Thirteen Years With A Mercedes Vito Van

Thirteen Years With A Mercedes Vito Van.
I have owned a Mercedes benz vito 109 cdi van for the last 13 years, here i talk about how this van has held up, what has gone wrong with it and my final thoughts on it.

[@BradleyCameron-b1v]

Just purchased a 2011 one of these in Arctic white here in Perth Australia. Paid $9K for it with $20K worth of receipts and 165,000km on the clock. It was a St John's Ambulance vehicle for the first half of it's life, then a soft drink vendor's delivery van. Polished it up, repainted the silver wheels, put in some new door speakers that were stuffed, fixed the unlock button on the key fob and ordered some trim pieces from eBay to replace some broken and missing bits. Wife wants to use it for camping. It even came with $4K worth of custom fit out drawers and carpeted deck in the back. 6 speed diesel manual too. Hope it's as reliable as yours!

[@alan4x]

Excellent. Btw I am not far from you, in the Philippines at the moment. Those vans are great and sure it will serve you well. Just check the aux belt pulleys as the bearings can fail and use descent fuel as yours will have a dpf which can spell trouble but apart from that enjoy 😊wish I still had mine☺️

[@johnsmith-mz9hh]

I just put down a deposit for a 2007 Vito after a professional inspection. This video has further satisfied me that I made the right decision.And being in Australia the rust issue is negligible.

[@bungfupanda8936]

I love my 2007 Vito 115 sport compact,it's quiet & comfortable, it drives well and goes like a stabbed rat when it's pushed, not a spot of rust anywhere on it. I've owned it seven years and the only issue I've ever had is the cylinder head wiring loom rubbed through on the rear engine lifting eye and shorted out, I took the loom out and repaired the damaged wires, since then it's been rock solid reliable. It does everything I ask of it with ease, as a mechanic its my workplace & office and when I'm not working it carries my trackbikes & kit to circuits all over the UK, I've even been on holiday in it. If I ever have to replace it it'll be with another Vito, the only different choice I'd make would be to go for a longer wheelbase model. Experience has taught me to avoid anything with a Ford badge, particularly Ford vans, yeah they might be quicker than a 109 Vito but the durability and security of Transits & Connects is dreadful, best avoided imho. Great video, thanks 👍

[@interceptor-ss8kb]

I remember them vitos best for Rust. Even the modern day sprinters still rust on the back doors and side door even when Mercedes say they galvanize them 😂

[@Luke-ey4js]

Yeah they are bloody murder

[@bradscott2432]

I had an 04 Vito 115 crewcab from new until 2016 never had any issue other than rust and window regulators. It used to go through 2 to 4 regulators every year. Ran it over 200k miles as a work horse and a family car

[@emrekoc4900]

Currently have a 2006 Vito myself with around 90k on the clock. Nearly 4 years on and sitting at 169k I've had the black death happen twice. Water pump replaced (but I think this one's on its way out also ,- aftermarket part fitted). Pulleys including alternator pulley with fanbelt replaced and a half respray due to the rust. But that's about it. Solid workhorse, love it loads I'm glad I didn't buy a vivaro or transit. Will miss it when it's gone

[@TheHorsebox2]

Looking at a few Vitos of similar vintage, but getting conflicting reports about fuel consumption. Can you give me any information about that based on your experience. Thanks.

[@OliverBaughan]

from 2006 they galvanized them and had slight revise to electronics, my old man had a 55 plate and it was rusty all over his current 08 plate 120 sport is pristine still not a spot of rust an where.

[@giovannibez9509]

really fun to watch, well done

[@alan4x]

cheers

[@nawaz8855]

My vito 2006 has done 330000 miles still going strong yes three hundred and 30 thousand miles 👍👌👅

[@Remmie1977]

I have had a lot of problems with my Vito 115cdi. ecu broke. Gearbox jumped out of first gear. Rust under the van. Alarm problems. Ignition lock problems. Fire plates of the injectors had to be replaced. I've had it all in 4 years of having him. But otherwise a wonderful van to drive 😂

[@alan4x]

thats not good, mainly just the rust for me, happy new year

[@Remmie1977]

@@alan4x thanks good new year tho you 👍

[@eddydar]

Im ex mercedes/ vw commercial technician & this Merc 2.2 cdi / vw lt 2.5 tdi are some of the best engines going. Injector washers go and suffer black death but thats about it.

[@bruciebraveheart6199]

Yeah I agree I worked for 25 years At a Mercedes commercial dealership great engines!

[@Racecarlegends]

Marie is back😃 13 years bloody hell time flies😱

[@alan4x]

lmao

[@wolfgangkaminski4580]

Thank you, my decision is clear now.

[@alan4x]

☺️

[@kashf8694]

I waited 9.20 mins to hear whats wrong with it

[@mikeyp1977]

I used to have the earlier model. Ran absolutely great after a complete top end refresh. Only ever blew two injector seals. Then the dreaded rust got to much for it.

[@eddydar]

Pre 05 stuff is best use chelade on rust spots straight away it stops it dead. New merc / vw vans do not have any undercoat applied so they rust for fun. So you end up buying another new van.

[@alan4x]

thanks for this info..appreciated

[@iamtheoneandonly9361]

Sprinter and Vito vans of this vintage are relatively sound mechanically but rust like buggery as you mentioned (even worse than Transit's/LDV's of the same era which says something). In the Mid 90's-Mid 2000's Mercedes group were going through a rough patch and were "experimenting" with the galvanizing techniques used on their chassis. A number of their non-commercial cars of the time including the C-Class and E-Class had similar issues with rust which hit Mercedes reputation of reliability and prestige hard as people who bought the vehicles were paying a premium and expecting quality which they didn't get. I think for this production time of Vans (Mid 2000's) you can't really go wrong with the Vivaro/Traffic/Primstar section of vans or even the Peugeot Expert/Citroen Dispatch.

[@Golfgtiguy]

I''m considering getting a Vito myself .I enjoyed the video , well done Monica , Marie and Alan and of the course the Vito ;-)

[@ash7990]

What about injector seals, ever changed them?

[@timhancock6626]

Mercedes cocked up the technology when they changed to water based paints. I think that was the basis of the rust problem. My next door neighbour (a sparky) had one in the late 90s/early 2000s that dissolved. I had an Alfa Romeo 164 at the time that was galvanised and didn't appear to rust much at all by comparison and it was well over ten years older than the Vito van.

[@dinochips]

I had a 204 115 vito. Sold it because the rust got so bad so i Bought a 2012 113 vito its got 180k on the clock and runs like new and not a spec of rust on it. Goes like he clappers aswell

[@markmarthandan5478]

Mine has 230k km in it. Have not noticed any rust yet. Year 2007 115cdi

[@Automotive_Solutions]

Instead of galvanising them I think they dipped them in the North Sea first before painting them.

[@alan4x]

lol, i like that one

[@johnrichardson544]

Well.... salt IS a well known preservative, isn't it?

[@francesco2809]

We have a 2006 vito 111 cdi, with 400.000km and it still has the original clutch.

[@alan4x]

wow thats brilliant

[@thomasmercer6417]

Sprinters are the same, something about the white paint

[@MrZeljko88]

I have a jasper blue 115 cdi which I also purchased in 2006 Feb

[@TheDaf95xf]

Nice insight into the Vito van Alan 😆

[@brendanbradyfan02]

I enjoyed this one and actually surprised by a Mercedes maybe that’s why most ambulances in the country use the sprinter which is similar. Not surprised about the rust though because all of the merc vans rust even before their first mot is due lol

[@Stop..carry-on]

Brendan Brady fan nhs will buy from anyone who gives the best deal, Its said that Mercedes commercial dealers are very good at sorting issues and getting back on the road . I like my ford vans but I t’s shame ford dealers tend to be useless

[@Chris-mn7yy]

Monika is gorgeous

[@BMX1985]

Be encouraged Alan , great show ☺️

[@MrCaprinut]

More of Monika please. Have a good weekend Alan and Monika :-)

[@GhxstForLife]

I had a Mercedes Benz Vito 115 2008 it ran like a beauty sadly scrapped it back in mid 2023 and now I own a Ford Transit Custom 2014 will scrap it in 2024 May and then in 2024 August I will own a Mercedes Benz viano 3.5 v6 2012.

[@alan4x]

😊

[@DoubleWaterFire]

Why will you scrap the 2014 ford custom?

[@GhxstForLife]

@@DoubleWaterFire bought it in accident in 2023 since I thought it was an automatic so I just decided to keep this manual one for one year before scrapping or selling it in 2024 December

[@javierllobregatferre180]

Here in spain this vans hold value also they don't rust so much like in the uk , every car with more than 10 years coming from the uk is got some rust

[@RaspberryCai]

Cars do like to rust over here. Some older cars are perfect underneath, but the fiat 500 is particularly rusty.

[@j0yr1de_m1rror]

I heard that the vito is built in Spain even though Mercedes is German. Good build quality from Spain.

[@pit_stop77]

Hey Alan, I had an E class 220 cdi, elegance. Rusty pile of often go wrong crap too 🙄🙄

[@ericdanby8584]

My 2005 has 250k on it and I have spent next to nothing on it just put some injectors in it and put a full set of doors on it because the old ones had rust holes all over them.

[@WhiteDieselShed]

Have i been transformed into the twilight zone? You tell me to dump my Mondeo MK3 and buy a Mondeo MK4. Then you tell me what a brilliant car a MK3 Mondeo was and I would be mad to trade upto a MK4 (too late). Now you confess to owning a Mercedes (elbeit a van). I think someone has been spiking my tea (2 star)?

[@superseven220]

I've had a mk3 and a mk4 and I must say the mk4 has a lot less issues with injectors, egr etc and is more reliable, and I put 150,000 miles on both

[@nemocap2958]

Nice Alan!Best paint work-Volvos.

[@xenongames7533]

Don't these have rust warranty?

[@alan4x]

probably do but too late now for my van lol

[@jothain]

I know Vitos rust everywhere, but I've never heard about situation in the bottom of the car. I mean I've been looking for cheap van and Transit and Vito would be I guess good choices. I know for fact that transits rush particularly bad from the bottom. How's Vito compared to Ford on that? I'd rather deal with rust on side panels etc. than in the bottom

[@alan4x]

i must agree the underside of the vito does not rust like the transit...no holes under my vito,,all external panels rusting

[@stephenkennedy212]

a little bit of monika in my life xxx ps: great video great review watched it all well done guy,s

[@XR520]

Why you people don't say which engine do you have.... Only " my vito goes strong... 300k miles 200k milesss..." Etc

[@henryrolt3747]

Mind blown Re. Handbrake pedal! 😱

[@Chris-hz7bt]

Hi, when you book your car in for a service, some garages don't change the oil. What's the best way to check it's been changed? Mk4 mondeo

[@alan4x]

check your oil level and colour before changing, it should be noticeably cleaner after its been changed and if your level was low it should be on the max mark, also usually there are oil spots and wipe marks around oil filter housing but you could hang around while its being changed so you can watch them

[@marklittler784]

Doesn't do any harm to change often, many tyre & exhaust places do oil and filter changes in front of you while you wait even more efficient if you take your own oil and filter.

[@tridaks]

If your garage isn't changing the oil and filter on a service, then I'd suggest you look for a different garage!!

[@sasasaran2210]

DPF problems???

[@Stop..carry-on]

Ive seen 1 year old sprinters with rust - there absolute garbage

[@mickramo498]

I got same van same year 2005 i give it a 9 out of 10 and i got a 2001 vito 110 cdi still on the road both vans got 12 months mot the old vito is much faster

[@CosgroveNotts]

Didn't you have the paint thickness measured? Last time I mentioned this to a merc blog once they said they had no issues with rust lol.... But you only had to see merc vans running around.

[@johnkaimins9998]

Rust? - hmm... I have a 2004 109 CDI. No rust. Maybe it has to do with the climate here in Australia. Although I have spent quite bit more than you on "maintenance" over the years! (sigh)

[@MrZeljko88]

Also my blue arrow has no rust.

[@martinjp1]

All hail the Vito!

[@steverpcb]

Any rust problems underneath ? What is the mpg ? You mentioned DPF, any issues with them on the Mondeos as you have not done a Mondeo DPF video ?

[@alan4x]

underneath ok, mpg...i not sure, i just do 3 miles to work and back each day but it is not very good at all on short commute, on a long run i do get around 40mpg at about 60mph constant

[@mickramo498]

time for a new van alan how much for your i like it

[@alan4x]

lmao...funnily enough that van is in my upcoming video this week when the part arrives as the prop universal joint got destroyed...as in good style i left it until it was in a terrible state..cheers mick🤣

[@kissCharles]

hihi, is this manual or automatic transmission van?

[@GhxstForLife]

It's a Manual

[@GreenIllness]

I wonder if the first minute is what it's like having autism, doing drugs or being an alien observing humans.

[@vihreelinja4743]

So it the western version of hiace :) only rust can kill it.

[@t5jerry]

COME ON ALAN........I need me fix, I've gone cold turkey !!!!! Where's your next video ????????????

[@alan4x]

lol, sorry, i will have one for this weekend all being well

[@tommyolsen8224]

Very good cars:)

[@glynreeves1]

I have had 3 a mk1 and 2 mk2 the mk1 was a rubbish but the mk2s I have had and still got just the best

[@mickramo498]

a Yorkshire man will give you a grand for vicky vito. Time Alan to get the new shape and compare and treat yourself x

[@willshaw24]

You should see the w639 vito i have. I can guarantee its the worst one you will ever see. And definitely the worst rust wise. Still earning its keep but this is the final year for it

[@alan4x]

😊

[@dtu2609]

Mercedes doesn't make van like your no more. I am certain the new ones they make now break down all a lot more.

[@Brad_hodge_photography]

That was strange

[@teatimetel174]

spanish built big mistake.i had a vito 9 seater.put up on ramp for mot massive hole in sill..merc said they already replaced doors and tailgate.5 years old.

[@georgenewton5544]

Quality

[@benking9503]

Do u want to sell the van?

[@alan4x]

lol, not yet

[@propanbutan4634]

I'm falling in love with Monika

[@jigodiieplinalumea4565]

Who doesn't?

[@anthonymillar6183]

Nearly sure vitos came with rust from the factory Alan 😂

[@marklittler784]

The sound man needs to go for retraining....

[@MrZeljko88]

You should of got 115 110kw

[@alan4x]

is it quicker, i have lowest power model

[@MrZeljko88]

@@alan4x yeah true 109 is base model

[@patrickshaw9376]

Just a shame the government want to take them of the road.

[@johnspanishh6872]

Monika sort him out .... lol

[@yussufhassan2326]

My vito 338000 miles and still powerful van runs stronger

[@alan4x]

brilliant

[@bigrigger3762]

I so wanna park my Vito in Monika’s garage😍

[@ravington666]

9:08....85k in 1 year !!

[@johnspanishh6872]

I thought you was a ford man Allan 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@alan4x]

i fix fords...buying the mere just happened

[@superseven220]

More Monica!😀

[@stevek3036]

Young lady - please refer to An as Heh BOY!! like you did in a previous video - it proper winds him up :)

[@Tez73]

All merc vans the body work is crap they all rust I’ve got an 02 met silver transit Had it 12 years It’s just getting a few rust spots

[@lovelacetom007]

check top gear...

[@onsomebits7486]

Autism 110% I’m bipolar ❤🤟

[@alan4x]

lol, 🤣

[@markdixon499]

Alan marry Monica

[@benking9503]

And your Russian office lady 😍

[@Jason52597]

I'd buy it off you Haha

[@t5jerry]

Luvvly jubbly

[@TheDesi80]

Monica gf