Our newest diesel is here!

TomJD

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Location
St. Louis
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI GLS, 2015 Golf TDI
I know you bought it for a specific purpose, and you have a truck, but any chance you'll also use it to tow anything?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I know you bought it for a specific purpose, and you have a truck, but any chance you'll also use it to tow anything?
Yes, but I still have to get a hitch, and now I have to change the rear bumper to a non-step type since the wheelchair lift will not clear the step one it has.

Stinks because the one I ordered, and ended up giving up on, would have had a factory hitch already and no step bumper.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Too good of a deal on the Continental Vanco tires, so that is what I am going with. Would prefer the Michelins, but for the set of 5 it is $200 more. I've had good luck with the Vancos on my Vanagons and Eurovan, and we've put a lot of them on here at the shop on Sprinters, Transits, and Promasters, so I feel OK using them.
 

German_1er_diesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Location
Ratzeburg
TDI
BMW 118d

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yes, it is a Webasto, and I have seen some link in some Sprinter forum on how to add in the factory timer system. It is not *that* important to me, as it seems to warm up fairly quickly and we don't get super cold weather a whole lot. With the Eurovan I just used a small electric space heater to prewarm the cabin which helped. Biggest issue is when loading the kid(s) in their wheelchairs the door (be it the large side in the Eurovan or the enormous rear in the Sprinter) is open for quite some time. So any warmth you have inside is pretty much gone right away anyway.

At least with the Eurovan I could park it right up next to our covered front porch and drop the side lift right under the cover, right up to the front door. The side sliding door had no clearance issues. So not only did it block much of the wind and weather if it was bad, it made it to where you were only "outside" for a few feet. And the FWD Eurovan had no problem turning and climbing right up the driveway.

The Sprinter won't be able to do that. The rear doors swing out, so could not get that close to the porch anyway, and plus it would have to be perpendicular to the house, which would place it facing up a steep hill in the yard. So it would be difficult to anchor the chair inside because it won't be level, and there is a chance of getting stuck in the yard trying to get out.

I am currently working on a place to at least get a level pad in front of the house to park on, and maybe get it covered. But given the Sprinter is taller than the gutter edge of my house at the front, that may be difficult. We'll see.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Got the rear bumper swapped, salesman gave me a brand new non-step center section, the parts department had one in stock. Which was nice of him. Now I have a nice new step if anyone needs/wants one.

Got the crap Kumho garbage tires off, got to enjoy a nice smooth ride on the highway with no shaking for the very first time.

Still have to check the alignment, steering wheel is off some. I have to decipher which exact model I have, since our Hunter machine lists about 20 of them, LOL. They even list one with IRS. :confused:
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
First fill up, from full to fuel warning: 22.7 MPGs! And this was a combination of highway (70 MPH+) driving and some around town, traffic, short distance driving, in cooler (but not bitter cold) weather, with the fuel fired heater booster set to come on automatically as needed, and it was running quite a bit.

Most of that was with the crappy tires, too. Likely will be better with quality round ones on it now. And BOY does it drive better!

The fuel "gauge" (which is really just a series of blocks in the LCD screen in the cluster) is a bit misleading. Stays at full for a very long time, then once down to the last 3 bars, it goes down FAST. So 100 miles for the first bar, and about 50 for the final 3. :rolleyes: And the heater booster is prohibited from coming on when it gets down to the final 3 bars. Last night I got a chance to feel just how much that thing does, as the heater was pretty abysmal without it and it was about 30 F.
 

waltzconmigo

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Location
chicagoland
TDI
none
Brian--just seeing this thread, Congrats, glad it actually showed up. I know you are aware and it may not be a problem in St. Louis but every Sprinter I see here in Chicago has worse rust problems than a ten year old Mazda. Hope once fully fitted for your needs it treats your family well for years/decades to come.
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yep, they need some extra attention. Here they do not seem to rust any more than any other abused neglected white cargo van from any other manufacturer would. The white paint they use is very thin, very basic, and very cheap. Mine has an optional $1000 paint that is supposed to be better.

But I already clearcoated everything underneath, then added Flexseal over the already ample factory batting sprayed on underneath, and of course I will keep mine washed and waxed. I posted a picture earlier of one of our customer's older white cargo Sprinter, and like all of theirs (they have about 30 of them) it still looks good.
 

bbarbulo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2003
Location
Windsor, ON, Canada
Really sharp looking new purchase, congrats!!! Love your new van and I trust it will be good to you. Seems to me it isn't the first one you've seen, so it's in good hands.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Do you run any additives in the MB diesel?
The only additives I ever put in any of my diesels is Power Service anti-gel (white bottle) and that is just when the temps drop into the single digits. I experienced fuel gelling once with my old Rabbit, that was enough for me. Although that car had a non preheated filter. Every VAG diesel sold here since 1989 has had a preheated filter, so it is much less likely to be a problem. However, for some reason, many other diesels, including the Sprinters, do not. The V6 Sprinter diesel engine has the filter nestled down in the valley, smack dab in the middle of the engine. It certainly picks up a lot of heat from around it. But the 4 and 5 cyl have the filter just sitting alongside.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Although we complain about fuel quality in the US, it's much improved since the late 70s and early 80s. I remember mixing a gallon of regular gas into my Rabbit (VW recommendation) to limit gelling. Despite that, starting below below 0F was a crap shoot. And I had a block heater.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I think people who buy (or DID buy) new TDIs would appreciate just how much of a quantum leap they are over the old diesels.

While many were upgraded to the "fast glow" system, my '79 Rabbit still had the original system. Which meant the preglow period (the time the light was on) could be as long as 30 seconds in cold weather...and that was often not enough, I'd need to glow it twice, and then it would still require some cranking and would require the starter be run along with the one or two cylinders that finally did start firing until at least a 3rd got on board and would allow the engine to run on its own. The 4th would chime in a few seconds later, and by then the smoke cloud was quite the size. :) You of course needed to manually control the timing advance too. Which was a tricky thing in the bitter cold. Even my '91 had this, and sometimes my wife would get confused on the starting procedure.

But it always started, and once it was running smoothly after a few minutes they were always very reliable.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
MB's cold start strategy is I think a little better than Volkswagen's, as this idles up to about 1500 RPM when it starts, and it fast idles at about 1200 RPM even when it is only around 40 F. It seems that TDIs do not fast idle unless it is really, REALLY cold out. I think some of the tuners have added a more aggressive fast idle when cold to them, though.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I remember the owners manual for my '85 Peugeot recommended keeping the starter engaged on cold starts until all cylinders were firing. That sometimes took a while. However, I only remember that car failing to start once, after sitting for 12 hours on the roof of an airport parking garage in -5F. We were able to jump it, however.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
The manual for my SDL says the same thing... wait up to 30 sec for the glow plug light to go out, then keep the starter engaged until all cylinders are firing.

My friends W115 300D manual mentions bringing the battery inside on really cold nights :eek:

-J
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Oh how times have changed. :D

Really though I think any indirect injected diesel is going to be a bit more stubborn to start. At least that has been my experience.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
Ya, for an IDI to start up well below 0*F everything has to be healthy... fuel system, preglow, starter, battery...

-J
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My '91 started that year in Ypsi when it sat outside and got down to -15F overnight. It wasn't happy, but it did start, unaided. And it had I think around 400k miles on it at the time. Of course, I kept it in good order. ;)

I think Matt didn't expect it to start at all.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
Not only that, but our 91 ECOdiesel started (with help from a booster battery), and my SDL started like it was a 70*F day (after waiting longer than I ever have before for the wait to start light to go out...)

That was a fun weekend :)
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
That was the Saturday that I decided the original battery in my wagon may need replacement. It cranked slowly but fired up fine. I didn't know until the next year how cold it was.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Already investigating DPF/SCR/EGR delete stuff. Not that I really want to do that, but this 2011 Sprinter here today that melted its DEF injector and line together and started spewing all over underneath makes me want to be prepared.

What is really stupid is:

DEF injector $492
DEF line $149

Then, the last guy that was in there, most likely to replace the DEF tank heater element which is a somewhat common failure item ($1100 part, by the way), totally MANGLED the quick connect line at the DEF pump. Now these lines have some sort of quick connect nonsense that I am certain nobody outside of Stuttgart can comprehend how to remove. I have found a workaround for them and just leave it attached to the pump, and simply position the pump aside underneath the van and then proceed to drop the DEF tank out to get at the heater. However, in this case, I HAD to replace the line since the other end is a melted mess. And after fighting for 20 minutes to attempt to remove the mangled end of the line from the pump....I broke the pump. :mad: $792 part. :mad: :mad: :mad:

This is a V6 model, and it is different than mine, but who knows if the version mine has is better or worse. :p

At least the version like mine looks much easier to get at, but there is zero chance I am spending several thousand dollars to keep the SCR functional. Hopefully if I need anything by that time the tuners will have this engine well sorted and a delete pipe will be available.

Not sure what had to happen on this '11 to have the line and injector melt like they did. I have never seen that before.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
I remember a DEF line "quick" connect on an International bus that I spent way too much time on. I wonder if they make it difficult on purpose, though I cant imagine why. I assume the VW ones aren't that stupid.
 

BleachedBora

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Location
Gresham, Oregon
TDI
'81 DMC-12, '15 GL350 CDI 275 hp/448 tq - '81 Caddy CJAA, '05 E320 CDI 250hp/450 tq, '23 ID4 AWD Pro S Plus
Looks great! Tried to get my wife to get one of those, she said it was too big. :-/
Ended up with a GL320, still a nice choice.
 

bbarbulo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2003
Location
Windsor, ON, Canada
ouch, don't like the prices on those parts!!

i was replacing a rad on a 2010-ish F150 and it had a funky quick connect to it for the trans lines. I tried a few things, different disconnect tools, none of which worked. Ended up using an assortment of dental picks to open up all the right areas to slip it off. about 45 minutes of screwing around. Then I went to put the new rad in... the special tool was ziptied to the new rad!! DOH!!! lol
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Congratulations on sealing the deal on the MB! I'm sure the boys will appreciate the extra space and comfort. :cool:
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Finally got the funding for the lift confirmed, two places are helping with this. One is Variety Club, the other I am not sure of but will be sure to post their name here.

Took the rear seats out this weekend. Holy cow, those are HEAVY. And you have to remove both the 2nd and 3rd row three position seats in order to get the 4th row four position (full width) seat out, since you cannot swing it sideways to get it out the back. Nuts crazy heavy. Pretty sure even with the lift installed all the way at the rear, the curb weight will be a wash, maybe even lighter, with the 3rd and 4th row seats gone. 2nd row went back in.

Been waxing all the exposed metal bits in the door frames, inner doors, front seat pedestals, and anywhere else I can find. A lot of work, and the roof alone is going to be a nightmare to get to!

Had them all lined up last week:



You can see just how much bigger the Sprinter is (and that is the "small" one! :eek: ).

 
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kbaisley

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2002
Location
Midwest
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI 5spd
Congrats on your purchase! I hope you and the family get many enjoyable miles from it.
 
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