You can’t call a vehicle unreliable and then in the next sentence blame people for putting incorrect fluids in them. I’ve had FedEx sprinters with 700k+ miles that drive like our new off the lot sprinters. As a current E350 owner you can not beat a sprinter van. Best fuel economy, reliability and quality in the van market.
@wingracer1614 Жыл бұрын
I drove a new one (had 700 miles on it when I started) for a dealership for 2 years. And yes it had the DEF system. I loved it, drove great. Only had one problem with it. The radio died and the boss refused to fix it for me. About 2 weeks later I went to get it to load up in the morning and it wouldn't turn over so had to use one of the old beaters. The next day it was fixed and it had a new radio in it. I thanked the boss and he said they had to replace it. Somehow the dead radio had killed the starter.
@cgourin Жыл бұрын
Sprinters are the worst vans ever because the drivers are incompetent, dishonest dummies. Kinds of remind me of the Citroen hydraulic suspension that could also be found in Rolls Royce: no amount of stickers or warnings for the specific fluid would stop a trained professional from filling it up with break fluid and call it unreliable.
@Emily-ou6lq Жыл бұрын
@@cgourin Yea, if you put break fluid in anything it probably gonna break (if it's a good quality break fluid of course...) 🤣
@digitalrailroader Жыл бұрын
I’d have to agree with that sentiment; probably the main reason these Sprinters kept failing was because it’s a German made vehicle, and unfortunately German made vehicles (actually a lot of European made vehicles in general whether they be German made, Italian made, Swedish made, British made, etc) have a much lower tolerance for neglect than American made vehicles or Japanese made vehicles.
@theepicricemaker6611 Жыл бұрын
@@wingracer1614 $20 says some engineer did that on purpose because he knew your exact situation would occur and was thinking about the little guy
@HeliRy Жыл бұрын
Weird. Every Sprinter owner I know absolutely swears by them. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Mercedes that ended the contract with FedEx, since FedEx kept destroying these new vehicles almost immediately upon delivery.
@aarontorres5290 Жыл бұрын
FedEx drivers don’t own the sprinters directly, I’m sure if they took care of them like they had owned it they wouldn’t be destroyed
@blest5132 Жыл бұрын
the last thing a fleet vehicle should be is complicated
@richsackett3423 Жыл бұрын
@@blest5132 All modern vehicles are complicated.
@bwofficial1776 Жыл бұрын
@@richsackett3423 And that's the problem.
@RumblesBettr Жыл бұрын
We had a fleet of them at a const company and they were great this is going back 10 years or so ago
@JETZcorp Жыл бұрын
I used to drive for a limo company that had a couple. Absolutely 100% mandatory to know a guy for service who isn't the dealer. If we wanted an oil change, the Mercedes dealer (which was 30mi from the airport!) would take the thing fir like 3 weeks, offer a C-class loaner, and charge hundreds of dollars. For mechanical work, oftentimes we'd need to take it back because it didn't get fixed. Or we could take it to Viktor's shop, down a dirt alley with chickens wandering around, past the food truck fabricators. Viktor only worked on Sprinters, only spoke Ukrainian, and drove a car with the same OM642 engine. He'd get us in and out same-day for a good price, and we never had to send anything back. I couldn't imagine trying to run a business with Sprinters without having someone like that. Aside from the language barrier, they were no more troublesome than a Ford, and the fuel efficiency was spectacular. I understand the company bought a 3rd one after I left.
@OffGridInvestor Жыл бұрын
Mercedes Benz is known for TERRIBLE mechanics often not fixing the problem right or only putting one screw in something with 4. This is the experience of CARS owned by civilians here in Australia.
@jaakko200987654321 Жыл бұрын
om642 very good engine if the oil cooler doesnt leak
@criznitty Жыл бұрын
@@OffGridInvestorwhat would you say the most common vehicle brand is in Australia? Toyota? Holden? Outside of big cities in America, I imagine you’d need to know “a guy” to work on European cars here as well. I live near San Francisco, and you still need to know a guy to work on Subarus, the dealers are just a step above oil changers.
@totorishop10 ай бұрын
?? Fords are horrible. Mine needed engine replacement. If they are no better than ford then sprinters are bad
@JETZcorp10 ай бұрын
@totorishop Which Ford? They've made a lot of stuff, great and terrible. The company I drove for had mostly 2-valve mod motors, 4.6 V8s in Town Car stretches, and 6.8 V10s in the party buses. All a bit low on power but never failed. The only one that was ever trouble was a Navigator with a 5.4 3-valve in it... which was not their finest work.
@digitalrailroader Жыл бұрын
I have a hunch that Mehai was a drug trafficker, and he used his fuel tank as his hiding place for the “product” he was trafficking (the gasoline was probably used to mask the smell of the drugs to throw off any drug sniffing dogs); which is why he threw an absolute fit when the tank was going to be replaced and the old one destroyed.
@cesariojpn Жыл бұрын
Sounds like Mehai also was from a country who can "recycle" car parts long after its useful life.
@coalieroller5663 Жыл бұрын
he is really is hauling loads, he shouldnt be that cheap then
@renebarrera5286 Жыл бұрын
Did Mehai work Texas New Mexico or Arizona? That gas tank hidey hole is well known in those regions not so elsewhere. There are logical reasons why diesels and small v6 trucks where the smugglers choice for years in the southwest and why some one may not want their tank looked at.
@GOLD_FEVER Жыл бұрын
@@cesariojpn So ... Any country? America?
@paddymills2144 Жыл бұрын
the mask the smell thing doesn't fit, should just know
@ruk2023-- Жыл бұрын
Most of these problems sound like user error to me. Fair enough if they are difficult to work on but you can't really blame Mercedes for their customers being morons.
@deltasixgaming Жыл бұрын
Thats usually a Lot of Car Problems I fixed one ladies car that was filled with Vegetable Oil instead of Engine Oil and it stopped running and she said it said Low Oil so she added Oil and didn't understand why it broke down
@samsonian Жыл бұрын
Yeah…honestly, the dude gave absolutely NO evidence of what was claimed in the thumbnail’s caption. Every issue mentioned was ‘user error’ to varying degrees. I mean, I KNOW how gas would usually get into a diesel tank and how DEF (the DEvils Fluid) could conceivably find itself in a cooling system…and 99% of the time it’s because the owner is an IDIOT or made a terrible mistake or lapse in judgment. Decidedly NOT the fault of the mfgr.
@ruk2023-- Жыл бұрын
@@samsonian I know I called them morons myself but I did have to remind myself that it's more often that 99% of people don't care about cars, how they work or have any interest. Not so long ago a very smart entrepreneur I know broke down because she hadn't realised she needed to fill up the DEF from time to time. To most people the insides of a car are to them like you and me being given a scalpel and being told to do a heart bypass.
@Yvolve Жыл бұрын
@@ruk2023-- Not an excuse. You learn how to work a computer, what breaks it and how to keep it going as well. Even if you're not into tech or don't understand it, you know spilling a glass of water on it will destroy it. It is not important why, but that it does break, and therefore you need to be careful. It doesn't matter if you're into cars, you need to know those basics. If not, those people are indeed morons. I'm not talking real technical stuff, just what fluid goes where and when, what kills the car and what is a must to maintain.
@gravyd316 Жыл бұрын
They aren't hard to work on at all. They're just unreliable. There's many more problems than DEF. They break so often that I learned a lot about them. I also learned that they're damn near worthless and cost more to maintain than buying a new different brand a year after you buy them.
@kostayurchenko8434 Жыл бұрын
This man could put a speeding tweaker to sleep...
@DomoC93 Жыл бұрын
😂😂😂
@jaydub5515 Жыл бұрын
Eh, he's prolly just nervous. Making in into Car Stories is a big deal for people in the automotive world. Ed is a Legend!
@AConcernedCitizen420 Жыл бұрын
😂
@kevinlee7263 Жыл бұрын
He has the perfect voice for ASMR.
@franciscodanconia4324 Жыл бұрын
Kind of reminds me of Bob Ross. “Now we’re going to sell some happy little Sprinters today”
@jonesy-rh5fk Жыл бұрын
So the takeaway from this is if you can’t read don’t buy or use a Sprinter, whereas if you do service and fuel one with the right stuff it’ll work fine, as they all do this side of the pond.
@olliefoxx7165 Жыл бұрын
If you read the comments, you'll see plenty of people on our side of the pond that do maintenance and have no problem. There are irresponsible people that don't take care of their vehicles all over the world. Lesson to learn is take care of your vehicle.
@Hedonistic0Frog Жыл бұрын
My former ambulance company had sprinter vans with 400k miles on them. They're plenty reliable if you're not a moron putting fluids where they don't go.
@kfstreich4787 Жыл бұрын
I have 240,000miles on mine
@largol33t12 Жыл бұрын
@@kfstreich4787Why I believe you: have seen a Sprinter with Four Hundred thousand miles on the odometer! And it did NOT look like it was about to fall apart. This video is full of crap.
@timmychippy3903 Жыл бұрын
Most americas cant comprehend diesel engines they just shouldn't bother
@sandile4492 Жыл бұрын
This is the first time I've heard of someone calling a sprinter unreliable... in South Africa these are the 2nd best selling MiniBuses clearly they last when taken care off...😂
@sandile4492 Жыл бұрын
To think of it the way these Sprinters last some are on there third engines and gearboxes...
@OffGridInvestor Жыл бұрын
That's because south Africa has ALWAYS been buyers of European vehicles
@Bendejo-lm8wo Жыл бұрын
Probably don’t have the same emissions garbage put into the exhaust system. Or it’s just removed because of no regulations there.
@sandile4492 Жыл бұрын
@@Bendejo-lm8wo Well we do have regulations but yeah they are not tough like the US, they are actually relaxed maybe that's why they last forever
@rightwingsafetysquad9872 Жыл бұрын
Once you're at the point of replacing the engine on a vehicle any discussion of reliability is moot. Any vehicle will last forever if you just keep replacing the broken parts. It's not whether it can be done, it's how much time and money it takes. If a Lexus lasts 500,000 miles with just oil changes, that's very reliable. If a Sprinter lasts as long but needed the engine replaced twice (and probably a dozen more things), that's terrible.
@gonzoprius3589 Жыл бұрын
Drove a Sprinter from new to over 500k miles during my time as a driver at Fedex. super reliable.
@Waffles11399 Жыл бұрын
Must've been an older one cause our new ones are constantly broken.
@sparky6086 Жыл бұрын
Not sure, if this guy fully knows, what he's talking about? The 2007 & after Sprinters had problems & were unreliable, but the 2001 to 2006, the "T1N's", were also Mercedes, Freightliner, & Dodge and were really good with only a few easily remedied quirks.
@cvr24 Жыл бұрын
My brother worked for FedEx for a decade. He said FedEx took the Sprinters for a discount at a large quantity, but they would forgo the factory warranty. Sprinters for a while were built in Germany but shipped as chassis and body to the USA, "reassembled" in the USA with a USA-sourced battery to get around the Chicken Tax.
@iHelpSolveIt Жыл бұрын
They're not a pain in the but if you're half competent 😂😂😂
@ajdahun Жыл бұрын
The transmission was in the cargo area as well, when shipped from the fatherland
@chaoswarriorbr Жыл бұрын
So just like the Ford service vans. I'll take my chances with a Sprinter over a Ford. Sounds like people are too lazy or stupid to read a vehicle manual, the caps of different fluids and do basic maintenance.
@MrJEEPJT Жыл бұрын
The “CHICKEN-TAX” screwing the American Customer since “1963” thanks “L.B.J.”
@Tonatar Жыл бұрын
Sprinters are common everyday bus transportation in Eastern Europe, diesel ones all have 400k km and I have seen many with million km+, granted no def crap
@Nick_1911 Жыл бұрын
... yeah , but they dont make new ones like the ones from 1999 - 2001 which are the definition of van (bus) in EEurope
@tripel7470 Жыл бұрын
With the chickentax, mercedes has a local assembly line for us sprinters, highly likely that those are just lower quality than the eu ones.
@kd23se4 Жыл бұрын
yes but the diesel in the US is not the same as in Europe
@marcisdzerve9558 Жыл бұрын
400k is still a fresh one haha
@marcisdzerve9558 Жыл бұрын
@@Nick_1911the early 5cyl 2.9s were bulletproof, but the newer ones are alright too
@xiricada7121 Жыл бұрын
Buddy had a Sprinter for his local Post Office in Brazil. That thing drove through all sorts of traffic jams, pot holes and all that you can imagine. Never had an issue with it. Most of what he described seems like user error.
@chaoswarriorbr Жыл бұрын
Yeah,Sprinters are used all around the world in conditions far worse then 99,9% of places in the US, while regarded as the best or at least one of the best. 100% user error, from drivers to bad maintenance management.
@Tonatar Жыл бұрын
The problemm with these is utter incompetence of the operators it seems
@gravyd316 Жыл бұрын
I had the displeasure of having to maintain 3 of these junker's. They were nothing but trouble and not a one of them made it to 20k. One got close but eventually a wiring issue in the dash caused it to become a insurance claim.
@rk22cc Жыл бұрын
Think again! Perhaps quality issues?
@ChrisLoew Жыл бұрын
Gas Stations have been known to switch their tanks on accident and leave the worries to the customers who gill up correctly but get dispensed a different product, happens many times a year
@gegecatlord Жыл бұрын
These things are terrible I know a lot of shops that refused to work on the diesel once they are just garbage I've had the pleasure of working on quite a few of these no fun at all
@michaelhite1433 Жыл бұрын
I know several friends who still have contracts with FedEx ground who swear by their Sprinters. I’ve had 2 reach well over 250k. Until Ford brought the Transit to the US market no other van in the US market was more comfortable or and better designed to be a delivery van. The only other option back then were larger step-vans or box vans. The def system on all diesels is unreliable, including semis.
@Willheim. Жыл бұрын
As a trucker we know all about the absolute horror of after treatment systems, (EGR, SCR, DPF. DEF, soot levels, regens, etc). It's every brand, too.
@christoferstromberg6605 Жыл бұрын
A friend of mine (engineer) was involved in designing these at a big car/truck maker. He calls it a huge scam and says to never buy a vehicle with this system (regardless of brand). He said its known by everyone it's complete garbage, often it doesn't even do what it should so testing regulations got relaxed to such degree that they are far removed from reality just to not crash the global car market.
@MKRN98 Жыл бұрын
I'm so lucky that I bought a truck with recently serviced aftertreatment system. New DPF filter, DEF pump, etc. but from time to time I get check engine light related to DEF sprayer nozzle or something like that? My mechanic told me to just ignore it as it's really not giving me any issues, I don't even have to regen. Although, if anything fails to the point I can't drive anymore, I'm not fixing it, I'm deleting it. It's such a bullshit anyway. DPF filter, yeah, maybe that's good for the environment as it traps all that soot but DEF? Now that's the biggest bullshit there is!
@LasOrveloz Жыл бұрын
@@christoferstromberg6605 Problem is, many of those systems are mandated by law. especially here in europe.
@christoferstromberg6605 Жыл бұрын
@@LasOrveloz yes, that's part of the scam. The agencies know it's bullshit but it keeps people from rioting. Diesel would have been banned decades ago if people knew how bad it really is.
@doublejslist Жыл бұрын
It's becoming clear that a diesel meeting modern emissions standards is not very realistic anymore. I've loved my diesels, but my last one had a DPF, and all I did was worry about when it was going to inevitably fail. It sucks because the VW CJAA was a great engine otherwise.
@check4v Жыл бұрын
This guy looks like if someone finally made Jimmy Fallon stop laughing at everything.
@richsackett3423 Жыл бұрын
You win.
@thecherokeekidd1 Жыл бұрын
All the internet points of the day go to.....this guy
@alistairhowat8949 Жыл бұрын
I've worked on sprinters for 17 years, this guy has no clue what he's talking about. Driver error is not the fault of the manufacturer. Sprinters are the most reliable van on the road.
@jkent99155 күн бұрын
They are good but they aren’t the best. The Nissan NV2500/NV3500 outclassed every van out there in pretty much every way. It was a rugged as any Ford/Chevy and as nice to drive as the Sprinter, but more reliable than any of the other 3. The only thing the MB won at was having a camper option. Think about it like this, for fleet service like that, it’s not about which vehicle can go the longest without maintenance; it’s about which vehicle will be the most reliable with preventable maintenance. That’s why the Crown Victoria has a reputation of perceived reliability, you change the oil, new alternators, new batteries, transmission service, etc.. all on a schedule that generally will keep the vehicle from breaking down. They found a lower priced vehicle with a slight invest in maintenance was wisest. Having a vehicle that incurs $15-20k in damage when you use the wrong fuel is the OPPOSITE of what you want for fleet service. So you may be correct that this is all operator error, a fleet service sees this as a problem they just don’t need. Put diesel in a gas vehicle, drain the tank and mf try again.
@BatCaveOz Жыл бұрын
Sprinters are renowned for their reliability. They are used as ambulances in Australia and they travel huge distances with zero mechanical issues. I spoke to my mate who has 20+ years in fleet management... he reckons they are the most reliable van. (He ranks Ford Transit as #2)
@nickwheeler8231 Жыл бұрын
They're renowned for their unreliability, parts that are never in stock at horrendous prices, their propensity to rust and the extremely limited dealer network. That's limited because you cannot take a van into a Merc car dealer; it has to go to commercials. There are three of those in the entire county of Kent. The Sprinter ambulances here break down all the time. Transits are slightly better mechanically, cost less to buy and own, and if you don't like the local dealer there's another in the next town.
@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 Жыл бұрын
With every vehicle, its gonna vary, in Europe they probably say that American built cars are unreliable and hard to maintain. With every vehicle you have to understand it and how to maintain it for it to be reliable. I drive a 10th gen F150, one of the least liked generations of the F series, it is a great truck, but I also take care of it too. I don't have any experience with sprinters, but they seriously cannot be that bad.
@andreasu.3546 Жыл бұрын
@@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 As a European I can tell that american cars here have a reputation of being simple, realiable and easy to work on, especially the ones that are so big you can basically climb into the engine bay and stand next to the V8. On the other hand, they are also known as gas guzzlers, having shoddy interiors and can't be driven around corners at anything faster than walking speed.
@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 Жыл бұрын
@@andreasu.3546 thats surprising. I would have expected the fact it’s foreign made would make parts availability and maintenance a pain. Tho most modern American vehicles youd be hard pressed to climb into the engine bay, with all the stuff inside. My 98 has an engine bay that would make a perfectionists head explode. And dont get me started on the blue system they decided to add for diesels
@sterlingodeaghaidh5086 Жыл бұрын
@@andreasu.3546 i do have to agree on fuel economy, my truck aint no 40 MPG (5.88 L/100KM), but its not bad either, and handling idk how that is so bad as all the vehicles i have ever owned have been rather stable.
@RatedVideos Жыл бұрын
Worked for FedEx Europe, we had these Mercedes Sprinters, we drove the shit out of them, literally in every sense possible, they held up like tanks! I don't know how the engine, gearbox and chassi parts held up but they really did!
@iHelpSolveIt Жыл бұрын
They're well built. No cure for stupid 😂😂😂
@boyracer3477 Жыл бұрын
This storyteller just needed a story to tell so he dressed up a few things. The things that really make no sense probably never happened.
@David_jdmc Жыл бұрын
I think there is also a big difference between Sprinters built in US plants and Sprinters built in Germany like with most Mercedes Benz vehicles.
@sparky6086 Жыл бұрын
Not sure, if this guy fully knows, what he's talking about? The 2007 & after Sprinters had problems & were unreliable, but the 2001 to 2006, the "T1N's", were also Mercedes, Freightliner, & Dodge and were really good with only a few easily remedied quirks.
@valkoflife Жыл бұрын
@@David_jdmcNope. Up until 2018 when the Sprinter 907 was introduced, every single Sprinter sold in the US was produced in Germany. From 2006 to 2018, those then had their drivetrain and body separated again in Germany and both were shipped separately to Charleston, where they put it back together - this was cheaper than the penalty tariffs for importing fully-built-up commercial vans. Charleston was an SKD re-assembly plant until they turned it into a proper factory for the introduction of the Sprinter 907.
@Mr-pn2eh Жыл бұрын
Toyota should really start selling commercial vans in the US. Bring the hiace (called granace), or at least sell the it under the hino brand.
@sjeeky278 Жыл бұрын
Hahahaha you get a PSA peugeot engine in the toyota vans 😂😂😂😂😂
@angelmoreno9339 Жыл бұрын
They do in Mexico and you only see them used as cheap people transport mostly in the south, fedex and others still prefer sprinters I do not know why
@imkirbo3094 Жыл бұрын
The only Toyota van's I'm aware of are rebranded PSA shit
@piuthemagicman Жыл бұрын
@@sjeeky278 That's the european Proace not the OG Hiace still sold in Asia and South America etc.
@angelmoreno9339 Жыл бұрын
@@imkirbo3094 it´s called Hiace they dont sell them in the US
@clifbradley Жыл бұрын
My mom had a van conversion company she started and was mainly doing Nissan NV400's. Then the Sprinters from FedEx were showing up at auction and she started working on those. She never had an issue with them except one that had some sort of engine issue where the engine would not turn off. She took it to the dealer because the custome requested her too and the dealer tech let the engine run because he didn't pay attention to why it was there, it caught on fire and all the appliances and conversion work my mom did went up in flames. The dealer tried to say it was my mom's work that caused it, but the fire investigation proved it was the engine, however the insurance wouldn't cover the conversion upgrades so the owner of the van sued the dealer for 35k in parts and labor and at that time, you couldn't find a used Sprinter anywhere, so insurance bought her a brand new one. Went right back to my mom for outfitting. The last one my mom ever did.
@PowerslideSWE Жыл бұрын
Sprinters ARE Mercedes from the get go, they were branded as Dodge or Freightliner and other names perhaps in the US.
@Adsterz20leh Жыл бұрын
Was looking for a comment about that 😂 it's like everything was in America first 👀
@SkylineFTW97 Жыл бұрын
They stopped the rebadging a while ago. Everyone knows they're Benzes here now. Contractors and tradesmen love them. My dad drove several in his time as a plumber and he liked everything about them except the cost. Funny enough, Mercedes-Benz actually supplies the USPS with RHD Metris vans now, but they removed the Mercedes badge, probably for optics. It was probably the only smaller van that could easily be obtained in RHD for postal use.
@TheEgg185 Жыл бұрын
Most people call any modern van with this basic shape a Sprinter. 🙄
@Petty45 Жыл бұрын
Correct, got the 5 cylinder Mercedes in my 2006 freightliner
@NickTaylorRickPowers4 ай бұрын
Hahaha that explains so much about why he finds sprinters difficult
@Patty-qy8qh Жыл бұрын
Funny how these said problems have nothing to do with the Sprinter itself. I have driven every sprinter generation and despite general problems you can have with every car of every brand they are totally fine. I would say their biggest issue is still rust, at least in German conditions.
@tylerseabook9423 Жыл бұрын
Did you clearly not watch the video. My god🤦♂️ the def system is a common issue on them and they are an absolute nightmare to work on. It’s like you didn’t pay attention at all 😂😂😂🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@timothyjoksch Жыл бұрын
@tylerseabook9423 I worked at a Mercedes-Benz dealer in Germany for three years. Most DEF problems were one sensor that was replaced in 20 minutes. I don't know what you are doing.
@michealyoung2777 Жыл бұрын
@tylerseabook9423 Neither did you dumbkoff it issue was with the cooling system. THE FECKIN RADIATOR which is totally different to the DEF System which is to do with the exhaust emissions
@elbuggo Жыл бұрын
@@tylerseabook9423 I bet O'Rileys Autos could have fixed 90% of the problems in an hour or two. Not so difficult if you can grasp the secrets. One secret is that the thermometer in the van also must work.
@kylem324 Жыл бұрын
You have to wonder what was really in his fuel tank that he was willing to walk away from $20k of covered work?
@boyracer3477 Жыл бұрын
No one said that he couldn't have the old tank, only that it had to be made unusable by holing it.
@kylem324 Жыл бұрын
@@boyracer3477 Or it might suggest that he was in the habit of hauling contraband in the tank and drilling a hole would reveal that.
@OffGridInvestor Жыл бұрын
Cocaine
@aus_aircon_ref_mech6671 Жыл бұрын
@@kylem324I was just about to say that 😂 mere speculation though 🥹🥹🥹
@franciscodanconia4324 Жыл бұрын
@@boyracer3477I think he didn’t want holes drilled in the Colombian kilos hidden in the tank.
@DunnDifferent Жыл бұрын
100% that guy had some sort of smuggling compartment built into that fuel tank. No other reason why someone would freak out when told they were going to drill holes in it.
@bastaudio Жыл бұрын
Had a fleet of 2019 Mercedes Sprinter amazon vans. We had 38 of them. Biggest issue is the transmission. Every single one I've ever touched has had the transmission rebuilt/replaced because "park" will break in such a way that "park" becomes another neutral gear. Never had this issue in a Ford or Dodge van. Every single Mercedes van in my former fleet as well as every 2019 Sprinter that any other delivery contractor used had this issue at some point. Mercedes issued a "recall" that was actually just a bit of extra wiring that sets off the panic alarm if you don't pull the ebrake after you park the van and get up. Basically if you get up out of the seat while the van is running, it'll set off the alarm if the ebrake isn't engaged. Just before my old contactor shut down we had 5 or 6 vans that blew serpentine belts while they were WELL WITHIN their service interval. The seatbelt buckles themselves would snap off every 10-20K miles (braided steel cables that connected the buckle to the vehicle would get brittle and snap off). The rear brake light housings are so brittle after facing the heat in the US south that if you lightly tap them or bump into them, the housing will shatter. Every. Single. One. had electrical issues. Bulbs burning out every few thousand miles. Rear cameras and rear camera screens that would work intermittently at best. 12V ports that would blow their fuses sometimes daily (just charging a phone and they'd blow). Faults with the crosswind assist/active braking that would cause the van to hard brake from 70mph down to 20-30 on the interstate for no apparent reason. Seat belt sensors broke every 5K miles on average. We were spending $5-10K a month on out of warranty maintenance. It was ridiculous. We observed every single service interval and drivers were strictly monitored by the Mentor driving app as well as Netradyne fleet cameras to ensure they aren't being rough on the vans or driving like lunatics and none of it prevented these turds from breaking every single day. We had to have 38 of these vans just to run 20 routes a day. We piled up 10-15 at a time to get fixed and we typically had maintenance people out daily working on them.
@alexh453418 күн бұрын
Parking pawl problem is because drivers were slamming the vans into park while still moving and the computer allowed it up to a certain speed. Latest recall on my Sprinter was a software upgrade that doesn’t let you put it in park unless it’s barely moving or stopped.
@vsaharc Жыл бұрын
Had my Sprinter since 2014, bought it brand new. Yes, change your oils, fluids, put the right stuff in there and it still runs with no problems. Had it go through the mountains, 110°+ weather if Mexico and AZ. Multiple trips all over US and Mexico in heat and cold, and still love my Sprinter. Get this guy off the camera!
@sirmingusdewiv8325 Жыл бұрын
Dude, 20yrs at FedEx. They suck in the snow. Although when delivering in December, the Christmas tree lights on the dash was heart warming. ❤
@pabo8080 Жыл бұрын
100%. When i did deliveries in the winter I had to fight with my boss for him to put winter tires on the van. He would say, oh it's got new all season tires on it, it'll be fine. I had to put my foot down and tell him I wouldn't drive it without winter tires. Even with winter tires it would struggle, but at least more manageable. Breaking was the worst part, scary in the snow and ice. This goes for the transit and promasters, same thig.
@pabo8080 Жыл бұрын
*braking
@sirmingusdewiv8325 Жыл бұрын
@@pabo8080 You'd start to get momentum, then the traction control would kick. The brakes. Then you're stuck. POS.
@PheonixRise666 Жыл бұрын
@@pabo8080you knew what they meant right?
@BelviGER Жыл бұрын
Can't be worse than Ford Transit, cause they are fwd. Whoever decided that designing a vehicle that will have most of its weight over the rear axle as a fwd car is a massive moron. Plus they were the least comfortable vehicle I've ever driven, seating position is worse than most horse drawn carriages The MAN TGE is pretty dope
@ejkk95139 ай бұрын
I can tell you since my work only uses sprinters, they're fantastic if you take care of them. I work on Amazon vehicles for my job. Mainly transits and promasters. The sprinter is EASILY the best. The drivers thrash the vehicles because most people go by the mindset that if they didn't pay for it, who cares. Never judge a commercial vehicles quality unless you also own the vehicle and take care of it. These idiots who drive them destroy them. Promasters start falling apart by 60k miles or so. If they're driven super hard, they'll start falling apart at 30k miles. Transits are definitely better but not nearly as good as sprinters. Sprinters will start falling apart at 100k miles if they're thrashed. If they're not. 200k miles is not difficult to achieve.
@Fabulousprofound168 Жыл бұрын
I’m kinda lost with this video. I just showed it to a contractor working on our house and he showed us the odometer with over 300k mi on his old Sprinter. He said it has been almost trouble free and has never missed a day of work.
@Transit_my-way Жыл бұрын
What year was it? If pre 2012 then yes. More reliable.
@Fabulousprofound168 Жыл бұрын
@@Transit_my-way it’s been over two months now so I cannot ask, but it looked to be older than 2012
@bluemeanie6395 Жыл бұрын
My Sprinter is now 10 years old. Ex DHL, no problems and no rust. We don't salt our roads in Australia. It doesn't use adblue, but I'm sure it's not hard to keep a few spare bottles at home. And only an imbecile would put petrol in a diesel car.
@JG54206 Жыл бұрын
I have no experience with Sprinter vans and I’ve heard people talk crap about them, but honestly I think most people don’t know or don’t care to allow a diesel engine with modern exhaust systems to do it’s thing. Again, no experience with Sprinters, but I’ve seen plenty of people ignore the regen process in diesel box trucks and then pull a surprised Pikachu face when the exhaust system needs to be fixed for a few thousand dollars… meanwhile it said clearly on the dash “regen in process, do not shut off engine.” I explained this to my old boss who was the owner of the company that the drivers of the truck would routinely ignore that warning, and just shut down the truck in the middle of a regen cycle, and he would reiterate to the guys that they can’t keep doing that and the small amount of diesel burnt letting the truck idle during a stop was greatly preferable to the large repair bill for an exhaust system repair. Most of the guys didn’t really seem to care. It sucks that it’s a mandatory thing now, but it is what it is and it won’t be changed any time soon, especially not by continuing to vote for people who give the EPA free reign to do whatever they want under the guise of “saving the planet”, meanwhile all those same politicians fly around on a G6 private jet and get chauffeured in Tahoe’s and Suburban’s. I do have experience with a Dodge 2500 pro master van from that same company and it didn’t seem to have a regen cycle, but it did take DEF and it didn’t really have any exhaust problems during my 4 years working for them, however it had numerous other issues. It seized the A/C compressor (twice I think), and the transmission was awful. It seemed to have an automatically operated clutch instead of a torque converter which was the dumbest thing (in my opinion) for an application like that. It shifted hard, bucked on downshifting, and if you wished to go slowly up a hill (like backing up a steep driveway for a delivery) it would just constantly slip the clutch the whole way. I once had the clutch start smoking when backing up a very steep, long driveway at about 3/4 of the way up. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree and said “transmission failure.” I parked it up and carried the stuff the rest of the way. It drove and operated fine on the way back, but in order to clear the “transmission failure” it had to go back to the dealership. There wasn’t any major damage but they had the van for about 1-2 weeks and told us there wasn’t anything they did besides just reset the fault code and that it would happen again under that same circumstance. My boss said that was ridiculous for a 2500 series commercial van designed for deliveries and the dealership basically said “it is what it is.” I thought that van, and it’s choice of a clutch instead of a torque converter was absolutely idiotic.
@ilsl04 Жыл бұрын
I got gas at my local shell station and shortly after my car started smoking really bad and miss firing at idle. I couldn't figure it out. I took it to a shop and they said the engine has low compression. I didn't believe them because I did a compression check and it was fine. So I said whatever and told them to put an engine. A few minutes later I see on my news feed on Facebook that a local shell station had 91 octane contaminated with diesel fuel. I told the shop to stop and picked up my car. I called Shell they asked me for my receipt and a week later they sent me a check for 8k. I didn't fix anything I just drained the tank and its been fine ever since
@xapexiКүн бұрын
So you committed fraud and decided to brag about it on the internet. Nice
@Rascofresco11 Жыл бұрын
It’s like when he’s trying to deliver a point he gets quite and almost whispers.
@406Steven Жыл бұрын
This is definitely life at a dealership. We get a lot of flack from know-it-alls on the internet but if you work for one and know the other side of the story this stuff is all too common. Subaru started using some kind of different wiring insulation (I think it's soy-based) and mice absolutely love to eat the wires, particularly fog lights and transmission sensors. When people find out that warranty doesn't cover rodent damage they absolutely go off. A replacement fog light pigtail plus labor is $20 and they eventually end up just paying for it but not until they've berated several people and slandered us on the internet. Putting the wrong fuel in, like in this video, sends people right off the falls as well. They swear up and down they'd never do that but what's in the tank doesn't lie. The most impressive thing I've seen a manufacturer do was VW when someone put gas in their diesel Touareg and had to have everything in the fuel system replaced, I swear this customer must've had a picture of Ferdinand Porsche doing the dirty with a goat or something because VW good willed it (not warranty, good will. Anyone who works at a dealership for more than 3 days knows that distinction VERY clearly). New tank, pump, lines, fittings, high pressure pump, injectors, absolutely everything got replaced on VW's dime.
@franciscodanconia4324 Жыл бұрын
There’s a difference between operator error putting the wrong fuel in a vehicle and a manufacturing defect like soy based wiring insulation that is irresistibly tasty to rodents. That is something the manufacturer should have at least tested for during the engineering of the car. I fully understand why someone would be irate over having to pay for Subaru’s poor engineering choices.
@Maintenance_Mark Жыл бұрын
Question for ya. I worked at a dealership for a few months after highschool as a grease boy and part runner trying to get some experience so I could put more than "tech center" on a resume. Why would the insurance company attempt to have the shop destroy customer owned parts? By law aren't these parts to be returned to the customer undamaged if they request it? Why would a dealership even take these unlawful commands from the insurance company to destroy these customer owned parts? Seems like a load of BS to me. Seems like the shop didn't want this rude Karen customer to keep his old parts so they made up the who story oh "the insurance company wants them destroyed".
@406Steven Жыл бұрын
@@Maintenance_Mark I'd have to watch the video again for context of destroying the old parts but anything which was replaced was to be disposed of to keep people from replacing extra parts in order to bag parts for themselves. Warranty parts would either be called to be returned to the manufacturer or we had to destroy them so they can't be re-used.
@franciscodanconia4324 Жыл бұрын
@@Maintenance_Mark if the insurance company is paying the claim, I think legally those replaced parts belong to them. Just like your car belongs to them if they total it (which is why you have to “buy it back” after the settlement if you want to keep it). And the company probably didn’t want a contaminated diesel tank and fuel system making its way to another vehicle.
@jamesflames34193 ай бұрын
wiring insulation is made with peanut oil I heard - rodents love it
@jbllc6873 Жыл бұрын
This guy sounds like he just woke up from dental surgery.
@megatijger100 Жыл бұрын
Drove with multiple sprinters over the last 14years never had a single problem !!! Drive a new model ATM very statisfied!!! If you let the maintenance be done bij certified mercedes dealer/technicians like you should you will never have problems
@ltsgarage7898 Жыл бұрын
I purchase a Dodge Sprinter van in 2008 brand new off the lot. I serviced it every 3 to 5000 miles. Around 30,000 miles it started having Swirl valve issues. I kept driving it even though the swirl valve had problems & the check engine light kept coming on and going off. I kept getting lucky and getting it smogged every two years. The cost of new head were just insane plus the labor. I loved the size, long wheel base and the high roof. When I purchased it, it got really good mileage. About 3 months later I got a noticed in the mail saying that the computer needed a reflash. When I took it in it was getting 22-mpg. I could not get it smogged or licensed if I did not get the reflash. I took it back to Dodge and they took care of it. I started checking my mileage again. It went from 22- mpg to 13-mpg. I started to complain about the mileage. The Dodge dealer told me to bring it back and they will check everything and re- 13:46 flash it again. I got it back again & Started checking mileage once again. It was to my surprise it had dropped yet again. Now it’s 10-mpg. I never took it to a dealership again. I drove this pile until 2022. That’s when I got water in my fuel. I took it to a couple of different shops and I kept getting it back and being told they couldn’t fix it. I finally took it back to the Mercedes Benz dealer and they gave me a price to completely repair the problems. But they said they had to replace the heads and all because of the swirl valves and completely replace the fuel system from the water damage. The complete charge was going to be $18,995.00. I took it home to put it in my shop yard to be a planter box. While it was there a guy stopped by and wanted to buy it. I told him everything that was wrong with it but he didn’t care. I sold it for $6,000.00 dollars. I went out a purchased a Ford mini van Transit-connect. It gets better mileage than my diesel Dodge. That’s just some of my story. Never ever buy a DODGE SPRINTER !!!
@RadialSkid Жыл бұрын
I'm surprised he didn't mention how incredibly rust-prone they are.
@snoopdogie187 Жыл бұрын
That depends on the year. Old ones, yeah, those rust terribly, I haven't seen the newer ones rust yet.
@neilopfer5687 Жыл бұрын
Yeah, I saw the rusting in the photos here.
@GlennInLaguna Жыл бұрын
Yeah, the early Dodge ones were. Newer ones no different than any other car on average
@alexchavez1011 Жыл бұрын
We are a delivery service and we have 20 Ford transit and they are been the most reliable out of all the vans we have 20 rams and the amount of transmission and axle replacement is real at one point we had 8 at the dealer unable to be used we had one sprinters but the drivers complained about it moving a few feet after putting the transmission in park so we never got any more
@glen7463 Жыл бұрын
The reason so many came in is because there was so many of them every vehicle will have problems driver or parts failure but if there is millions of sprinters and only 100’s of another you will see sprinter in the shop more then the others but apart from rust issues. I would say only the engine is Mercedes
@tcbgarage2845 Жыл бұрын
Where I work we have a fleet of 40 sprinters in all different specs. We have many heading toward 700,000 miles and some past. I've out about 500,000 miles on myself. You then blame user error which doesn't sound like the Sprinter is to blame.
@redrobin41 Жыл бұрын
I have worked a position before where Sprinters were the main source of hauling to and from job sites. I can attest that they are the biggest pieces of shit vans on the planet, even with the proper maintenance, which we were meticulous about. The whole rainbow would go wrong: turbos, transmissions, injectors, cooling systems, fuel pumps, wiring harnesses, gauge clusters... you name it, it's been replaced. These were pre-DEF vans, so we couldn't attribute any of the issues to DEF going where it shouldn't. Pure junk.
@Craig-zq2qx Жыл бұрын
Cameron is the Bob Ross of Technicians
@Andrew-zv4fm Жыл бұрын
Lol
@LonelyPickle-m4r Жыл бұрын
Generally regarded as good vans here in the UK. Main issues with them used to be rust.
@randomkoreanguy7 күн бұрын
Career FedEx driver here. I've been around since before the first generation Sprinter launched in the US and everything the guy says is true. Now i can't speak to the why but our Sprinters were notorious for always being in the shop for something or other. The current ones are a lot better, but those first and second generation ones were indeed pretty bad. Maybe they just dumped the ones that failed QC onto FedEx? Who knows. I do know that Ford was also approached and we were considering the new (at the time) Transit vans but Mercedes made the better offer.
@JDM_Cars.. Жыл бұрын
My dad bought a 06 sprinter and it had a lot of rust but it was cheap and he bought it for 7k and he has gone through 2 engines and he has spent 17k on that dumb van. That’s how you get in to a rabid whole…
@natec599 Жыл бұрын
People saying “DEF fluid” drives me nuts it’s already “diesel exhaust fluid” but that pales in comparison to how I feel about the EPA…
@georgemccune2923 Жыл бұрын
Some crucial advice, but before I am a Diesel tech here, 20+ years exp with continued education thru out to stay up to date and current, as well as went with various engineering teams for the major manufacturers on lessons on troubleshooting procedures , currently in diagnostics also assisting identifix with reviewing and publishing diagnostic procedures. treat every vehicle like Dr. House does, everybody lies. Nobody wants to admit thier simple mistake cost them 20 grand. I can't count the number of times the "customer states" info is in direct conflict with what "I can see in front of me" in this case with the fuel if I suspected it was gas I'm taking a fuel sample immediately to send off if it comes down to that then it never hurts look in the console, look in the glove box, the door pockets. If it's gas odds are they haven't made it too far from where they put it in so the receipt is probably real close. Mention it to the service writer and the angle to play is the tech found the receipt while checking for X,Y or Z. That was what led them to check the fuel. That way you are not coming across as you thought they were dumb and then check the fuel. Yes it's a lie but it softens the blow. As far as all other diagnostics hundreds of times customer states just started acting up only to find dozens of receipt is from other shops. Take those receipts and look at what parts have been thrown at it and if it can be done quickly make sure the last tech didn't accidentally not get something right. If that's the case customer can pay you to fix or take back to the other place hopefully under warranty. Never assume the other tech did the job right. I know it sounds bad and also never rule out the new parts even if its a new part you just put on. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's good and sometimes you have to run diag on a new part and find out it's bad. I don't know if they still do but take Ford for example on let's say the 6.0 oil cooler. You buy it from them and put it on and do it right and the new one fails Ford will replace it and pay up to 500 of the labor or you can take the truck to them and they will put the new cooler in and cover the entire cost. Don't know if they still do as that was a number of years ago but not a lot of people knew that and they didn't advertise it. Anyway hope this helps
@cornovii3012 Жыл бұрын
Nearly every non English corner shop has a Sprinter, either in white or blue 🤣
@barron204 Жыл бұрын
I disagree with this video. As someone who has worked on hundreds of Sprinters for a company that owned thousands of the Mercedes Sprinters, they are very reliable vans.
@curseofthegreat Жыл бұрын
I was with FedEx express for several years, did my due diligence, inspecting every vehicle, every day, and learned that the first generation Mercedes 2500 sprinter with the in-line six had all of these issues, plus the turbos would fail around the 100,000 mile mark, and one of the mechanics became so proficient at replacing the turbos so quickly, he went, and did his own side hustle on weekends Replacing turbos in sprinters.
@soundseeker63 Жыл бұрын
These problems sound like every other modern-day diesel vehicle out there. They are all highly-strung and fragile devices with a ton of electronics to deal with. Plus when you take account of the fact they get ragged everywhere all day everyday, mostly by people who don't care at all, it's no big surprise they develop faults. That example of putting DEF in the coolant, although stupid, gives a good example of how these vehicles get treated in the real world. I think in reality they are no better or worse than any other modern vehicle, they just live exceedingly hard lives, like most vans do.
@hitardo Жыл бұрын
0:37 This may be true to American dealers. The Sprinter van is sold since 1995 in Europe. Moreover, Sprinter is a product developed and produced mainly by Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner. It was only in 2002 that it started producing Sprinter vans in the USA. Sprinters were sold as: - Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (1995-present) - Freightliner Sprinter (2001-2021) - Dodge Sprinter (2003-2009) - Volkswagen LT (1997-2006) - Volkswagen Crafter (2006-2018)
@anthonysmalawipredators8794 Жыл бұрын
Kind of sucks you think you're making a good choice by purchasing the newest van you can afford meanwhile they're 10 times worse than one built a decade ago
@CaptChang Жыл бұрын
Oh, I heard of that "X times remaining" problem. Let's just say, some people interpret that message as "oh, I need to restart the van X times to get rid of that message". 😂
@stevefrank856422 күн бұрын
I had two Freightliner cargo sprinter in my business and drove approximately 300,000 each and found them to be extremely reliable vehicles. Only thing I didn’t like was that the dealer charged too much for the services that they provided just to change the oil cost $500. I was ready to sell my business so I did not have to deal with the Mercedes dealership because Mercedes dealership was the only ones that were willing to work on them to service them.
@davidg2590 Жыл бұрын
I work at a shop called Sprinter Expert, and what was said here is a user error. I agree that they are slightly more sensitive, but I have seen hundreds of 300k+ mile sprinters. We get a lot of FedEx vans, and most of those are good, only small things that would occur on any car. I'm afraid I have to disagree with the general statement that Sprinters are "the worst van ever." It all depends on the competence of the driver. A bit of a rant, but I am slightly qualified to talk about them.
@pc4189 Жыл бұрын
I suspect he didn't want the tank drilled cuz maybe it was altered with a hidden compartment for smuggling/customs evasion.
@thatgamingchannel95 Жыл бұрын
I’ve always wanted a Sprinter van to travel with the family, i’m sure they’re as comfortable as grandma’s couch😍
@Nick_1911 Жыл бұрын
Just get/buy one from 1999 or 2001 they are best ones , simple , cheap and mechanical , w/o these computer and ADblue fancy nonsense ...
@thatgamingchannel95 Жыл бұрын
@@Nick_1911 there’s nothing more reliable than a older diesel powered Mercedes Benz
@aarontorres5290 Жыл бұрын
It’s 2023… maybe buy something that hasn’t had been beaten up on or abused… a lot of people don’t take care of their cars
@thatgamingchannel95 Жыл бұрын
@@aarontorres5290 you’re absolutely right on that one… but not everybody wants a new car nowadays
@aarontorres5290 Жыл бұрын
@@thatgamingchannel95 doesn’t have to be brand spankin new the same way it doesn’t have to be so damn old you know? Could be in the middle a little more newer than old. 2019 and up, you can get a great sprinter for $40k-$55k
@mplewp Жыл бұрын
i have no idea where you found this guy but mercedes vito / sprinters are godlike in terms of reliability xD .
@MikeBehrensWX Жыл бұрын
They also rust like it's their job
@osmanyreyes83735 ай бұрын
I clean my egr valve constantly. I’m in a Facebook group for van expeditors, and they say their newer sprinters get the def system issue. My 2019 sprinter 3.0 3500 has never had that issue. It’s got 130k miles and no issues yet
@luclaan8165 Жыл бұрын
When I worked at DHL in the Netherlands we had sprinters. Those sprinters just kept on trucking till 500.000 and they where still fine. We also had Renaults which all broke before 100.000km. Never had any real problems with the sprinters, I love them.
@timLoder Жыл бұрын
Since when do you lose an oil pump by putting gas in a diesel? Replacing a fuel tank just because I had gasoline in it??? I think half of his repair work was bullshit. I would’ve risk simply emptying it and filling it back up with diesel but what can I say?
@jackriley1989 Жыл бұрын
This man brings the intensity I expect from someone brought in to talk about vans
@MrPlowboy66 Жыл бұрын
In short Sprinters suck because owners don't know DEF from antifreeze or gas from diesel,plus the fact that they're hard for mechanics to work on.
@wolfsatyr Жыл бұрын
this guy's sultry vocal fry is absolutely captivating. He should do ASMR videos on the side, just have him read an old Haynes manual.
@franknedobity2757 Жыл бұрын
We had one at work, 2014 freightliner with the diesel. 258k miles and the intake runner flaps were sticking. It was a good van but kept getting erroneous ecm shutdowns and loss of communication. First the pins were replaced in the connector, next a special spray for the connector was used. Before that it had two recalls for the exhaust manifold pressure sensors, the entire emissions part of the exhaust, and the NOx sensors. Transmission was serviced regularly, went through some brakes and was picky about tires. It really liked the Michelins. 2wd in the winter it was pretty good. High top van with no windows, towing a 12’ trailer and hauling lawnmowers, bulk parts and goods. 17mpg empty, 14mpg loaded.
@fastrace14 Жыл бұрын
The main issue I have heard from some owners of these, at least here in Europe is that a few of them bought brand new ones and they were rusting pretty badly from factory and the paint started to bubble up.
@tomasrubinos7322 Жыл бұрын
I can hear Scotty Kilmer Laughing so hard
@defekticon Жыл бұрын
Sprinter owner (hopefully soon to be a transit owner) - can confirm. The emissions system kills these engines. Which is great for the environment when you need to constantly install re manufactured engines. Lets see, I've burned a hole in a piston, replaced oil cooler seals, seized swirl valves, transmission valve body replaced, torque converter... all at 120k miles now. Alignments have to be done at a mercedes dealer.
@pinkace Жыл бұрын
Some nights when I can’t sleep I put a video with this guy talking and I’m out in 5 minutes.
@Iskelderon Жыл бұрын
Never had problems beyond the usual with the VW Crafters (basically identical to the 2012 Spinter since that generation was a co-production between the two corps). Almost our entire fleet was Audi and VW vehicles. Though we're in Europe, maybe the US market ones are of lower quailty.
@armbot1000 Жыл бұрын
The operators are of lower quality not the vans
@deezynar Жыл бұрын
I own the previous version of the Sprinter and have 140 thousand miles on it. That's low mileage for one that is that old, but I am not a commercial owner, just a guy who likes having a large van for personal use. My experience with that version is that the engine and transmission are sound, other than some issues with the turbocharger system. The turbine and compressor appear to be well designed, but the other parts cause people problems. It has a rubber air hose that went bad on mine. That's an easy replace, but other people have trouble with different parts of the turbo system. Now, let's get to the stupid stuff about that version of the Sprinter that are lemony. First of all, the diagnostic system is ancient, and you can't buy a unit that fits it to read codes. The body leaks rainwater. You have to chase rain leaks with caulk or glue to keep water out of the interior. I have heard they have problems with rust, but I live in a dessert, so it's not been an issue for me. Not only does the body fail to keep water out, it also rattles like a can full of rocks. The door windows have a pin that moves the glass up and down that's made of plastic that appears to have been designed to break. I'm pretty handy and inventive, I looked at the operator with the idea that I could make a pin and replace it myself. The design is ingenious, it's thought out in a way that makes fixing it impossible. The whole operator must be replaced. Every owner has at least one window operator that has broken. Both of mine have broken. The automatic door lock system has stopped working properly. If you watch me, and you are NOT me, it's a comedy watching me try to lock my doors because the system unlocks itself within a half second of me locking it. Yep, you read that right. I turn the key and it locks. I think that everything is good, but then it makes it's own decision to unlock everything again. It's like dealing with a child. I figured out a sequence I can follow to get it to lock and stay locked, but it's a workaround that involves getting back in, starting the engine, letting the system lock itself, then getting out and locking the driver's door. But that should not be required. The problem rears its head when I open any of the other doors and then try to lock them like a normal human would. I have not taken it to a shop yet, but I will eventually get mad enough to do that. The dome light in the cab was designed by the same engineer who designed the windows. It's made of weak plastic that's designed to break and it does. Those things are all annoying, but the worse thing about that version of the Sprinter is that it was not made with an adjustable steering wheel, and the seats do not slide back far enough. It was designed for midgets. Driving it for more than 2 hours at a time causes me severe pain. I have to plan on taking at least a half hour break every 1:45 that I'm at the wheel. I like the thing, but it made me realize that the great Mercedes reputation is a myth.
@nikolasbishop7955 Жыл бұрын
Would love to see a Vinwiki episode like this only for ProMaster vans
@funnypranker34 Жыл бұрын
I hate those promaster vans
@andrewhopkins6870 Жыл бұрын
Dad was a GM for a local Honda dealer and was using the dealer's parts van, which was a Sprinter. Kept driving it until it was "1 start remaining" and had to borrow my car a few times to run errands because it was a long weekend and the dealer was closed.
@drummaboi93 Жыл бұрын
Sounds like “Meehi” was moving illegal things in his gas tank
@ARUSApacecarHAMPTON Жыл бұрын
Amazon was stupid for using them for delivery vehicles. The ones I worked with were slapped together so fast that the quality wasn’t great. See quote at 3:11 that was spot on.
@mentalmetalist Жыл бұрын
This guy huffs model glue
@Blackout-px7sh5 ай бұрын
😂
@MakeEverything Жыл бұрын
Regarding the coolant DEF mixup, that can even be a dealer level mistake. I had a sprinter with a bad DEF sensor early on in its life. I took it across the country and the CEL came on in LA. Took it to MB Beverly Hills because they sold and services sprinters. They “fixed” the problem and when the sprinter service manager gave me back the car he opened the hood and pointed at the coolant reservoir. It’s a plastic ball looking tub with pink fluid in it. He said “you see that there? See how it’s not full? You gotta keep it full with DEF or you’ll have problems with this van” I knew he was completely wrong but also wanted to be as far away from them as possible so I left. The van had more DEF sensor issues until they were replaced, after that it was perfect. Moral of the story, half of the people working on sprinters don’t know how, and salesman and service managers don’t know a thing, even if they are wearing the sprinter service name tag!
@mark_kulakov Жыл бұрын
You’re telling me it took you a couple weeks to realize he gasoline inside his diesel powered vehicle 😂
@forbidden8214 Жыл бұрын
7:37 "hey customer... there's gasoline in ur fuel... u need a new engine.."😂😂😂lmao just sounds funny
@b2lamborgini Жыл бұрын
I actually still regularly see fed ex sprinters where i am in Canada, both the current and last generation. That being said my company has a lot of 12-15 sprinters in our fleet and they are plagued with issues
@JohnnyWishbone85 Жыл бұрын
Drove Sprinter ambulances for a while. They were, by far, the best van-based ambulances I've ever used. Transits are nice enough, but you cannot beat a Sprinter. They rode well, handled well, were smooth, quiet, and the ride in the back was far better than any other van.
@rickszabo4312 Жыл бұрын
My favorite Sprinter story is that if you bought one with dual wheels on the rear to carry more weight ,the inside of the van was now too narrow to accept a full sized pallet.
@abreakwell Жыл бұрын
Depends on the type of pallet. Euro pallets fit with no issue, they are rectangle not square. But a U.S. pallet does not fit. We put blocks between the wheel wells to deal with this issue.
@vcdrny Жыл бұрын
As someone that has been working on sprinters for the past 8 years. I completely agree from 2012 forward they are trash. The older models had some rust problems but beside that they were work horses. From 2012 onwards every model update just gets worse. At least the 2014 4 cylinder turbo were not as bad. But for some reason they went back to the 6 cylinder turbo in 2019 and those are the worst so far. I seriously don't understand why a y company keeps buying them.
@imkirbo3094 Жыл бұрын
I don't usually comment but what the hell is he talking about? He's discussing how Sprinters were new to the Mercedes brand, when in reality the Sprinter is and always has been a Mercedes product, since the first generation in the 1990s. Ignoring the fact that it was only ever sold as a Mercedes in every other country bedies the US, it was rebadged as Dodge for the US, but it was a Mercedes made vehicle. His next point is that when people use incorrect Adblue or don't use enough of it, the van goes into limp mode. Sooo, user error causes an issue which is legally required to happen, and according to this man that's a reliability issue with the van? I don't follow the logic there. These vans are considered to be one of the best on the market elsehwere in the world, so how does he explain that if what he's saying is true? I can't watch the rest because it's obviously a waste of time but the point is that VINwiki need to start sifting their interviewees better, because this guy's clearly someone who has no idea what he's talking about and just wants to tell ill-informed stories online which isn't what we subscribe for.
@madscientistlife12 күн бұрын
The reason you are unfamiliar with this condition and the confusion you have as to why they have issues here but they are reliable everywhere else is because of the issues ever DEF system vehicle has from little 3cyl Kubotas all the way up to 13l commercial truck engines.
@inferior650riderhd6 Жыл бұрын
Dunno about unreliable cos I've never driven one but have never seen a sprinter older than 2 years with no rust on it 🤷🏾♂️ just saying (UK but still!)
@zinussan50 Жыл бұрын
Hehe. 🤭The reason why mihai won't let anyone touch the fuel tank because that was his cargo bay. The gasoline will masked it from dog smells the "delivery package"
@Reman1975 Жыл бұрын
Never liked sprinters. They'd sit there spinning a wheel if you tried to go anywhere that needed a bit of suspension articulation (like turning 90' out of a side road onto a steep hill), even the low roof ones felt top heavy, and a lot would start showing serious rust before they'd even got to 7 or 8 years old. For my money, I say you can do a lot worse than finding a tidy used MK7 transit and spending some of the money you saved having it properly rust treated once a year. OEM parts are cheep and available everywhere, but aftermarket copies from China are even cheaper than that. The engines will keep going as long as you stay on top of the servicing, and the bodywork lasts for years if you get it annually pressure washed and re rust proofed.
@thersanothersidetome Жыл бұрын
Wish Toyota would bring over some hi-Aces as cargo cans or pop their Camry or Sienna hybrid power train in a van body to compete with the Promaster City or Transit Connect. They would sell like hotcakes. Such a tragedy that as many cargo vans as we use and need in the US, there aren’t many good options
@AConcernedCitizen420 Жыл бұрын
OMG! VINwiki! You need to up your recording volumes!! WTF?!
@pageperrineracing Жыл бұрын
The company I work for bought around 200 of these in 2015-2017. We have 3 left. Total junk compared to the other trucks we use now. Around 100k miles they started living at the dealer.
@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks Жыл бұрын
What I don't understand is why insurance wants to put a hole in the tank... Clean it out really well and it _should_ be fine. The lines, no. The fuel pump might be repairable, but probably not worth it. Everything else might be rebuildable but probably not worth the trouble. The tank is a tank as long as it's not damaged or the gas changed the chemistry of it... It should be fine. Though I do know generally speaking, there's an idea that once one chemical goes into a tank, you should not use it for anything else. But that depends on who is saying what and what people's opinions on those chems are, and of course the actual chemistry of the chems. There's probably some cems where it's an insanely bad idea to use a container used for another Chem even if you do a thorough flush. I don't think that is the case here but I can be wrong on the rational behind the demand from the adjustor. Of course they could quite litterally be going "liability is a bitch and we don't want to risk it" but I don't know.
@gadgetguy99 Жыл бұрын
My 2011 sprinter, long bed tall box has been a complete lemon. I can't think of something that has not broken on it, currently dealing with electrical gremlins but really just ready to scrap it and get a Ford transit since it seems my friends have had better luck with them.
@davebrown9725 Жыл бұрын
Could be the Chrysler sourced infotainment system if they are still using them. Unreliable, bad internal connections, faulty software, etc. etc.
@lukemurphy72099 ай бұрын
I listened to this guy before bedtime and had the best nights sleep ever.
@ShootingAir Жыл бұрын
Had an '03 Sprinter (diy camper van, was never a commercial vehicle), it was a maintenance Nightmare. I'm saying this as mechanic with factory training/certification (not Mercedes, but still, I know vehicles). As soon as I could justify it and make it happen, I swapped to a Ford Transit ~ night and day difference in terms of reliability. I can think of about 3 owners over on Sprinter-Source who didn't really have many issues, all were original owners who did Ample preventative maintenance. The 2 best known members of the forum were $200/hour mechanics...... You couldn't make me drive another Sprinter. Maybe the newer ones drive better, but those T1N's were sketchy above about 65~70... add in ANY kind of cross-wind or buffeting from a semi and it was white-knuckle driving. This was even after all new bushings, shocks, tie-rods, etc... If you *think* you want a Sprinter, trust me, drive a Transit (or if you can get past the looks, the Nissan NV ~ they drive Great!) for comparison. Then think about maintenance... how often do you see Mercedes dealers vs Ford? Skip the Fiat/Dodge though... Dodge will ruin that relationship, just like they did with the Sprinter, and 100% drop all support and leave you looking for parts from outside the US.
@aarontorres5290 Жыл бұрын
The newer sprinters are amazing, definitely not the same world as what you’ve described.
@1978garfield Жыл бұрын
I was hoping Nissan would offer the 5 liter Cummins v8 in the NV. Instead they discontinued it. The NV is really a Panel Truck instead of a van. That big truck nose should give access to the engine for maintenance. Then again most new trucks require the shop to remove the cab to work on the engine so I don't know how much of an advantage it will be.
@b34rdy Жыл бұрын
Drove them for 10 years at a large courier in the uk, never had an issue with the engines other than a check engine light that stayed on constantly (yet would somehow disappear when the garage looked at it and couldnt find any faults) The biggest issue we had with sprinters was the side doors either not working or the side door falling off the runners (these doors could be opening thousands of times a week so its kinda understandable) But i was never left stranded anywhere even when they "broke down" i even drove 100 miles home on limp mode because recovery was 3 hours (and recovery was somebody coming in a van to go "oh yea its fucked let me call a flatbed"....and then have to wait another 3 hours for that)
@michelinman8592 Жыл бұрын
To me, it's not the engines that make Sprinter vans horrible, it's the devastating cancerous RUST that eats these things alive. Here in Michigan I see ones that are branded 'Dodge' _STILL_ running around, and those are from ~2003-2005! Albeit, they are about ready to split in 1/2 from rust... Even my local Amazon hub's set of Sprinters are rusty (they're not even 2 years old!!!) Explain to me how that's possible, even with the Amazon blue wrap on them???
@1978garfield Жыл бұрын
I wish I knew what paint Fiat Chrysler uses so I can make sure I never buy any of it. All their vehicles seem to rust out faster than others. Jeeps, Ram trucks, the old and new Sprinters (seems Mercedes and Fiat use the same paint) all have paint that turns chalky and falls off.
@klausschwab9507 Жыл бұрын
We have 7 at work there on the road 6 days a week. They all have done a minimum of 300,000 miles without any major issues.