This section is to provide insight directly to the owners of Mercedes Freightliner Dodge Sprinter Vans or Rv’s.
The owner of a Sprinter Van or Sprinter Rv must understand what they have purchased. Feel free to call Detroit Sprinter Center to discuss any of these items below.
The Mercedes Freightliner Dodge Sprinter is truck, not a car. It may have the comfort of a car but it is a truck. The ride is more of a truck. The braking components are of a truck. The brake pedal must be firmly pressed to activate the braking components. You may experience road noise while driving your Sprinter. The crosswinds while driving may alarm you. There are multiple things to understand but we have identified a few items below that will help you out.
Tires – the tires are very important on your Sprinter Van. Tires must be checked often for wear. The air pressure must be checked often. Depending on the application, we set front tires set to 55 – 61 psi. Rear tires are set to 65psi – 72psi. You can also view the data sticker on the driver door plate of your Sprinter. Also, the valve stems must be accessible to add air. Rear 3500 dually tires must have valve stem extensions to allow for the inner and outer tires to be inflated properly. We recommend adding valve stem extensions on all six tires on a 3500 dually. This will allow all tires to be equipped with valve stem extensions if a tire rotation is ever performed. Proper air pressure plays an important role on your MPG.
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) – all diesel vehicles built from 2010 and newer, are equipped with the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system. Def must be added to all diesel engines from 2010 and newer. DEF is designed for emissions. When the engine is running, the computer will monitor if the exhaust is burning dirty and will spray DEF on the exhaust to burn cleaner. If DEF is not added to a diesel engine, the low DEF light will illuminate on the dash. If this low DEF light is ignored, the check engine light will then turn on. If these lights continue to be ignored, the computer will move to a countdown mode state. The final stages of countdown mode is that the Sprinter will not start or the computer will put the truck in a “safe” or “idle” mode. When this happens, the Sprinter must be taken to Detroit Sprinter Center or a Mercedes dealership. We recommend adding DEF to your Sprinter Van after every 2-3 diesel fuel fill-ups. This may equate to every 900 – 1000 miles. We encourage to keep a 2.5 gallon jug of DEF within the truck at all times. Lastly, we recommend to have a small water bottle on-hand to rinse off any spilled DEF from the engine compartment. This spilled DEF will eventually crystalize in to a white film.
Diesel Fuel – these trucks do not like bio-diesel. We have always advised our customers to make a note of successful fueling stations. You will see a difference if a bad batch of fuel was pumped in to your Cargo Van or Sprinter Rv. The check engine light will most likely illuminate on the dash and the engine may run rough. The best thing to do if this happens, is to run that fuel out as soon as you can and then add fresh diesel. We recommend to keep fuel stabilizer in the truck just in case a bad batch of fuel was purchased.
Rodent Damage – this seems to be very petty but we have seen serious damage from rodents. Rodents cause serious damage in the engine compartment and in the Rv section of the Sprinter. We’ve seen several thousand dollars in damage from rodents nesting in the engine compartment. You will typically see evidence of nesting at the cabin air filter box at the right side of the engine compartment. Rodents will bring in nuts and nesting debris. Then, they can make their way in to the engine air filter box and even further down in to the valley of the engine. We always advise to inspect the engine compartment often to be certain that there are no animals making a home in their Sprinter.
Primary Battery Location – the primary battery on your Sprinter Cargo Van or Sprinter Rv is located within the drivers floor. If you need to jumpstart your Sprinter, there are two connection points underneath the engine hood. The positive side is a red connection located near the firewall. The negative side is a brass stud located near the left fender. You can see these within your owners manual if needed. Keep in mind, there are some Sprinter Vans with an auxiliary battery that is mounted in the engine compartment. This battery powers the accessories only and has nothing to do with the engine.
Mercedes Dealership Service Visits – from time time, your Cargo Van or Rv may be involved in a recall or service bulletin. Mercedes will mail out a letter advising of any recalls or service bulletins that may be flagged to the vin number of your vehicle. If you receive this notice, you will need to contact your local Mercedes dealership to make arrangements for these items to be completed.