. I also fully have adhd and can come across as a scatter-brained kook on my bad days. Maybe they just saw a scatter-brained kook and threw every possible code to fix at him. Maybe they then got the new fuel pump in, and made up the story about putting two used injectors in the most buried place in the van to get the profit they need to, because unless I wrote down the injector codes it'd be impossible to tell. Maybe the $1500 they quoted me was actually $1200 for the pump and then they were pocketing the $300 core charge. Seems to all add up.

Or.
The way it was communicated to Roger was that I really did need all that extra crap. To be fair, the resonator seal *was* garbage, and I did replace the whole resonator because some of the mounting threads were also garbage. Maybe they did replace the pump and found no real improvement, and then really did use a dubious diagnostic method to discover that injectors 5 and 6 were the worst offenders in the van, and decided that it was better to go ahead without my approval so I wouldn't have just spent all the money for none of the gain.
But if that's the case, why did they say that they would diagnose the problem between the injectors and the fuel pump in the first place and then seemingly just play code reader and parts darts with it? At the outset, I specifically communicated that the entire reason I was bringing it to them was because they said that they could accurately diagnose the problem. Maybe I needed both the pump *and* the injectors, but then why was the problem literally no different by the time I got home?

Some shops are thoroughly dishonest. Even good honest shops have their swings and misses. This shop absolutely knows sprinters, but since I can't say for certain which treatment I've gotten from them, I don't think that I will be going back. That was $2400 for literally no change. I took the van somewhere else for injectors, got a cheaper rate, faster service, and the van immediately sparks right up flawlessly.

Your mileage may vary, but since I'd seen other "buyer beware" posts about them, and since this thread has both good and bad reports of them, I figured I'd share all of the details here.
Kimbal
With respect I have read your lengthy post and from your narrative I would state you are an Independent's shop's worst type of customer.
In short a nightmare scenario in the making ! Sorry .
It is that ostensibly why dealers won't play your game.

So by your own admission you are short of funds to fix it so you want champagne 5 star white glove service on a beer budget to be blunt.

So to make a few comments.

You did some DIY diagnosis and fault codes were either active or stored prior to you presenting the van to the shop.
Was this to hopefully reduce the diagnostic & inspection fees . That is a no dice! Sorry .
Firstly we professionals mark down ALL relevant codes & tech info whether pertinent to the job or not--It a professional posture. They appeared to do that which you negated that as seemingly padding out the job.
Which from the face of it for you was WRONG!
So irrespective of what you have said or done as a customer we always check your work against our work , conduct pre and post repair test runs etc.

Now that HPOP pump and the cost!
A genuine ex MB HPOP pump is $1775 with an MB warranty.
It has a $350 core value otherwise the charge is $2125.
So a job quotation is $1775 plus 2 hours of labor and a new MB fuel filter for the warranty compliance. So the quotation was about right.
Now profit.
Just like any shop we work for profit on parts sales and labor time.
The profit for my business is based upon parts sales uplift & discount.
I/We enjoy with MB substantial discounts doing more than $750,000 of business annually.
So I suspect the shop you used, normally buys it for around $1350 with a mark up for profit.
I am quite happy to disclose to you, I buy that pump ex MB for $1150 but I sell it for $1775 reflecting my discount volume business with MB.
So now you want to shop parts, bring your own parts, drive down the price, and take food off of the shop's table by suggesting a re-man pump from an aftermarket supplier. YOU ARE CRAZY!
You then by your own narrative get into a dutch auction.
It was at that stage the job went totally sideways YOU are about 75% responsible for the outcome.
Next Injectors

Any doubt in my shop they ALL come out and be tested by a Bosch Service Center.
There are NO options on this.
So in short I would have said Mr Kimbal "We don't do this type of work, take it elsewhere " and it would be handed back to you simply with a diagnostic fee.

Now as a final comment with possibly a question.
In your narrative you mention you are a Mechanical Engineer involved in building a widget of some sorts . Presumably then as an employee!
Now I assume the company you work for builds the "widget" with profit margin built in & determined by finance & costing departments
Does the company you work for drastically reduce its profit margins for one off job?
To suggest so, no doubt your Sales Director would be received with total incredulity & be dismissed !
So why do you expect a shop to cut its profit margins just to suit YOU?
As you can see the outcome was less than acceptable!
This was at least 75% of your wrong doing as I see it
Sorry
Dennis
 
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Kimball

Active member
Dennis, with a great deal of respect, gratitude, and genuine liking for your character and personality, I feel there may be some parts of this story that are being lost in the medium here. I try to include all of the details in posts like this, as to paint a complete picture, but it's always a fine balance or providing enough to convey the situation and too much so that the points are obfuscated, and I feel like the latter has happened, so allow me to address some of your points. I'll respond inline.

For those who might gloss over the rest, I want to reiterate that I can't ascribe any motives on the part of collie Autoworks. I only posted what I posted because I'd seen several other (now seemingly deleted) posts that described similar experiences. All I can say is that I experienced a customer service failure and make unprovable suppositions why. Carrying on...


Kimbal
With respect I have read your lengthy post and from your narrative I would state you are an Independent's shop's worst type of customer.
In short a nightmare scenario in the making ! Sorry .
It is that ostensibly why dealers won't play your game.


**I don't know what you mean by this comment about "dealers playing my game." As in, don't get what the game is. Lost me on that.**

So by your own admission you are short of funds to fix it so you want champagne 5 star white glove service on a beer budget to be blunt.

**I actually, truthfully, from the bottom of my heart do not. For instance, knowing that, in this transaction, I am clearly not a high dollar customer, I am actually OK with the fact that it took almost an entire month for the van to be worked on. The issue here is that I was told in each step that it would take a day or two, and instead it took weeks. Independent of the rest of the story, this in and of itself wouldn't actually be worth mentioning, and is borderline not worth mentioning even now. It's only within the larger situation that it seems relevant. One of the thousand cuts, so to speak.**

So to make a few comments.
You did some DIY diagnosis and fault codes were either active or stored prior to you presenting the van to the shop.
Was this to hopefully reduce the diagnostic & inspection fees . That is a no dice! Sorry .
Firstly we professionals mark down ALL relevant codes & tech info whether pertinent to the job or not--It a professional posture. They appeared to do that which you negated that as seemingly padding out the job.
Which from the face of it for you was WRONG!
So irrespective of what you have said or done as a customer we always check your work against our work , conduct pre and post repair test runs etc.

**My work and mentioning the diagnostic codes was not done to reduce any diagnostic fees whatsoever. I was just working on the van and cranked it over with a bunch of stuff unplugged. It caused the codes.
I think that we can absolutely agree that the shop has to do their own diagnostic work no matter what the customer says. I have absolutely no issues paying the shop their diagnostic fees. This issue with the codes was that I was working on the van and I knew that I'd caused some codes to arise and didn't want to waste their time with things that I knew were a non-issue. I told them about it so they wouldn't chase ghosts.

The customer service problem is that I told them exactly what I did that caused these codes to arise, they came back and told me that I needed hundreds of dollars in new parts, some of which are brand new that they were even the ones to teach in, due to these codes. When I told them these things I was told "well we cleared all of codes and they came right back so you definitely need these parts," I declined, got the van back, and none of those codes were present. *That's* where I felt the padding was coming from. And not necessarily even padding, but an unwillingness to listen, or a blanket disbelief in what I'd told them, or some other unknown cause that I can only guess at.

As a shop owner yourself, if you tell someone they have codes, and they tell you exactly how and when and why they caused those codes themselves, I'd wager to say that your response would be a lot more reasonable. Something akin to, "I will check it out in the post diagnostic and see if they are still present," maybe. Something other than the equivalent of "nuh-uh, you definitely need a thousand dollars more work." And once again I have to stress that I CANNOT ascribe motive or intent here. I am 100% NOT saying that they were actively or maliciously trying to hose me or pad the job. There are a whole range of possibilities and I don't have a crystal ball, I just know that there was a customer service breakdown and that is all I can say.**

Now that HPOP pump and the cost!
A genuine ex MB HPOP pump is $1775 with an MB warranty.
It has a $350 core value otherwise the charge is $2125.
So a job quotation is $1775 plus 2 hours of labor and a new MB fuel filter for the warranty compliance. So the quotation was about right.

**I actually didn't/don't disagree with the quote, although in the reading I can see how one could think that. But I wasn't being snarky when I wrote "Sure. Makes sense." Their initial quote is not at issue.**

Now profit.
Just like any shop we work for profit on parts sales and labor time.
The profit for my business is based upon parts sales uplift & discount.
I/We enjoy with MB substantial discounts doing more than $750,000 of business annually.
So I suspect the shop you used, normally buys it for around $1350 with a mark up for profit.
I am quite happy to disclose to you, I buy that pump ex MB for $1150 but I sell it for $1775 reflecting my discount volume business with MB.
So now you want to shop parts, bring your own parts, drive down the price, and take food off of the shop's table by suggesting a re-man pump from an aftermarket supplier. YOU ARE CRAZY!

You then by your own narrative get into a dutch auction.
It was at that stage the job went totally sideways YOU are about 75% responsible for the outcome.

**Generally and genuinely, aside from the being crazy part and the percentage of liability, I'd agree with your perspective here. I am, unfortunately, in the unenviable but hopefully temporary position of having to be a cheap bastard. Suffice it to say that, at least right now, whatever food I'm putting on a shop's table, I am taking directly off of my own. There's no extra food in the house. I almost just paid the diagnostic fee and did the job myself, but didn't because I felt like the shop deserved more work for having done the diagnostic services. I felt like they deserved to make more money, and I wanted to give them whatever I could afford to give them.
Parts mark-up, though, is just something that I can't afford to pay right now. Is what it is on both sides of this coin, but if they'd have just said that they wouldn't be able to do it for me, we wouldn't be talking about this right now, and I'd still have enough trust in them to continue using their services.
I straight up told them "this is what I can afford right now, and this is why. If you don't want to do it, that's OK." Heck, the service manager Roger may well have thought that he was doing me a favor! For all I know he was caught in the middle of a game of telephone between a lazy tech and a customer in a tough situation.
But from my perspective, though, the job went totally sideways when they insisted that I needed close to a thousand dollars in unnecessary parts and labor and then doubled down on the insistence when I pointed it out otherwise.**

Next Injectors
Any doubt in my shop they ALL come out and be tested by a Bosch Service Center.
There are NO options on this.
So in short I would have said Mr Kimbal "We don't do this type of work, take it elsewhere " and it would be handed back to you simply with a diagnostic fee.

**This part is something that I feel where you and I have had a very large misunderstanding, because I am also upset by the injector work that I never authorized and am unsure that I even received. What you just wrote about "I don't do this type of work" is why I trust YOU!
"Pinching off the tubes after each injector," if I'm not mistaken, is not only a dodgy and ill advised way to test them, but also potentially can damage them in the first place. Hell, I brought them the van, asking them to diagnose whether it was the injectors or the HPOP in the first place! I wish they would have just straight up told me, from the get-go, in the very first phone call when I asked them whether they had the diagnostic capacity to discern whether it was the HPOP or the injectors that had gone bad, that all of the injectors had to come out and get tested. Massively preferable to "yes we do" and then seemingly playing parts darts on my behalf!**

Now as a final comment with possibly a question.
In your narrative you mention you are a Mechanical Engineer involved in building a widget of some sorts . Presumably then as an employee!
Now I assume the company you work for builds the "widget" with profit margin built in & determined by finance & costing departments
Does the company you work for drastically reduce its profit margins for one off job?
To suggest so, no doubt your Sales Director would be received with total incredulity & be dismissed !
So why do you expect a shop to cut its profit margins just to suit YOU?
As you can see the outcome was less than acceptable!
This was at least 75% of your wrong doing as I see it
Sorry
Dennis

**I work exclusively for small companies and it has been my job to do these kinds of negotiations in both directions. It's perhaps not the best example to make your point. I get that margins are thin all around, though, and am often the most happy to just take no for an answer. Very preferable to a yes, and then a dubious and unauthorized price increase to exactly where we negotiated from.

Again, I like you man. And although I disagree with some of your takes on this, and think that a lot of them come from the kinds of misunderstanding that tend to happen between writer and reader, I appreciate your perspective as a shop owner. Honest to God, though, through this entire process I wished I could've just taken the van to you, because you are smart, helpful, highly experienced, jovial, and no BS. Of any shop I know of, YOU are the one who deserves the business. One of the only reasons I'm responding is because it's you in the first place and I respect your opinions and your immense input to this community.

All said and done, though, I've had very few outright bad experiences with shops. In fact, come to think of it, this is my only one. Again, I can't say that they are dishonest, I can't say that they are definitely a bad shop. I just had a bad experience that matched with others that I've read about here, and felt somewhat obligated to share.
 

trout fang

2004, 2.7L, 5cyl, 169k
There has been recent discussion over on the T1N Facebook group about this. Some are creating an app or website--maybe with reviews, or linking to Yelp, or something like that. They're also doing interviews w/ selected mechanics. In the meantime, I started a My Maps in Google using non-dealership mechanics this list & from the Fb group. This is a crowd-sourced list: no endorsement implied, just a list.

If anyone wants to co-edit this with me as at least a temporary document while we await the app, please give me your email & I can add you as an editor. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1PHlqVi3LLC8giY3R8HABvd7pcmdLvvnJ&usp=sharing

Phillip


We have a dealership list, but, not a list of independent shops that specialize (or are competent) with Sprinter vans. I see a lot of "looking for mechanics" threads, and with the rates dealers are charging, it would be great to find some alternatives.

I'll go through this thread and try to aggregate the independent mentions and organize them by state. Please post if you have a local guy you like and recommend. Non-dealers only please!

Trusted Sprinter Independent Mechanics List
 

vinpitz

New member
I had a good experience at "Sprinter Repair & Service" in Vista, California. Drove from Reno NV specifically to get my Sprinter RV diagnosed and fixed up. Besides comprehensive fluid and filter changes with the right specs, they found the reason for the lack of power (intercooler hose leakage, I think) and found and replaced fractured bracket on the exhaust line. Did only what is necessary and found the brakes did not need replacement (local dealer kept pestering me with scary emails about my needing new brakes). Very knowlegdable on Sprinters and very honest. Great find and definitely worth the long trip!
 

justwannasurf

New member
We have a dealership list, but, not a list of independent shops that specialize (or are competent) with Sprinter vans. I see a lot of "looking for mechanics" threads, and with the rates dealers are charging, it would be great to find some alternatives.

I'll go through this thread and try to aggregate the independent mentions and organize them by state. Please post if you have a local guy you like and recommend. Non-dealers only please!

Trusted Sprinter Independent Mechanics List
Star Import Services in Gainesville FL. Apparently its been in business since 1985, they specialize in mercedes (lots of old sedans in the shop) and have a resident sprinter expert. Had my turbo go out (2006 T1N) and thought the damage was much more extensive. Their guy was very knowledgeable, new turbo was a hair shy of 2k installed. I am very hesitant to bring the van to a shop, have had bad experiences with people who claim to know sprinters, wouldn't think twice about bringing it back to this shop for the tricky stuff.

Addendum, while I'm thinking of it - don't go to the Dodge dealer in Gainesville FL, they quoted me 5k for a new abs module and did not seem like they really knew why it was broken.
 

Kimball

Active member
If you've got an NCV3 in north/central California, I can't recommend Sprinter Experts of Rancho Cordova enough.

First, let me start with what you *won't* get from them: Frills, loaner vehicles, a$$ kissing, or any of the other white glove kind of perks you'd get at a dealership. This is very much a no BS, Russian and Ukrainian establishment, tucked away in the corner of an entire industrial park of wrecking yards. You get a small, cluttered waiting room with a black faux leather couch, or you can wait outside. They are also a dismantler, so you won't always get new parts, unless they are the kind of things that really need to be new (ball joints, for instance) or you ask for them specifically. That said, they know these vehicles *intimately.* The kind of intimacy you can only get from taking apart every nut and bolt in the entire van hundreds of time over.

I've been there twice now. The first time I went, I had some specific repair requests and told them to pick through the entire vehicle to find *anything* that needs fixing. The 2nd time was to come back and finish some stuff they didn't have parts for the first time around. Didn't ask for a quote or an estimate either time; just handed them the keys and went around back and sat in the shade. What I've ended up with are new ball joints, new sway bar links, new steering components, brake system repairs, a replacement driver seat, some new climate control components, repaired wiring that was causing the SRS light to come on, new belts, removed the secondary AC compressor that I didn't need, found a fixed a couple of minor oil leaks, a new tow eyelet for the front bumper, and a whole slew of other stuff, all for about $2k in total.

I can't remember all of the specifics of what they ended up doing, as it was a while ago at this point. I just know that they had someone work on my van for almost two full days, and it was shockingly affordable. I was just looking them up to order some interior parts, and remembered that I'd never come here to give them the solid AAA+ thumbs up, so here we are.

They fixed almost every minor nag and annoyance, everything I knew to be wrong with the vehicle, a few things I didn't, and I haven't had a mechanical problem since. There was no upselling, no "oh, you need big *expensive* repairs because once upon a time you had a stored code" BS, just "hey, I found this broken thing; I've got another one on the shelf for $40 if you want it." Also one "I need to point out this crappy repair on the brake system, because it's the kind of thing that might kill you," only in slightly broken, heavily accented English, and then fixed for basically nothing. Not a single red flag in sight.
They also seem to own and love these vans, themselves. I talked to one of the guys for a good while, because his was also an ex shuttle bus like mine, that he was also converting to a camper van. They also had one with retractable glass roof and rear walls, tucked in the back of the shop. Really cool stuff.

Go there.
 

trout fang

2004, 2.7L, 5cyl, 169k
Awesome. Added to the map. Knows T1Ns?

If you've got an NCV3 in north/central California, I can't recommend Sprinter Experts of Rancho Cordova enough.

First, let me start with what you *won't* get from them: Frills, loaner vehicles, a$$ kissing, or any of the other white glove kind of perks you'd get at a dealership. This is very much a no BS, Russian and Ukrainian establishment, tucked away in the corner of an entire industrial park of wrecking yards. You get a small, cluttered waiting room with a black faux leather couch, or you can wait outside. They are also a dismantler, so you won't always get new parts, unless they are the kind of things that really need to be new (ball joints, for instance) or you ask for them specifically. That said, they know these vehicles *intimately.* The kind of intimacy you can only get from taking apart every nut and bolt in the entire van hundreds of time over.

I've been there twice now. The first time I went, I had some specific repair requests and told them to pick through the entire vehicle to find *anything* that needs fixing. The 2nd time was to come back and finish some stuff they didn't have parts for the first time around. Didn't ask for a quote or an estimate either time; just handed them the keys and went around back and sat in the shade. What I've ended up with are new ball joints, new sway bar links, new steering components, brake system repairs, a replacement driver seat, some new climate control components, repaired wiring that was causing the SRS light to come on, new belts, removed the secondary AC compressor that I didn't need, found a fixed a couple of minor oil leaks, a new tow eyelet for the front bumper, and a whole slew of other stuff, all for about $2k in total.

I can't remember all of the specifics of what they ended up doing, as it was a while ago at this point. I just know that they had someone work on my van for almost two full days, and it was shockingly affordable. I was just looking them up to order some interior parts, and remembered that I'd never come here to give them the solid AAA+ thumbs up, so here we are.

They fixed almost every minor nag and annoyance, everything I knew to be wrong with the vehicle, a few things I didn't, and I haven't had a mechanical problem since. There was no upselling, no "oh, you need big *expensive* repairs because once upon a time you had a stored code" BS, just "hey, I found this broken thing; I've got another one on the shelf for $40 if you want it." Also one "I need to point out this crappy repair on the brake system, because it's the kind of thing that might kill you," only in slightly broken, heavily accented English, and then fixed for basically nothing. Not a single red flag in sight.
They also seem to own and love these vans, themselves. I talked to one of the guys for a good while, because his was also an ex shuttle bus like mine, that he was also converting to a camper van. They also had one with retractable glass roof and rear walls, tucked in the back of the shop. Really cool stuff.

Go there.
 

Lagom

Panic in Detroit
I had two good experiences (NOx sensor replacement and 100K service) with
Eurotech Automotive
5100 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, FL 34606
(352) 597-2660

Thorough, but not cheap. The NOx sensor was a 10 starts DEF problem, and took longer than I expected, 4 days if I remember correctly and I got the van back with hundreds more miles on the odometer. The routine service was about half a day, not bad considering the transmission and brake fluid services done. YMMV

 
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Kimball

Active member
Awesome. Added to the map. Knows T1Ns?
Not sure. I think they mainly do NCV3s, but while I was waiting, I also saw some other cars come through that had the 3.0 engine, so I know they branch out *some,* just not sure if it's into the past and into a different drive train.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
As of tonight until the 6th of July, Linden is closed for annual holidays /vacations, call it what you will !
With buckets & spades, and our favorite cozies, its off to a Gulfside Florida beach .
Have great 4th of July .
Dennis
 
Seems moderators are moving threads around? One got moved from Oregon section to this section. I made a post there about posting to each State section vs Dealer Info, since Dealer section is regarding Dealerships, correct?;

MATRIX INTEGRATED--Bend OR and Portland OR locations
Just wanted to give the folks over at Matrix more kudos...Great service and very communicative. I've had my NCV3 serviced there a few times now and the only difference I can see is that they are always booked, so get in early. I recently had my van serviced there after a 2 week Utah trip and now a week before a Southern Cal trip and a quick trip to Whistler, BC for Christmas. I got lucky as they were fully booked out till January but when someone no showed, I was able to get in (thanks Trish). Reasonable pricing, great work, and knowledgeable staff. Oh and in Bend, the MB dealership still can't service sprinters. Also noticed that Matrix are installers for Tire Rack, Owl, Van Compass, and Agile.

I can't recommend them enough...even if they are always busy now!

Thanks Matrix
 

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