ALMOST 150,000 MILES IN SPRINTER
 

So our 2003 Sprinter has 400 miles to go to get to 150K. I would love to say its been the most reliable vehicle in the world but it hasn't been. It has been more reliable than other vehicles in the family though. Issues we have had with the van include the "Black Death" at around 120K, the alternator went at around 125K, EGR valve went at around 135K, the locking system has never really worked perfectly, and some interior pieces have broken/fallen off because of poor quality. I really do like this van and I am learning to drive in it and although it may be hard to see you of, it handles very well for something of its size (as compared to our 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis with 183,000 miles on it and needs some suspension work done). I feel that this van could do 500K+ miles if it continues to be maintained regularly because the Black Death was just a defect from the factory (which I think should have been covered under warranty but wasn't) and the fix is supposed to make sure it doesn't happen again and the EGR valve replacement was supposed to last much longer as the original design was revamped to get past the issues it had. Also when we had the EGR valve replaced, our mechanic went took it over the the local Mercedes dealership to have the recalls repaired (he actually worked on it with the mechanic at the dealership to make sure that mechanic was doing it correctly) and pretty much the engine had a top end rebuild.

What is the 'Black Death'?

Probably egr crud build up. I had a neighbor with a father in law that put close to 500k on his before it went all Ferrari 458 and set itself ablaze.

Company I used to work for used Sprinter vans as trucks to move product between major cities. I saw a few with 450k or 500k and they were only starting to plan on getting rid of them... and the guys that drive them don't exactly do so gently. So they are capable of racking up the miles if cared for properly.

This article sums up Black Death and other Sprinter problems quite nicely:
Sprinter RV: Buying a Used Sprinter – Top Ten Problems to Look Out For
I have heard that Fedex and UPS drivers much prefer the Sprinters to the old vans that they have but the Sprinters have to be treated better because they are not nearly as rugged.

Jeez, MB still having harmonic balancer problems on its diesels? You'd think they'd have solved that one decades ago.

IIRC the diesels on the Sprinter are I5 variants similar to the OM617.

I5 engines aren't the easiest things to balance.

I think they are om647 2.9s and closer to the OM602/OM605.

305 miles to go