Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: clarkson on October 31, 2011, 09:59:59 am
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hi guys
my vivaro finally died! 8 years 100,000 miles with a full 650 tank most days.
cant complain really.
looking at options and vanmonster rep suggested a merc sprinter! :o
i know there massive for a window cleaning van, but ladders can go inside 1000 litre tank no problem and loads of load space for other gear like cc or pressure washing. and the fuel is not that bad compared to transit/ vivaro
anyone tried it?
cheers
john
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Check for rust, they're notorious for it.
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Lovely motors to drive are the merc vans - but as said above they rust prematurely
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I had one , nothing but problems
>:(
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hi
thats a NO! then :D
john
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Never been a fan of mercs..... commercially anyway. Not found them comfortable, and regularly have electrical problems. And not the cheapest to buy in the first place neither!
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Sooner or later you will need to replace/recondition the injectors. A common problem is that 1 or more of them may 'weld' themselves to the alloy head they sit in.
If they break them trying to get them out (which is easily done apparently) then that's big bucks. Head has to come off and they have to heat the head up very slowly to very hot to remove the broken bit. Then the head has to be brought back to room temperature just as slowly to prevent it warping.
By the time you have had the head skimmed, injectors, valves, valve springs and guides replaced with anything else that needs doing, most find it's an uneconomical repair - send it for scrap if the van's an old one.
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Best van on the road why do dhl dpd the post office etc buy hundreds of them?
Newer ones don't have rust problems, as you said plenty room for 1000 litre tank
Plus ladders poles trolleys etc and still pulls like a train.
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Too long to fit in an ordinary parking bay / parking space. Not that easy to park either. Wont go under the barrier anywhere thats height restricted. Fuel consumption awful around town. Their great advantage comes in big loads and long distances, neither applies to window cleaning.
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lovely vans, built like a truck not a car . the older ones do rust but strangely they rust only on the surface and not right thru the metal.thats kraut steel for you ;)
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Best van on the road why do dhl dpd the post office etc buy hundreds of them?
Newer ones don't have rust problems, as you said plenty room for 1000 litre tank
Plus ladders poles trolleys etc and still pulls like a train.
maybe because they get good contract leasing terms ;D
when they are new they are obviously better, but once get fw miles on clock..... I know few people who had vitos and nothing but injectors, gearbox and electrical probs. you'll always get the odd rogue ones, but I'm just not a fan. as mentioned they are pretty long wheelbase, making them ideal load luggers, not so good 4 in and out of drives!
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New ones do rust, even then though, can't go wrong with a German. Sprinter, Crafter, Transporter, Caddy etc...
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new ones dont rust? haha thats because they are new! give them a few years then they will be rusty just like the old ones
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vw, now your on to a good one there. that being said still can have probs with them, flywheels etc.
but its a vw....last one went to 168k before I sold it still pulling like a trooper!
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hi guys
my vivaro finally died! 8 years 100,000 miles with a full 650 tank most days.
cant complain really.
looking at options and vanmonster rep suggested a merc sprinter! :o
i know there massive for a window cleaning van, but ladders can go inside 1000 litre tank no problem and loads of load space for other gear like cc or pressure washing. and the fuel is not that bad compared to transit/ vivaro
Mercedes sprinter stay away 2006+
anyone tried it?
cheers
john
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New ones do rust, even then though, can't go wrong with a German. Sprinter, Crafter, Transporter, Caddy etc...
Except how many of the German vehicles are made in Germany or contain German parts. The 1.9 Caddy for example has a Peugot engine made by Ford. A lot of German build quality is not what it was. One of my customers has just thrown their Merc car back to Mercedes because of continual electrical problems since new which they have been unable to fix.
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New ones do rust, even then though, can't go wrong with a German. Sprinter, Crafter, Transporter, Caddy etc...
Except how many of the German vehicles are made in Germany or contain German parts. The 1.9 Caddy for example has a Peugot engine made by Ford. A lot of German build quality is not what it was. One of my customers has just thrown their Merc car back to Mercedes because of continual electrical problems since new which they have been unable to fix.
Peugeot engine in the new Caddy, who told you that?
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ive got peugeout engine in my mitsubishi outlander, but didnt hear that it was also in the caddy....its the same engine as golf has i thought, vw own surely!
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If i thought the Caddy or any VW had a peugeot engine, that would be the last one i'd buy and i'm sure that would be the case for a lot of VW owners!! Nothing against Peugeot (other than they are crap) but a VW is a slightly higher mark!
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car wise they are, but engine wise the peugeout, particularly the hdi engine, is superb!
snob..... :o
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To be fair, you're right, the Hdi engines are meant to be pretty good.
Snob me, never ::)
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PSA (Peugeot) have, for years, made the best diesel engines by far. Its a shame the rest of the build quality isn't up to scratch.
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Mwb is best no problem parking I'm using them for 3 guys in each van so need the space. Also the reason u see so many old rust bukets going about is that
Even after 200000 miles a merc or vw is still going strong most if the other makes of that are in the scrap yard
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Loads of cars and vans have used the 1.9 Eurodiesel engine for years and years. The fords, VWs, Audi. Skodas Saab Peugot, Citroen, Fiat etc. Mitsubishi as well apparantly.
Look how many 1.9 Diesels there are under different bonnets, all the same engine. Peugeot design built by Ford. Very good engine. Offhand I don't know if VAG have ever made their own small diesel engines. When the market for small diesel cars and vans first started the manufacturers like VAG didn't take it seriously and thought it was a gimmick which to some extent it was. Peugeot had been making a good small diesel engine for some years so for the few diesel golfs they expected to sell each year it wasn't worth developing an engine of their own.
They must make only the basic engine though because all the ancillary stuff is different, very different.
Already we are getting to the stage that all cars will have a smaller and smaller pool of engines because there are a lot more examples in the car world of cars with other makes of engine in them. As the manufacturers struggle to stay profitable and competitive the engines are getting more and more and more complicted. The development costs go up and up out of all proportion to achieve better emmisions and performance while retaining economy and reliability.
The answer is to just buy somebody elses engine off them . There are other strange examples of co-operation. Mercedes and Hyundais both being made at the same factory in Czech Republic for example
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Loads of cars and vans have used the 1.9 Eurodiesel engine for years and years. The fords, VWs, Audi. Skodas Saab Peugot, Citroen etc. Mitsubishi as well apparantly.
Look how many 1.9 Diesels there are under different bonnets, all the same engine. Peugeot design built by Ford. Very good engine. Offhand I don't know if VAG have ever made their own small diesel engines. When the market for small diesel cars and vans first started the manufacturers like VAG didn't take it seriously and thought it was a gimmick which to some extent it was. Peugeot had been making a good small diesel engine for some years so for the few diesel golfs they expected to sell each year it wasn't worth developing an engine of their own.
They must make only the basic engine though because all the ancillary stuff is different, very different.
Very soon we will be getting to the stage that all cars will have a smaller and smaller pool of engines because there are a lot more examples in the car world of cars with other makes of engine in them
Hi Vince
Having worked with the PSA group for years, I've never heard of VW using PSA engines TBH.
At one time taxation was all about engine size and anything over 2.0 litre was taxed higher than anything below it. So you will find lots of engines, all for different marques just fractionally under that 2 litre size.
With regard to VW they are very proud of the fact that they were the first manufacturer to market the common rail engine. They stuck to their concept and used the same 1.9 engine from 90hp to 153hp requirements (although we know that hp on a diesel engine means nothing - torque is the thing.)
PSA went in a different direction. They chose their 2 litre (1997cc to be exact) with the 90 & 110hp engine and went to the 2.2 for their 132hp engine.
Then Ford began looking for an engine partner. They had already dabbled with VW's Tdi in the Sharan. PSA on the other hand was worried that an engine partnership like this would make them less competitive. PSA also had such demand for the Hdi engines and were unable to produce them fast enough. We had backorders for cars and Vans with Hdi engines because of this. Ford had a spare plant (in Dagenham I believe) but they wanted the technology. Ideal bed fellows.
The partnership helped both, although Ford did try to keep their own engine program. They continued with the 1.8 converting it to common rail technology in the Tdci. In the Mondeo for example they used the same 2 litre Hdi Engine, but marketed it in the 130hp variant. They used this same engine in the Jag as well. (There are a few examples of the 110hp in the Mondeo still out there but not many.) Covering the engine up with plastic covers with the excuse of safety was easy to hide what is underneath.
Ford have played about with engine mapping and turbo boost to achieve other hp figures in their models giving the impression that these are not connected with PSA at all.
And this is the best bit. Most of the common rail technology used is supplied by Bosch Automotive, ie pumps, injectors etc. Bosch make these in two 'grades'. VW have always insisted on the top grade as they market their vehicles on quality German engineering.
PSA and Ford purchase the lower grade product as it's cheaper. They maintain that the cost saving outweighs any added failure rate. And in all due honesty, we see both Ford and PSA engines doing very high mileages without issue.
Using top German engineered product doesn't always guarantee that issues won't happen. VW were plagued with a fuel pump problems a couple of years back. It took them months to get the problem under control and most dealer's workshop parking was full of failed vehicles awaiting replacement pumps. My brother in law's Passatt was one of them and he had a hire car, courtesy of VW, for several months.
The diesel that we have at the pump has also changed over the years to meet new anti polution legislation. This has resulted in poorer lubrication properties of modern diesel, so many failures can be accredited to the diesel supply.
Of course, many of us mortals will never know exactly how much collusion between the manufacturers goes on - we had this discussion on floor pans recently on one of the forums, but whatever, they will keep most things as quiet as possible.
Spruce
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Oh, and if you start looking for a more recent model of any of the above, you should be aware of the issues surrounding DPF (or as named by the relevant mfrs), with regards to lots of stop start driving without engine getting up to temperature for a long enough time.