Sprinter Forum - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

TedG · #1 10-22-2003, 04:40 PM

Someone in another thread said they were surprised no one has started a Sprinter topic on this site, while one exists on Yahoo.
So here goes.
OK. It's "not a Mercedes" here in North America, but that's just badge engineering, especially with regard to the passenger van. The cargo models are also, for all intents and purposes, every bit a Mercedes, except they get shipped here as CKD kits and assembled at the Freightliner plant in Gaffney, SC. This is an end run around tariff laws for cargo vans. The passenger vans come down the same assembly line as Mercedes-Benz Sprinters for Europe, in Dusseldorf, and are shipped into Jacksonville, FL.
Anyway, I've ordered a ssenger Sprinter from the Freightliner distributor here in Michigan. My wife's '95 Olds Gutless Cruiser was totalled in a rear-ender. We were starting to outgrow (three kids getting bigger and bigger) this GM junk box and had concluded that a full-size van was the only reasonable choice. Having seen the awful long-term (or short-term for that matter) quality in GM, Dodge ("Ram Van"), and Ford vans, not to mention the abysmal fuel consumption of their big gas V8s (the Weasel models not being much better), I ordered an '04 Sprinter that we hope will be delivered by Christmas. The 8-passenger, short-wheelbase, low roof model is plenty big and will give us the best "handling and performance" (in van terms). Actually, from what I've heard, acceleration is pretty surprising for this big van with a 2.7L engine, and handling is way superior to the clunky and heavy Detroit vans. I asked a guy who was driving a short, low cargo Sprinter how he liked it and he was pumped about the power; he also mentioned the very tight turning circle.
I sat in the M-B passenger Sprinter at a dealer in Germany earlier this month and now I know I made the right choice. The quality drips from every corner of the vehicle, inside and out. It doesn't have tacky captain's chairs, wood trim, or DVD player, but I don't want that anyway.
My engineer colleagues in Germany, who make Sprinter exhaust components, told me it's a great vehicle. They all wanted to know what engine I got, and when I told them the 2.7 CDI (all that's available in US), they said "Man! That is a sweet engine! You can do 160 (kph) no problem! I told them I had read a post on this site from a Dutch technician who had seen a lot of injectors being blown out of the head on Sprinters. They said that there are chips available in Europe that will make the Sprinter top 185, which a lot of people are buying, and that M-B has put tell-tale logic in the ECM to get out of warranty claims from that.

If you own or are interested in a Sprinter, please share your thoughts.

rickg · #2 10-22-2003, 04:52 PM

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=71622

R Leo · #3 10-22-2003, 04:55 PM

A frind of mine drives professionally for a Phoenix-based charter bus company. We were discussing Sprinters and he had this to say:

"RE: Sprinter:

Yacking with a driver from another co the other night (local Gray Line operator). They have bought some of these to serve smaller trips and day trips so he's been driving one for a few mos and has some opinions:

He loves them. Says plenty of power, even full of people. Transmission is silk -- can't feel or even hear the shifts. Great milage -- Phx to the South Rim and back with a 10 passengers he gets 19 mpg. (There are 2 very serious climbs in that route)

They have ordered theirs are 2/1 seating with the stand-up top and duals on the rear. Local dealer is installing a booster AC because the German version ain't up to Phx summers.

Sounds good, yes?

Check out this link: http://www.whnet.com/4x4/sprinter_crashtest.html
I think they might be one of the best things on the road!!

kerry · #4 10-22-2003, 05:25 PM

Iwas the one who wrote the post about not having a forum here. I believe a whole separate forum devoted just to this model would be appropriate.
I don't have a Sprinter, but I have its predecessor, the 409d. It is a blast to drive and the turning circle is astonishing for a large vehicle. I have a NA 617 in mine. It has enough get up and go but lacks on the top end. A turbo would have been a better idea in this vehicle in my opinion but MB never put a turbo in the 617 in their vans as standard equipment. I have never really understood why not.
There have been quite a few posts on this board about Sprinters. Do a search and a lot will show up. One down side to the purchase of a Sprinter, is that DB just decided not to open the planned production plant for the vehicle in Georgia. This could be construed as backing off from their marketing plans for the vehicle in the US. Will they just stop selling it in a few years? The vehicle has been very popular for many years in other parts of the globe so I can't imagine it failing here, but one never knows.

I have read a number of comments about the inadequacy of the AC in the south and southwest.

TedG · #5 10-22-2003, 10:16 PM

The 409d is a funky van. A hippy-looking van like the VW, but for conservative hippies; not as cute. I saw quite a few in Germany.

I think the cancellation of the Georgia plant is related to the new plant they've decided to build near Berlin, for the Sprinter replacement.

The transmission may be "silk" but I still wish I could get a 5-speed manual here; it won't be like my 240D automatic, but it will be slower than it could be. Plus I'm wondering how long this autobox will last and what it will cost to get a rebuilt one.

The factory offers rear A/C as an option; I wonder if that's what the Phoenix people are installing or if they already had it and need even more A/C?

kerry · #6 10-22-2003, 10:36 PM

I used to belong to a British motorhome listserv. There was a lot of raving about the Sprintshift transmission. Isn't it the 6 spd automatic? I head no complaints about it. I talked to a Fed Ex mechanic who has worked on the Sprinters for a couple of years. He said they have had problems with the EGR and they go thru brakes and tires but no other complaints. There were a few comments on the Yahoo group about some differential problems.

It looks like the Yahoo group has a contact in the UK that supplies Sprinter badging. They take off the Dodge or Freightliner logos and rebadge it authentically.

Krawsczyn · #7 02-15-2005, 06:22 PM

Does anybody know if the EGR can be removed on the new sprinter? I would like to be able to have the sprinter idle and with the EGR this does not appear feasible. This van will be used for off road use only.

TedG · #8 02-16-2005, 09:13 PM

There is no way you're going to be able to disable EGR on this engine. Even if you could do it without the ECU going into limp mode, performance would be affected quite severely I'm sure.