InssssssssVANity!!!!!!!......or ****** did I just fly to Maine to by a Sprinter!

[arlon]

The next word of advice for any sprinter owner is learn Dr. A's Phone number by heart.


Good luck

Doesn't say much for Sprinters. Are they really that prone to failure? I see this one has it's share of issues but are these fixable or just part of owning a Sprinter? I've seriously considered looking at them so I'll be following ups and downs of this one. I'm at the stage in life I'd rather spend more time driving than fixing.

 

[Cole]

I did actually try to contact Doktor A since I was going to be passing by him on my trip. No word back from him. (Was the holidays though)

From all the reading I've done, these vans can be plenty reliable. Lots of them out there in the 500-750k mile range. They have some failure points, common issues, and quirks just like any vehicle. Parts are on par with most things German.


I mean no offense here to any of the Sprinter owners. My observation has been that "many" (read as "not all", or not even "most") Sprinter owners use these for commercial use and their previous vehicles were domestic USA. So there is some diagnostic and sticker shock adjustment that needs to happen. Having to learn canbus systems and finicky German parameters, etc.

I have owned, ( and currently own 6) German vehicles. They are MUCH tighter on their CEL specs than say USA manufactures, and use it for far more things! Any hint of issues and it throws a CEL, unlike the USA made a stuff that seems to think the CEL shouldn't go off until complete failure of a part, or not at all for certain parts.

A great example of this is O2 sensors. I've had to replace them due to CEL on several of my German cars but never on an American made car. Yet when I did take out the O2 sensor on some of my American cars, it was proven to be bad. Often times they are the same manufacture too!

So the difference in "reliability" is often in the "perception" of repairs. Have to replace a failing O2 sensor or drive for 50k miles with a bad one and consume more fuel/poor performance/etc?!

 

[hansh]

Memories of a similar trip I did last February when I picked up a 4x4 Chevy Van in NH, guy told me tires were good....van had 3 different sizes and one with the tread coming off, good is a relative term. Bought some cheap Chinese made tires at NTB. Made it back to WI without a problem, but spent a cold night in the van in OH.

 

[Cole]

:friday:

 

[Jb1rd]

Welcome to the WhAcKy World of Sprinter life, I bought an 06 140 HR for an absolute steal in July and damned if that thing hasn't grown on me like my old Vanagon, I absolutely love it. She is a blank canvas and ready for stealth conversion. Are you following Tree @ http://sprinterlife.com/ there are some great builds at http://www.sprinter-rv.com/sprinter-rv-conversion-sourcebook/ I can't wait to follow your progress, the Eurovan build was cool as all get-out. My brother lives in Denver near DIA and I plan a trip out with the Sprinter this summer, would love to meet up.

 

[Cole]

Thanks for the tips! Will check out those sites when I'm done with my margaritas here today! :coffeedrink: (which should help with planning)

I didn't really have the budget set up for a Sprinter build at this point! Just kinda "replaced" my pickup with it. (Which wasn't a daily driver)

Which means I am going to try to do a "budget build" on this Sprinter.

Ultimately I just want something sorta like the vans that Outsidevan.com builds. Just a family adventure van that can also work a a utility van.

Drove my wife to work today in the Eurovan and took my 11 mo old daughter and two dogs to the Museum this morning. There is definitely something still VERY useful in the compactness of the Eurovan! (Parked in the parking garage)

I'm considering using carpet padding in layers as insulation/sound deadening? Anyone have thoughts on it?

I know of a free dumpster filled with brand new scraps! :coffeedrink: figure you could layer it on with trim adhesive 2-3-4 layers thick under the panels.

 

[bknudtsen]

Indoor carpet padding will hold a ton of moisture. In my previous life I used to work for a water damage remediation company. You would be amazed how much water carpet padding will retain!

 

[Cole]

Indoor carpet padding will hold a ton of moisture. In my previous life I used to work for a water damage remediation company. You would be amazed how much water carpet padding will retain!

Washington type of moisture or high desert type of moisture:wings:?

I had though about that. Some of the stuff comes "coated" no matter how much we travel the majority of the vans life is going to be in a desert climate.

 

[Jb1rd]

Bad idea, carpet pad is a sponge, Lowes has Ice and Water shield in the roofing section that is a cheap Dynamat alternative as your first layer,Walls and roof) then the foil bubble foam, then the cotton based bat insulation to cram into cavities and provide fill (for the floor use the ice and water then a layer of radiant floor heating underlayment mat, you can get it at pro-source in Denver then your floor choice. This seems to be the preferred method as far as I have read and will be tackling it this spring.

 

[bknudtsen]

^^Yup^^. Even condensation will get soaked up. We always tossed wet carpet pad as it never completely dried out before it got moldy. Like posted in the other insulation thread, there are outdoor applications, but it's not free scraps from a dumpster either. Just my $.02.

 

[java]

Washington type of moisture or high desert type of moisture:wings:?

I had though about that. Some of the stuff comes "coated" no matter how much we travel the majority of the vans life is going to be in a desert climate.

Water vapor from your breath inside the van at night can produce a huge amount of water. Along with the metal condensing from warm inside, cold out. High humidity is a fact of life inside an RV, even in the desert.

 

[Cole]

^^Yup^^. Even condensation will get soaked up. We always tossed wet carpet pad as it never completely dried out before it got moldy. Like posted in the other insulation thread, there are outdoor applications, but it's not free scraps from a dumpster either. Just my $.02.

So,why doesn't it get soaked up an moldy in my house? Same climate!

Serious question here! My house is exposed to the same moisture issues and would also suffer from wood rot, mold, etc if the carpet pad was not equipped to deal with it.

This is sounding like one of those Internet ill thought out rumor mills, not fact. Show me some facts, please!

 

[DaveNay]

So,why doesn't it get soaked up an moldy in my house? Same climate!

Central air conditioning = giant dehumidifier?

 

[Cole]

Central air conditioning = giant dehumidifier?

How is it different on scale compared to the van? The system in the van is WAY more efficient in relative size of compared to my house! It also has no additional "dehumidifying" systems compared to the auto unit.

Seriously. I have services my home system and know the size and scope of the systems, but am no expert! I have also serviced and worked on the systems in a car. The car systems vs. size of the area to be heated/cooled seem WAY more efficient.

(Fwiw, I had to add a humidifier to my house)


And fwiw.....houses are designed in general to last longer than cars....

 

[Jb1rd]

So,why doesn't it get soaked up an moldy in my house? Same climate!

Serious question here! My house is exposed to the same moisture issues and would also suffer from wood rot, mold, etc if the carpet pad was not equipped to deal with it.

This is sounding like one of those Internet ill thought out rumor mills, not fact. Show me some facts, please!

Your house has vapor barrier built into the wall structure and does not conduct moister form the outside, if the vapor barriers were not in place your wall insulation would suck up the first intrusion then it would spread to areas of least resistance, ie carpet, padding, basement, crawl space, ect..