Yes, I am the guy that said that. I also said there are a few good sprinkled in there and pm is always the best way to keep equioment in tip top shape.
Yup - you did - and I tried to point that out when I quoted you.
The guy I knew was very picky about his van and I met him in the bay at a Freightliner shop in Indianapolis and his motor was rattling so loud like marbles in a coffee can.
Obviously, it can happen to any of them - the owner of the company I used to be leased on with was on his second Powerstoke Diesel ..... the first having failed at less than 150K or 200K miles IIRC.
On the otherhand, I know a guy who services a small fleet of Sprinters (around 40 I think) over Pittsburgh (which is the HQ of Fedex Ground, BTW
) and the majority of those vehicles currently have between 400K and 600K miles on them - with the original motors and transmissions.
They ordered him a new motor for 9,000.00.
Dunno what year he had (you may have mentioned it earlier) but I know that the OM647 (MBE 600) engine in my '06 Sprinter dealer lists for $7559.66 - but I can get it, discounted, for $6475.21 from Berry Dodge (
Wholesale Dodge Sprinter Parts) - and I believe that's for a
new, complete Benz engine - not a reman ..... and even if it were a reman, well, just keep on reading ...... (BTW - Berry Dodge isn't the only source either - there are also a few other Dodge dealers that have an internet presence and sell OEM parts at a discount.)
Would have been half that for chevy or ford.
Yeah ..... I just priced one - a 7.3 diesel for '03 E-350 from Jasper and the price was $8518.00 ....
for a reman engine ......
And the core charge was around $2200 (I'm assuming that you would have to supply them with a
rebuildable core ...... and that if you couldn't - like say if the block was scraped out from throwing a rod or something - that the price just got more expensive by $2200)
Of course, you could probably buy a gas reman for quite a bit less .... but I'm trying to keep it apples to apples .....
Same dealership quoted me 13,000.00 for same motor.
Yup ..... don't doubt it .... there's a reason why they are derisively referred to as
"stealerships" .... and this isn't just a Sprinter, Dodge, or Mercedes thing either ..... like I said before, back when I was in the parts biz, car dealers were notorious for expensive, and often unneeded, repairs. The people that went to them either had money to burn - or just didn't know any better. It's the kind of thing that gave automotive technicians - mechanics, if you will - a very bad name.
Obviously, we are in a bit of different situation being out on the road - alot of the time you don't have a choice - you have to go somewhere to get it fixed if you have a breakdown, and one hopes that the dealer will provide competent service at a fair price .... sadly that is often not the case.
I also did PM work on all 3 of my Sprinters, who wouldn't after spending that kind of money, and still had a rearend (2500.00) go out at 130,000 miles and 1 yr old. (chevy or ford 800.00.
I can't comment on the pricing on the ford or chev as I'm not truly familiar with costs for those ..... except to say that that price seems cheap if we are talking an entire, complete, new rearend. If you got a new rearend for the Sprinter for $2500 - that's a decent price - list is almost $3500 for entire rear axle, complete (Single Rear Wheels, 3.72 axle ratio)
Another tranny went out at 130,000 miles (quoted 9,000.00 at same dealer) ford or chevy less than half.
Dealer list on a new NAG 1 for my Sprinter is $4,659.03 (new), Berry Dodge will sell ya one for $3,960.18. I've seen remans for as little as $2K.
I don't have the time to list everything. My cousin bought his in 04 after hearing how much I liked mine, in the beginning, and he works for Fed Ex Ground and his sits on his back lot with a bout every major part replaced except motor and tranns with 225,000 miles and not running again. Says he won't fix it this time and has replaced with 2 Chevy 3500 Duramax diesals and has excellent use so far.
Well, the obvious question is how many miles are on those Duramax's ..... as with most things, time and use will tell the tale - he might well have a better experience with than he did with the Sprinter, hard to say.
One thing is for sure though - life for a vehicle in service at Fedex Ground or Home Delivery is far harder on a vehicle than anything we subject them to.
When we were on the road we had a hell of a time finding places to do oil changes and ended up driving way over till we got home to go to dealer there.
I never had a problem - but that's because I carry oil, filters, and a drain jug and did my own ..... even in Canada .... in the middle of January (in the parking lot of the Husky out there at Dixie and the 401)
The Sprinter is possibly one of the most easiest, and least messy vehicles I have ever run across to do an oil change on - especially if you have a Fumoto quick drain valve - just stick a short piece of hose (6") on the nipple and drain it into a 2 1/2 gallon cat litter jug and replace the filter cartridge, which is self draining .... I had it down where I could do it in about 20 minutes (less actually, but I wanted to give the oil plenty of time to drain)
I'm glad you like yours and hope you get many more lucrative miles out of it.
Why, thank you - I hope so too. If I don't, it won't be for a lack of trying on my part, that I can assure you.
Understand - they are not for everyone.
Sorry for ranting, and no harm intended.
Got it - no worries. My problem, with this thread specifically, started with the pronouncement, by another, that Sprinters were "junk".
Of course, the reality of it is, they aren't - but they are actually extremely sophisticated vehicles, in alot of ways.
Like any vehicle, they certainly have their idiosyncrasies (as well as their good points) - they can be expensive to fix, but they don't necessariiy have to be.
Sadly, I suspect that what has happened in terms of dealer repair costs for the Sprinter, is probably largely the fault of Chrysler, LLC (an American company) - not Daimler - and the "bill of goods" that Chrysler has "sold" to their dealer network, about how to bill and charge for their services. Couple that with (some) techs that are untrained and unfamiliar ... and that
"don't want to work on that foreign vehicle" ..... and you have the formula for a less than ideal customer experience. Given the stupidity that the American cars companies have engaged in over the last 30 or so years I guess it shouldn't really come as a big surprise ......
Sprinters are viewed much differently over in Europe and other parts of the world, than here on the North American continent - although they have far more real competition over there than here (in terms of vehicles that are roughly similar, in terms of cargo space) ..... Fiat has a product, and of course so does Ford (the Transit) and I believe there are a few others .... but largely, most want the Sprinter .... because the quality of the product is better than most of the competition.
They are sold and serviced by Mercedes-Benz over there ..... MBUSA didn't want any part of that here - it was a PR/positioning thing - they didn't want a commercial vehicle associated with a
Benz in the minds of the (gullible) Amercian car-buying public .... no surprise really - they're an American car company - and American car companies have a tendency to do stupid stuff.
BTW, Moot almost always means it in joking way .... he is possibly the most least serious person I have ever met (and that's actually a really good thing
)
