Disturbing News ??? for You Sprinter Buyers and Upfitters

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
If this Sprinter news is true, the good news is only for those of you are selling your Sprinter campers...you can now raise your prices! The bad news is for the rest of the folks hoping to get a new Sprinter camper van in early 2020.

It now looks like it’s going to be much more difficult, or at least significantly delaying, for you to try to buy a new Sprinter van camper or get a cab and chassis to have converted. Current “already here” stock of the Sprinters is quickly shrinking, while getting any new vans delivered to the US seems to be on hold.

This is news what I just came across, involving the stoppage of importation of Sprinter vans to the US, on another one of the forums I’m on:

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MB Sprinter Disturbing News Delay
I listened to the Wendlands RV Lifestyle podcast this morning and in the question and answer segment this came up.

QUESTION: My dealer says all RV manufacturers are now experiencing major difficulties getting new Sprinters from Mercedes Benz. I know this was a problem last year but this is supposedly something new. Can you confirm? Tom, Grand Rapids, MI

ANSWER: Yes, I am hearing the same thing and, yes, this is something new And it is a major hit on all small RV manufacturers who have orders waiting or want to build on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz chassis. Bottom line is all production of 2020 Mercedes Benz Sprinters in North Americas has ceased and no new Sprinter diesel vans or cutaway chassis are being released.

The problem is caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which has told Mercedes it needs to recertify all its 2020 models to make sure they meet ESPA emission control standards. There’s no problem with the engine, which is identical to the 2019 Sprinter, but the need to recertify and test the engines is expected to delay production for months.

Earliest I’ve heard that the process is expected to be complete is April 2020. So… if you have a 2020 RV on order that is on the 2020 chassis, it’s not coming anytime soon. Some manufacturers still have a supply of 2019 Sprinters — which themselves were delayed… but nobody will be building on 2020 Sprinter chassis for quite some time.

It’s a big issue for all north RV manufacturers that use the Sprinter. It’s also one reason why the Ford Transit is rapidly becoming the small motorhome chassis of choice for many RV makers… there are no such issues. Except, indirectly, the demand for 2020 Ford Transit chassis is growing so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them hard to come by soon, either. I’ll let you know.

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Further....from this Van Forum...
"The new Sprinter has debuted worldwide but not in the U.S. No one knows the exact 2020 Mercedes Sprinter release date for the U.S. market since no official announcement has been made. However, if the schedule is to be followed, the upcoming Sprinter will enter the U.S. market in late 2020."(quoted from industry articl)

So it seemingly looks any people or upfitters planning on converting the new 2020 Mercedes chassis for a camper before next fall are going to have to wait.
 
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billiebob

Well-known member
So the synopsis is Ford got the EPA to put a road block up against MB.
yeah my mind wanders there too.... but then I think EPA and I think they march to their own drum

I lean more to the last German diesel makers shinnanigans with the EPA and think the EPA is not going to give Germany an inch.

But it might mean more gas versions will come over to meet the Sprinter demand.
 
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AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
Other than the few links in the above quoted forum discussion, I’m having a very difficult time finding any detailed information online about when we can realistically expect to see the new US Sprinters start arriving here. It seems that this problem is being kept out of the mainstream news for now.
 

T town

New member
Ford’s new 4 cylinder diesel is also delayed for some reason. Good news is that Ford has two gas engines to take up the slack and you can get AWD on both. Mercedes has one gas engine that they won’t do 4WD on.
This does nothing for the RV makers as all their plans and engineering are useless on the Transit. They would have to re-do all the dimensions, attachment points, electrical... it just goes on and on.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
MB has passed the emissions testing and certification. However, the EPA has asked for a large amount of additional information from MB. I believe it includes software source code etc. MB has rightly questioned this, as the data is proprietary/trade secret, and the EPA may choose to divulge this. So MB is concerned with the data being lost to competitors through corporate espionage.
 
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s.e.charles

Well-known member
I used to think emissions control was a scam until I was passed by in International Travelall a few months ago. I thought I was going to expire from the exhaust fumes.

just like being in a room with a smoker, you forget how bad things used to be.

and never kiss either!
 

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
MB has passed the emissions testing and certification. However, the EPA has asked for a large amount of additional information from MB. I believe it includes software source code etc. MB has rightly questioned this, as the data is proprietary/trade secret, and the EPA may choose to divulge this. So MB is concerned with the data being lost to competitors through corporate espionage.

The Chinese probably already have it....
 

billiebob

Well-known member
MB has passed the emissions testing and certification. However, the EPA has asked for a large amount of additional information from MB. I believe it includes software source code etc. MB has rightly questioned this, as the data is proprietary/trade secret, and the EPA may choose to divulge this. So MB is concerned with the data being lost to competitors through corporate espionage.
Well thank the liars ar VW for that.
Ultimately MB has zero control and the EPA has every right to demand access to the software after the years of deceit from VW.
 

1leglance

2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
I love my Ecoboosted Transit, the torque comes on at 2k rpm and I dyno'ed it after the 4wd conversion and big tires and still had 358ftlbs.
Plus parts are easy to get and Ford dealers are everywhere.
If you want the torque of a diesel without all the hassle get a Transit Ecoboost and be done.
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
I used to think emissions control was a scam until I was passed by in International Travelall a few months ago. I thought I was going to expire from the exhaust fumes.

just like being in a room with a smoker, you forget how bad things used to be.

Count me among those who know that emissions controls work, and are a good thing. I grew up in SoCal in the early 1980's, we used to have "Smog Days". Not quite as cool as Snow Days - we went to school, but we weren't allowed to go outside during lunch or recess, because the air quality was dangerously poor. Usually this happened when the wind would shift and blow all of LA's Smog down south. Whole mountain ranges to the east of us would be obscured from view due to brown air. Things are definitely better now.

Cars make more power, use less gas, and put a fraction of crap into the air. And NONE of that would have happened without the EPA cracking the whip nationally and CARB cracking it twice as hard here in the state. Every time a new rule was put into effect, literally every auto maker moaned about how it was going to drive them out of business, or that it was impossible to achieve. Yet here we are.
 
I bet Amazon has sucked up all of the manufacturing slots. I see hundreds of them around with that stupid Prime smile (there's delivery dispatch center near my office)
 

s.e.charles

Well-known member
being an aficionado, I would represent if given a free smile t-shirt (with pocket/ size L - if they're reading along!)

anyway, around christmas the vans were scouring the neighborhood. coming upon one pulled off to the side of the road on a busy street i knew a driver was either coming out or going back to, so i slowed to a crawl and stopped just in time for two delivery- persons to come around the vehicle and cross the street in front of my. after exchanging waves and the obligatory peace sign on my part, i looked in my rear view mirror only to see a line of six or seven impatient drivers waiting for my to hit the gas.

true story, Bros.
 

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