Fatal Flaw of late model Mercedes Sprinter?

[TimSullivan]

I found the following while researching Mercedes Sprinter Class B's and am very concerned about the longer term longevity of the late model Sprinters, particularly the exhaust systems and related emissions garbage. Thoughts?

"Over the past 7 years I have owned a total of 47 Sprinters. I own an expedited trucking company and keep detailed maintenance and repair records on every vehicle. These records are available to Mercedes Benz if desired. This article is being written to warn potential buyers of this vehicle of the fatal flaw hidden in each of these vehicles.
Prior to 2008, when the United States Government mandated diesel exhaust regulations, the Sprinter, manufactured by Mercedes Benz and sold as a Dodge was a real workhorse. These vehicles performed admirably, providing us with lifetime expected mileages of 500,000 and more. The cost for maintaining these vehicles while slightly higher than their American made counterparts made up for these differences with their reliability and long term service.
Since 2008 Mercedes Benz developed an extremely complex and expensive exhaust system to comply with our government regulations. Prior to entering the exhaust system the fumes from the engine pass through an EGR valve. The exhaust system is comprised of a CDI (control unit) which monitors and actuates the sensors and valves in the exhaust system; a DEF pump. A DEF tank, a DEF temp sensor, a DEF level sensor and an SCR control unit with actuators and sensors. These items a located under the hood. The actual exhaust system has three major components; the OXI-Cat and DPF section and two SCR Cat sections. The OXI-Cat section has an oxygen sensor an exhaust temperature sensor and a backpressure sensor. There is a N0x sensor and a dosing valve between the OXI-Cat section and the first SCR Cat section. In the first SCR Cat section there is another temperature sensor, and the last SCR section has one more N0x sensor. Once the exhausted fumes and particles have passed through this area they are passed through a particulate filter.
If any of these parts fails prepare to pay as little as $600 for a N0x sensor (there are two), or approximately $800-$1000 for an EGR valve, to a couple of thousand for a SCR catalytic converter (there are two) or a particulate filter (thankfully only one).
In addition to the complexity of the system, you now must deal with each dealership and their pricing for parts and services. Sprinters are serviced by Mercedes Benz dealerships across the country. An oil change can cost as little as $170 at one dealership to as much as $400 by many others. The repairs to your exhaust system can vary almost as much as their prices to perform a simple oil change.
Further complicating the problems with this vehicle is the lack of reliability to the repairs made by each dealership. We have had numerous “repairs” performed at various dealerships at costs of $2000, only to have the engine light appear again within a few hundred miles. Then when taken to another dealership the “problem” is diagnosed as another sensor or valve and once again we have been charged up to $2000. Mercedes Benz diagnoses of the check engine light are unreliable and many times we have been charged for repairs that do not resolve the problem.
If the system becomes completely clogged and the entire system needs replacement, prepare to pay approximately $6000. You read that correctly…$6000.
Mercedes Benz Sprinter fatal flaw is directly related to the components involved with their exhaust system. The cost in maintaining and repairing these vehicles is a staggering average of .10 cents per mile. Compare that figure to less than two cents a mile for that of their American counterparts made by Dodge Ram’s ProMaster and Ford’s Transit.
Another contributing factor to Mercedes Sprinter ownership woes, is that Mercedes Benz dealership’s treat the maintenance and repairs of a “commercial vehicle” no differently than their luxury vehicles. Mercedes Benz needs develop a dramatically less expensive exhaust system, or replace the diesel engine with an efficient 6 cylinder gas engine if they plan to continue to sell these vehicles as commercial trucks and compete effectively against Ford and Dodge.
If you plan to use your Sprinter as a true commercial vehicle, and plan to drive more than 50,000 miles a year, it would serve you well to look at the Ford Transit or Ram ProMaster. Consider nothing more than the differences in the costs of oil changes…Ford or Ram $30- $40…Mercedes Sprinter $170-$400. Now look at the cost for the first 100,000 miles $300-$400 for the others vs $1700-$4000 for the Sprinter. The differences in other routine maintenance items are relatively consistent with the differences seen for oil changes.
When you couple the excessive charges for routine maintenance with the astronomical charges for repairs to the items associated with the EGR-DEF- Exhaust System, the cost of ownership is an expense that can greatly affect your bottom line. Our expenses for a fleet of 28 Sprinter vans (2012’s & 2013’s) in 2014 was a staggering $270,000! That’s nearly $10,000 per van per year in maintenance and repairs. Can your business afford such an expense? I can assure you that mine cannot. With the odds at 6.4% of a Sprinter reaching 150,000 miles without very costly repairs, we are replacing these vehicles as quickly as we can get the ProMasters and Transits delivered.
While I am informed by my local dealership in Louisville that their sales have never been higher for the first quarter of previous years, it is my belief that when the truth of the fatal flaw is known, their sales will plummet.
Wake up Mercedes Benz! If you’re going to compete in the commercial truck market in the United States, lower your parts and service rates and give us a gas engine without the present diesel exhaust system- The fatal flaw of the Mercedes Benz Sprinter."

[radams]

All I can say is "WOW"! That is incredibly useful information and thank you so much for posting it. I recently sold my Class A DP due to the frequent repairs that just wore me down, mentally as well as financially. Even at it's worse, though, it never came close to $10,000 a year. Sounds like we dodged a bullet when we passed on the Navion and went with the Aspect.

[gatorb8]

I found that same article a while back when doing research

[WheelingOn]

Not worried. I read this before we considered buying our View.

The person who wrote this runs a commercial trucking business and states usage at 100,000 miles per year on average.

The late model Sprinter RV owners I know are beyond pleased. There's this thing called a warranty BTW.

[wanderso]

We have 2008 View. Adding to the controversy: ours is a V6 gas model that they only sold for 2 years.

[09 harley]

All diesel systems including the exhaust system are potential trouble spots just like on gas engines but much more expensive to repair or replace. The companies have had to come up with these very complicated systems to satisfy our emissions requirements. They didn't design these just to cause problems but that is the result. Hopefully new designs will enable easier solutions to controlling emissions. We pay for the added complexity demanded by the EPA.

[2500HD]

Thanks for the info...BUT you could replace the name Mercedes Benz with just about any brand with a Egr, DPF, etc diesel. I have been around diesels forever and the one thing they all have in common now is the potential for these types of problems form the little pickup I-6 all the way to the 16liter diesels. It just seems like the same story over and over. The diesel only guys get offended but its the truth. Until they figure out the emissions diesels will never be as reliable as they used to be.

[wanderso]

Originally Posted by 2500HD

Thanks for the info...BUT you could replace the name Mercedes Benz with just about any brand with a Egr, DPF, etc diesel. I have been around diesels forever and the one thing they all have in common now is the potential for these types of problems form the little pickup I-6 all the way to the 16liter diesels. It just seems like the same story over and over. The diesel only guys get offended but its the truth. Until they figure out the emissions diesels will never be as reliable as they used to be.

Very true. We are probably some time away from when this will be. Earlier emissions systems on gas vehicles were also more unreliable than they are today.

[GuidoLyons]

Nice cherry pick. You left out the most important part of the article:

Originally Posted by https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fatal-flaw-mercedes-benz-sprinters-tom-robertson

Please understand that these vehicles are used in a commercial trucking application with annual average mileages exceeding 100,000 miles, and that I am not an automotive or diesel expert. The majority, but not all of the problems occurring with these vehicles occurred after the initial 100,000 miles. It is my belief that the problems I have experienced, will occur with a vast majority of every Sprinter as the mileage of each vehicle approaches 120,000 miles.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fatal...-tom-robertson

Do you plan on 100,000 miles per year?

Read that same article. He is/was bashing MB over 100,000 hard miles PER YEAR out of his MB Sprinters You can thank the EPA for the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) it's not something the manufacturers decided to add because they felt like it. They had to if they wanted to sell diesels in the US.

If you don't want to deal with the DPF/DEF requirements get one made before 2008.

[RVThere]

Originally Posted by GuidoLyons

Nice cherry pick. You left out the most important part of the article:



https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fatal...-tom-robertson

Do you plan on 100,000 miles per year?

Read that same article. He is/was bashing MB over 100,000 hard miles PER YEAR out of his MB Sprinters You can thank the EPA for the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) it's not something the manufacturers decided to add because they felt like it. They had to if they wanted to sell diesels in the US.

If you don't want to deal with the DPF/DEF requirements get one made before 2008.

Come on Tim, give us the whole article if you want to have any credibility on this forum... Thanks to GuidoLyons for pointing this omission out.

Also how is any of this information a 'fatal flaw'? It's not like an emissions problem is going to kill your family while driving. 'Fatal' to your wallet maybe?

[Hooligan]

You seem to be disappointed that the article is intentionally misleading.

The article from 2015 is a bit of "the sky is falling" . All of the emissions system is covered by a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty. Includes air induction, exhaust, EGR and the Diesel Particulate filter.
Recent articles seem to indicate the sensors are more of the problem than the emissions system.

Mercedes service is expensive- the numbers are misleading. The 6 cyl Sprinter uses 12 quarts of oil at $10+/QT and a $15 filter. However at 20,000 miles- a full maintenance Service A or B, includes the oil change, a fuel filter ($120-199) change various checks and adjustments about 2-3 hours labor.
Annual maintenance for my Cummins diesel was still a lot higher if done at a shop.

Will take most RV owners a long time to exceed 100K miles. Many Sprinters are on the road at considerably higher mileage..

This same article is being discussed in the Sprinter Chassis forum here on IRV2

[Old Crows]

Well Tim,

First.... DO NOT BELIEVE everything you hear. More so in an article that is now 1 1/2 years old and reflects the experience of one man's commercial operation.

A big problem with this article is that the owner/writer has NO CONTROL over how his drivers drive and care for his vehicles. He's had 47 Sprinters and 47xN drivers. How does one have confidence in this basically 'uncontrolled' study????? Well, you don't.

There's a very huge number of Sprinter based RVs that have not had any emission's control problems. But, like every other diesel/DPF/EGR/SCR equipped engine, some do. And, the OM-642 has been used in Jeeps and other Daimler Chrysler products as well as Freightliners and Dodge Sprinters. There's a pant load of these engines out there who have little or no problems.

We've had a Class B and now a Class C Sprinter based RV. OM-642 V6 with 5 speed automagic transmissions. The '10 had DPF/EGR but not SCR/DEF system. The '14 has it all. Neither one has had any problem with the emission controls - or any other problem - in a total some 45K miles. My experience appears to correlate with the experience of other Sprinter based owners.

It is absolutely mandatory to use ULSD fuel. It is absolutely IMPERATIVE to use Mercedes Benz specification 229.51 and now 229.52 oil to protect the emission system. Short cuts in fueling and/or incorrect oil will bring a wrath of problems.

Currently, based on anecdotal contributions from Sprinter owners, there are concerns over the DEF sensors. Almost all are covered under the FEDERALLY required emissions warranty. A controversy rages over whether-or-not to keep the DEF tank frequently filled or to wait until the DEF light comes on. Presently, owners are leaning toward frequent filling of the DEF reservoir with the understanding that it will help prevent DEF crystals from forming in the tank. Whether, or not, this will reduce DEF tank problems remains to be determined. (In passing, Mother Benz may be informally recommending that operators refill the DEF tank frequently....)

Lastly, you complain that required diesel emissions controls are 'garbage.' Be informed. They are not. They are absolutely necessary to reduce the 'garbage' in the air, which includes micron sized soot particles that are inhaled into your lungs. (A Micron is 1 millionth of a meter or about 39 millionths of an inch.) These particles lodge in the alvolii of the lungs and CAN NOT BE EXPELLED and are positively implicated in causing cancer and lung disease.