Hello all,
can anyone offer some advice on a number of problems with a 2004 115 van
2nd gear crunches when cold i have adjusted the cables but the problem is still there has anyone had the box out and carryout the repair themselves or used a garage,next problem is the instument cluster the led display is very dim in other words it can't be seen during daylight hours,all the led's are working and the brightness adjuster is at max but still invisable
last problem is the command 2.0 dx sat nav guess what that also does not work error message can't read disc either cd or sat nav disc,if petrol was not so expensive i would set fire to this thing,on a serious note any advice would be helpful
the list of problems on my Vito got so big I just binned it.. The T5 has been so good I sold my other Sprinter as well and bought guess what..... another T5
Both have been just stunning..
Ok so with out being so negative I found the gear box on the Vito to be a weak box. I changed the oil on the box and added a gear box treatment and this worked very well infact instant result. I also cut a little snip out the gear cables outer sleave and used a long tube on a can of WD40 and this also helped a huge amount infact I wish I did this when I bought the van !!!! not when I was selling it..
the clocks.. well I would look to see if the bulbs have gone but I would bet you will have to have the clocks looked at by this place in Kent.. they couldn't fix mine and I was looking at a £700 bill from Merc to fix it.. So I binned the van.
( oh and why am I still on the forum I am a classic owner as well, forum is very good...) Sorry but Vito's where good new but very much show their Spanish build qulaity later in life..
__________________
" Fastly losing faith in Mercedes So called build quality.... " Spanish built Mercedes Vito's ......shocking lost lots of ££$$
Stick with Classic propper German built Merc's 1960's
( oh and why am I still on the forum I am a classic owner as well, forum is very good...) Sorry but Vito's where good new but very much show their Spanish build qulaity later in life..
Mines done over 185.000km. No rust (and it's been through the tropics). No mechanical problems. some dicky electronics (fog lamp switches and erratic alternator dashboard light after 8 years + an faded odometer light ). It'sbeen driven around australia and at one stage was doing round trips of 3600km every week. It never missed a beat.
btw I've had VW's for work (surveillance vans) - you can keep them.
I prefer the 638 body - but my next vehicle will be a 639.
I seriously wonder why I see so many euros whinging about Vito QC issues when we don't see any of this in Australia. (and ours are also built in spain, not KDK)
Last edited by gf0012-aust : 08-03-2008 at 04:36 AM.
I looked at the T5 but wanted two side loading doors and rear wheel drive,MB quality is cr*p gearbox problems are a thing of the past with other manufactures we have an atego 1823(should have stayed with scania) that also has a gearbox problem and the instrument claster has been repaired on that as well, MB want £945 and had one on the shelf like they don't know there is a problem with there electrical componant suppliers
Sorry, buit I find throw away comments like that just don't stand up to basic tests of rigour.
Australian Vitos are made in Spain (just as everyone elses are)
My Vito is atypical of the reputation that MB Vans have in this country - and they're regarded as now intruding right into the japanese/korean small van market. They have the highest repeat customer base and dominate fleet buyers such as Police, Ambulances etc... Both of those fleet users are demanding and discriminating buyers - VW competes aggressively in the same market and does NOT have the same repeat or entry footprint. In fact some of the Police and Ambulance users that had T5's have gone to MB.
VW has very limited fleet buyer footprint in comparison
I fail to see how a van (mine) that has been through the tropics, suffered exposure to many a "wet" (monsoon) season, it's covered in frost and ice for over 4 months a year (Canberra) and regularly used to do long distance round trips of over 3600km per week would not be manifesting at least some of the probs that the Euro vans seem to get if it was a systemic problem.
Saying that MB quality is crap just fails against the sales data and more importantly, repeat customer data.
Yours might be a dog, but generalising about the overall quality of the brand is just unmitigated rubbish - and is akin to me saying that all mercedes have the same robust track record in reliability that I've experienced.
again, I've had T5's for surveillance work and would not go back, I went back to 639's within 9 months. Now I could generalise and say that the couple I head were also representative swill of the breed, but that would harldy lack credibility either. I didn't like them, wouldn't buy any anymore and would always go back to MB. Reason over emotion.
I've had my 638 new since 2000. Regularly serviced and maintained and never touched by unqual'd mechanics. I know it's history. maybe that's one of the differences.
Last edited by gf0012-aust : 08-04-2008 at 01:12 AM.
Sorry, buit I find throw away comments like that just don't stand up to basic tests of rigour.
Australian Vitos are made in Spain (just as everyone elses are)
My Vito is atypical of the reputation that MB Vans have in this country - and they're regarded as now intruding right into the japanese/korean small van market. They have the highest repeat customer base and dominate fleet buyers such as Police, Ambulances etc... Both of those fleet users are demanding and discriminating buyers - VW competes aggressively in the same market and does NOT have the same repeat or entry footprint. In fact some of the Police and Ambulance users that had T5's have gone to MB.
VW has very limited fleet buyer footprint in comparison
I fail to see how a van (mine) that has been through the tropics, suffered exposure to many a "wet" (monsoon) season, it's covered in frost and ice for over 4 months a year (Canberra) and regularly used to do long distance round trips of over 3600km per week would not be manifesting at least some of the probs that the Euro vans seem to get if it was a systemic problem.
Saying that MB quality is crap just fails against the sales data and more importantly, repeat customer data.
Yours might be a dog, but generalising about the overall quality of the brand is just unmitigated rubbish - and is akin to me saying that all mercedes have the same robust track record in reliability that I've experienced.
again, I've had T5's for surveillance work and would not go back, I went back to 639's within 9 months. Now I could generalise and say that the couple I head were also representative swill of the breed, but that would harldy lack credibility either. I didn't like them, wouldn't buy any anymore and would always go back to MB. Reason over emotion.
I've had my 638 new since 2000. Regularly serviced and maintained and never touched by unqual'd mechanics. I know it's history. maybe that's one of the differences.
I have a 639 in AUs and lots of faults,so do alot of the other people I know with em
I have a 639 in AUs and lots of faults,so do alot of the other people I know with em
I've had a 639 for surveillance work for over 12 months and it runs like a top. The federal dog boxes and surveillance vans are also 639's. They've just ordered more. (they used to have T5's)
So, it's a relevation to me as I don't know of anyone who's had problems. As I said, my own experiences with T5's were such that I'd never touch another VW again (although I do have a soft spot for Tuaregs)
cant be bothered for a long debate about these vans look at the evidence,
mb has admitted to a quality problem after the purchase of chrysler and moving op's to south africa,rust is a problem across the range of mb vehicles,an instrument cluster repairer told me that mb buy in the cheapest chineese electrical components it keeps him in work,i have the genuine mb workshop manual as used by mb, under the service bulletin heading is the gearbox fault which will not select second gear when cold they say carryout adjustment to cables if this does not cure problem remove gearbox for further repairs sound like more than one or two complaints to me, gear selector problems in 2008 on what was once the best vehicle manufacturer in the world is not good enough as i said before the quality is cr*p they are over priced and over rated by people who have little or no mechanical knowledge but buy because it has a three pointed star on the grill this being the most important thing to them, the dog is a 04 115 with all the extras one owner full mb service history from new, shame on you mb get your act together and start to produce vehicles large and small that are worthy of the three pointed star not the cr*p that's falling off your production lines at the moment
cant be bothered for a long debate about these vans look at the evidence,
yep, I have, a 638 with over 185,000k's travelling around australia, through numerous wet seasons and years of 3600km weekly turn arounds. Had it since new.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cabit
they are over priced and over rated by people who have little or no mechanical knowledge but buy because it has a three pointed star on the grill this being the most important thing to them
Mate, I'm over 50, I've had my run of numerous cars and went beyond the status symbol purchasing mentality soon after hitting 19. Making throw away comments about people buying because it's got a 3 pointed star says more about your emotional angst and logic than anything. It's funny that the largest MB fleet sales in australia include various courier companies, police forces and ambulance services. Having worked in procurement I can assure you that we don't buy on "badge"
Yours is a dog, mine not, you like T5's, I happen to have had 2 T5's falling apart doing the same work that the 638 did.
I don't have any probs with the current 639 kitted out for the same work
Go figure.
as for the comments about chinese electricals, you do realise that both BMW and VW source some of their electricals from china?
I think your blinkered by that badge on your grill better check to see it has not fallen off(yet),why don't you post some pictures of the old 639 your driving around in,pop into a mb workshop and ask the machanic what he thinks of mb's but there again if you have not mb's in aus before then you would be inpressed with anything better than a kia i think your expectations are far lower than mine the only reason they are in the aus market is because of the deal made available to the utilities not because they are any good,VW and BMW source from japan not china
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
