Sprinter reliability

cvdreamer

New member
I'm looking to buy a new MBS Sprinter Crew Van, however, I have read many negative reviews about the Sprinter van's reliability. These are my top questions:

1. There are many very negative review of the Sprinter on www.edmunds.com (and other user review sites), basically saying to expect to keep bringing the van to the shop and pay thousands of dollars to replace broken parts after warranty. I have a Honda Odyssey and I basically take it to the shop twice a year for oil change. Am I going in for a big shock after buying a Sprinter, like going to the shop once a month or something like that? Money aside, I really don't have the time to care for a vehicle that keeps breaking down.

2. Do you recommend buy the extended warranty which extends the warranty from 3 years to 5 for about $2500.

3. Once in a while I would read about a Sprinter owners driving the van for 200K, 300K or even 500K miles with no problems. Are there many satisfied Sprinter owners out there who are just not writing reviews?

2. Is the poor reliability due to the fact that the van is taken apart completely, shipped to the U.S. and then re-assembled? If so, since the Crew Van, like the passenger van, is not disassembled and reassembled, it should have better reliability, right?

3. Many say the paint starts to rust after 2 to 3 years, especially the white. Could this be due to the owners living in areas of the country where corrosive salt is used for the snow on the road? I live in California and it never snows here. Would I expect little or no rusting? Some say to buy colors other than white because the paint is thicker, but the sales guy at the dealership says it's not true. I may try to get a non-white unit, but they are hard to come by.

One interesting observation I made is that even thought many people didn't like the reliability, almost everyone loved the drivability, roominess, and fuel economy.

Appreciate you answers to help me make a decision.

Thanks in advance.
 

K-9 SPRINTER

Well-known member
I'm looking to buy a new MBS Sprinter Crew Van, however, I have read many negative reviews about the Sprinter van's reliability. These are my top questions:

1. There are many very negative review of the Sprinter on www.edmunds.com (and other user review sites), basically saying to expect to keep bringing the van to the shop and pay thousands of dollars to replace broken parts after warranty. I have a Honda Odyssey and I basically take it to the shop twice a year for oil change. Am I going in for a big shock after buying a Sprinter, like going to the shop once a month or something like that? Money aside, I really don't have the time to care for a vehicle that keeps breaking down.

2. Do you recommend buy the extended warranty which extends the warranty from 3 years to 5 for about $2500. :hmmm: I got a extended warranty on my 2010 from the MB dealer for $1295 https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11883

3. Once in a while I would read about a Sprinter owners driving the van for 200K, 300K or even 500K miles with no problems. Are there many satisfied Sprinter owners out there who are just not writing reviews?

2. Is the poor reliability due to the fact that the van is taken apart completely, shipped to the U.S. and then re-assembled? If so, since the Crew Van, like the passenger van, is not disassembled and reassembled, it should have better reliability, right?

3. Many say the paint starts to rust after 2 to 3 years, especially the white. Could this be due to the owners living in areas of the country where corrosive salt is used for the snow on the road? I live in California and it never snows here. Would I expect little or no rusting? Some say to buy colors other than white because the paint is thicker, but the sales guy at the dealership says it's not true. I may try to get a non-white unit, but they are hard to come by. Not hard to get the color you want , just order what YOU WANT :2cents:

One interesting observation I made is that even thought many people didn't like the reliability, almost everyone loved the drivability, roominess, and fuel economy.

Appreciate you answers to help me make a decision.

Thanks in advance.
:cheers:
 
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johnschroader

regular fellow
I'm still fairly new to the Sprinter world but here's what little I've experienced:

  • paint --- my white one is a southern vehicle. 8 years old and just a trace of rust on the roof seams. A bit of surface rust between the wheel wells and outer shell. Both are now treated with POR 15. Otherwise, no rust

    I've logged about 4K miles on mine so far and the reliability issues I've experienced have been due to the electronics of this vehicle shutting it down with the least little issue. I'm accustomed to driving old diesel Mercedes and they would always get me home. Not the case with my Sprinter


    Black death --- mine had it. Dr. A. has the answer. Problem is -- he's in Pittsburg - a long way from CA. Dealing with Black Death at a dealership is rumored to be an expensive nightmare

    Aside from all that, I love to drive my Sprinter. I intend to learn how to decipher all the electronic gremlins and drive all over this country in it. Here's to hope
 

Chandlerazman

Active member
Any complex vehicle would mandate an extended warranty of sorts IMO. Reliability issues are not necessarily related to the reassembly when it arrives in this country. EGR's and water pumps are installed in Germany. Most of the failures seem to be emissions related. These are very complex vans. I wish they didn't have all the computer sophistication. If this were a true business van, it would be simple to fix and most importantly, affordable to repair.
I don't think any paint color will be better than the basic white. I can't see Daimler painting the vans white and sending them through the paint racks for another top color. I think it is too time consuming and expensive. The uprated pricing of certain paints reflects the base ingredient costs to manufacture a specific color which is passed on to the consumer.
I live in Phoenix and my white van is new ans shiny as the day I bought it. It has seen its fair share of road rock rash, but nothing that stands out. Tree branches are most likely the worst enemy but a good buff of wax every now and again may help out paint longevity.
Yes, I've had my van in the shop more than any other vehicle I have ever owned for really stupid repairs. I don't believe a driveshaft should ever need replacing, nor should temperature sensors need to be replaced. (in my case at least three times).

So in the short of it all, yes, I would get an extended warranty, get a good relationship with the servicing dealer, if not, move on to another that you feel confident will take care of your van without part swapping until it is corrected.

Get the van that you want even if you have to wait for it to arrive. You may get a better deal if you buy a white unit, but if the savings are meager and you are willing to wait a few months, order it up your way. Keep in mind that colored (aside from silver tones) cargo vans are harder to resell to businesses that need a white bill board.

Real world fuel economy on an extended high roof van with a light load will yield you about 17-20mpg mixed use. it's not too bad for the size of the bus!

Good luck with your decision and welcome to the forum!
 

cvdreamer

New member
Found your post interesting <<1. There are many very negative review of the Sprinter on www.edmunds.com >> so just checked Edmunds for reviews of both the MB Sprinter and the Dodge Sprinter and both have no reviews available. The MB Sprinter is "under review" as shown here:

MB= http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/sprinter/2011/?style=101372222&trim=2500-144-wb-cargo :thinking:
From this page you can reach all the Dodge Sprinter reviews. The MB Sprinters are probably too new to get many reviews.

http://www.edmunds.com/search/results.html?q=sprinter&src=usergen&ac=

I mainly paid attention to reviews where the owner has had the van for at least a year or more. Note the overall rating of the van is very high - people love the van, but I see too many reviewers giving it low reliability rating.

So this is where I'm getting mixed signals, sort of a love-hate relationship: everyone loves it, but many hate the problems. I would like to get a real life gauge of the reliability. How often would I be expected to take the van to the shop for problems? Every 3 months? 6 months? 9 or 12 months? If it is every 3 months, then this van is probably not for me. If it's every 9 or 12 months, I may be able to live with it.

Thanks in advance.
 

johnschroader

regular fellow
Speaking from all I've gathered, reliability is not all that bad. It's just that when problems arise, they can become quite troublesome. Help at an independent garage is almost out of the question. Dealerships, if there is one nearby, may tend to want total control of your checkbook. Many parts are dealer items and therefore scarce and priced accordingly. Most Sprinter owners I have talked to love their vans, but have a firm battle plan outlined for service. I did not buy a Sprinter until I found a local independent mechanic who said he could do most repairs. As of yet I don't know how that will work out. As it turned out, he did not have proper diagnostics. I have purchased a DAD, for him and for me. On the open road, I keep my fingers crossed and Dr. A's phone number on speed dial.
 

clark

New member
What are you planning to do with the van? For me, the Sprinter can do things a Ford can not. So that was the deciding factor for me. I wanted to build out a van that, without popping up or out, could:
1. I can stand up. I'm 6'4" and can pretty much stand up.
2. Sleep 4. Couches slide out to bed plus two fold up beds for the kids, check.
3. Seat 10 with seat belts for short rides.
4. Have fridge, sink, water tank, grey water, a/c, etc.

Sprinter was the only one... I have had all of the normal things happen - turbo hose, charging cable, crappy tires, egr sometimes sticky. Once you work through those, the van is frickin awesome....

I wouldn't be able to justify a Sprinter as a passenger van. Probably could as a work van.

Also, the MB dealership I have been to in San Diego is pretty good. The Dodge dealer the worst. If I had to ever go back to dodge there is no way I would recommend the van.
 

icarus

Well-known member
Not to mention way better fuel mileage than anything else that is comparable out there. If I keep mine under 70 mph, I can get in the low 20's. Keep it under 60 and it nears 25 mph.
I personally think it is a very reliable vehicle, but it's short coming is that finding those that are truly versed in it's nuance is difficult. Sort of like owning a VW Vanagon. There are few that really understand (Understood) them well enough provide real good service.

Icarus
 
My 06 2500 140" high roof cargo converted to a camper, dry weight about 6000#. Today I spent $1142 having my diff rebuilt , carrier and pinion bearings etc. At 8k over my extended warrantee (100k)! NOT AT THE DEALER!! Since new 4 years ago , it was delivered out of alignment, the condenser coil blew, ball joints replaced, pinion seal replaced so the nut could be adjusted and after that the seal weeped and also the rust under the factory rear door windows has blown through the metal( surface rust according to the dealer). All the above done at the dealer except for the diff. My milage has dropped to around 20/21 mpg. One consolation, I'm on my original brakes, but the mechanic had to replace the rear rotors because he had to beat them off to pull the axles.

Would I buy another really not sure http://www.sprinter-source.com/forum/images/smilies/thinking.gif It has been the perfect vehicle to travel in and for work as a custom furniture builder. BUT!!!!!!

Bob
 

cvdreamer

New member
What are you planning to do with the van? For me, the Sprinter can do things a Ford can not. So that was the deciding factor for me. I wanted to build out a van that, without popping up or out, could:
1. I can stand up. I'm 6'4" and can pretty much stand up.
2. Sleep 4. Couches slide out to bed plus two fold up beds for the kids, check.
3. Seat 10 with seat belts for short rides.
4. Have fridge, sink, water tank, grey water, a/c, etc.

Sprinter was the only one... I have had all of the normal things happen - turbo hose, charging cable, crappy tires, egr sometimes sticky. Once you work through those, the van is frickin awesome....

I wouldn't be able to justify a Sprinter as a passenger van. Probably could as a work van.

Also, the MB dealership I have been to in San Diego is pretty good. The Dodge dealer the worst. If I had to ever go back to dodge there is no way I would recommend the van.
I was planning on using the Sprinter Crew Van 144 high roof to mostly haul cargo, which I am currently doing with my mini-van. I don't need all the space most of the time, but a few months out of the year during the busy season, I will wish I had more space. For this purpose, I can get a Ford or GM van and rent a Sprinter 170 high roof from Ryder whenever I need to, for about $70/day plus 30 cents per mile.

My additional plan for the Crew Van is to use it as a weekend camping vehicle. I have already figured out that I can put 2 bunk cots in the cargo area for sleeping. The 5 passenger seats are perfect for my family of 4. With this set up, we don't have to sleep in a tent, which I find very noisy at many campsites. We can also go on a longer camping trip traversing several states. There are alternatives for this, too. For longer camping trips, I can always rent a RV. For weekend camping trip, I might try finding quieter campgrounds.

The Sprinter would have been an ideal vehicle, filling both purposes extremely nicely. However, if reliability is going to be a problem, then it might not be worth the extra headaches.

Assume owning a Sprinter will cost me $3000 per year of repairs after warranty expires, I should be able to rent a RV for a week plus a Sprinter 170 whenever I need to. The question really is - will I be expected to spend about $3000/year on repairs after the warranty expires?
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
I was planning on using the Sprinter Crew Van 144 high roof to mostly haul cargo, which I am currently doing with my mini-van. I don't need all the space most of the time, but a few months out of the year during the busy season, I will wish I had more space. For this purpose, I can get a Ford or GM van and rent a Sprinter 170 high roof from Ryder whenever I need to, for about $70/day plus 30 cents per mile.

My additional plan for the Crew Van is to use it as a weekend camping vehicle. I have already figured out that I can put 2 bunk cots in the cargo area for sleeping. The 5 passenger seats are perfect for my family of 4. With this set up, we don't have to sleep in a tent, which I find very noisy at many campsites. We can also go on a longer camping trip traversing several states. There are alternatives for this, too. For longer camping trips, I can always rent a RV. For weekend camping trip, I might try finding quieter campgrounds.

The Sprinter would have been an ideal vehicle, filling both purposes extremely nicely. However, if reliability is going to be a problem, then it might not be worth the extra headaches.

Assume owning a Sprinter will cost me $3000 per year of repairs after warranty expires, I should be able to rent a RV for a week plus a Sprinter 170 whenever I need to. The question really is - will I be expected to spend about $3000/year on repairs after the warranty expires?
Just to give you an isght and NOTE: this is not showing on the forum
My 2005 Sprinter purchased new ,not secondhand has performed without fault for all this time.
Brakes were replaced the rest is 100% original apart from side mirror not my fault either. Service every 10 months oil is flushed the sump plug has never been removed.
Filters fuel 5 of.Oil filters five of,Air box filters two of.
Brake fluid is flushed and renewed every two years getting close for another.
Power steering once every five years coolant every two years.
Continuous use of upper cylinder lubricants Redline RL+2 never had fuel or injector issues
One false code only every shown No 3 Glow plug due to and open injectors that caught a tad of carbon on the jet . a double douse of Redline cleared the fault inside of 30 dollars worth of EULSD diesel 10/ppm 51 cetane.
N/A sprinters most faults are emission generated and use of wrong fuels, but being fair in as many cases,it's not the owners fault either.
One million is more than normal lets say 500 thou and the head mat need some work. Tanny's well , your stuck with automatics they can be troublesome, but fixable with the Doctor A's Dad:professor: everyone has a Dad or your an orphan without.:cry:
They are a good van hold their value, and give good MPG in the van class of 2500.
Richard
 
Both my Sprinters are the older model. The repair costs are about what my 2 ford vans cost. Fuel cost per mile is about the same for the fords and sprinters, but the Sprinters haul more stuff and safer. Much Better braking, & handling. Right now I am layed up w/an injury, so I am getting by with the Ranger, and being driven by my girlfriend. My work van, the 2005 158 WB SHC is being used while a ford sits. By end of tomorrow, the Sprinter will have been on four fire sprinkler repair jobs. The only stops have been to stock up on more pipe and fittings. The pipe fitting tools have stayed in the van. It is so nice to be able to lay pipe flat on the floor and not at an angle as in the Fords. When I am released to go back to work, I am going to have a fight on my hands when I attempt to reclaim my Sprinter. The guys are not going to be happy driving the Fords again.

And my customers like seeing me drive a MB van.
 

piper1

Resident Oil Nerd.
The question really is - will I be expected to spend about $3000/year on repairs after the warranty expires?
If you plan to do all your repairs and service at the dealer, and use your van commercially (ie put miles on it)...

Yes, you will spend $3,000 a year. And before the warranty expires, plan on spending 4 cents or more per mile in what MB calls regular maintenance.

Pleasure to drive, not to pay for.

BTW, fuel mileage for MB vs Ford vs GM, all things being equal (same driving style, workload and all 2010+ model year) is almost identical, the slight edge the MB has gets totally eaten up in service costs.

Pleasure to drive though.....
 

cvdreamer

New member
If you plan to do all your repairs and service at the dealer, and use your van commercially (ie put miles on it)...

Yes, you will spend $3,000 a year. And before the warranty expires, plan on spending 4 cents or more per mile in what MB calls regular maintenance.

Pleasure to drive, not to pay for.

BTW, fuel mileage for MB vs Ford vs GM, all things being equal (same driving style, workload and all 2010+ model year) is almost identical, the slight edge the MB has gets totally eaten up in service costs.

Pleasure to drive though.....
Thanks everyone for all the good insights.

I realize that many people who own Sprinters put on a lot of miles for work, and maybe that is the reason why the van seems to be in the shop more often. More miles equals more wear and tear. Would be interesting to see how many miles you guys put on the van per year vs. your annual cost of repair.

I will probably put on about 15K miles each year. Does that change my estimate of expected annual expected cost of repairs ($3K/yr after warranty) or time between visits to the shop for repairs (every 6 months)? These numbers are my guesses and could be completely wrong. Please correct me if I am wrong as I am basing this info on my purchase decision.

Thanks in advance.
 

larry8061

New member
If you don't live close to Doktor A (Pittsburgh) I'd give this a hard thought. Secondly I would NEVER buy another Sprinter before I checked out the new Nissan.

Ok its ugly - I can live with ugly when I pick up: real frame rails, lower cost, straight sides, inside attachment points, and no Mercedes Benz!

I haven't talked to Doktor A in a while but, what is he calling the Black Death? That just might have gotten started with our transmission problem. (?) When the computer(s) ain't happy you don't GO!

Anyone know where I can get a used ECU for a 2004 (USA). (seriously)

Thanks,

Larry
 

icarus

Well-known member
Thanks everyone for all the good insights.

I realize that many people who own Sprinters put on a lot of miles for work, and maybe that is the reason why the van seems to be in the shop more often. More miles equals more wear and tear. Would be interesting to see how many miles you guys put on the van per year vs. your annual cost of repair.

I will probably put on about 15K miles each year. Does that change my estimate of expected annual expected cost of repairs ($3K/yr after warranty) or time between visits to the shop for repairs (every 6 months)? These numbers are my guesses and could be completely wrong. Please correct me if I am wrong as I am basing this info on my purchase decision.

Thanks in advance.
We've owned ours for ~ 8 months, and have spend exactly $0 in repairs. Neither has the dealer, although they are going to replace a ripped strut boot on warrantee. I have spent ~ $250 for oils and filters for 3 changes. That is ~ 30,000 miles.

$3000 per years for repairs sounds kinda steep for only 15k a year.

Icarus
 

piper1

Resident Oil Nerd.
I will probably put on about 15K miles each year.
At 15k per year, you will not spend much on repairs or service...just payments.

That mileage translates into 1 and a half services per year, you will likely tire of the van (everyone likes a new vehicle now and then right:smilewink:) before it costs you any serious coin.
 

ebsprintin

surviving member
My informal study shows there a two kinds of happy sprinter owners: carefully maintained T1N owners and within warranty NCV3 owners. And something else I said in another thread:

At the beginning of 2010 I passed the 200,000 mile mark. For two months I was down for a front end rebuild, rear axle replacement, transmission rebuild, and egr and swirl valve replacement. Your $5000 dollars would have been fully consumed by week five. From 150-200K miles on the odometer I was towed three times. Since then I've been stranded one more time and another time had to limp home with my electrical system tied into my solar panels for electrical power, so I could spend more money on an alternator. One way or the other, if you have the right kind of luck, you'll find a way to spend that $5000.

eb
The math will tell you how these kind of repairs can relate to a <15,000 mile a year lifestyle. It comes down to "to each his own." I still think you can't beat being able to do jumping jacks while standing upright.


eb
 

cedarsanctum

re: Member
Comparing the Sprinter to a Honda Odyssey (we own one too) reminds me of the old saying we had when i was a mechanic at BMW; It take the Germans to invent them, the Americans to make them cheap, and the Japanese to get them right. I find MB's have always pushed the envelope on most anything technological, and that adds to complexity. If you consider how many parts it takes to make a vehicle, and consider even a 1% failure rate, that's still a lot of parts to fail. And that's what warranties are about.
We have had ours for nearly 3 years now, and only have 17,600 miles on it. In that time we've changed the oil once, had one EGR valve replaced at 6,000 miles, and a failure in an interior light control because of a leaking antennae base, under warranty. That control has just gone out again from condensation dripping on it, and the heater fan has stopped working, but they should be covered under warranty. So basically, this van has just cost me the price of the 10,000 mile service so far.
And after having lived with the Honda for 9 years, i LOVE being able to stand up in a van that gets almost the same mileage. To me that is astounding, still.
The only thing that will get me out of this Sprinter is a 4 cylinder version of the same thing.
Jef
 

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