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Vanlife comes with many extraordinary pleasures, the best of them being the ability to roam the country far and wide. One downside to this adventure is the constant maintenance required to your home-on-wheels.
One of the most important maintenance exercises that drivers often overlook is an oil change. Regularly changing your van’s oil can keep your engine in shape and provide a better fuel economy. In this article, I will share how and when you should change the oil in your sprinter van to keep it roaring!
Before you decide it is time for an oil change, you must know a few essential pointers about the process. This will help you simplify the process and choose the most affordable and efficient option for your sprinter van.
You have two main options when it comes to changing the oil in your sprinter van. You can either go to the dealership or change it yourself. Here’s how they both compare.
Many van owners freak out when they first hear about Service A vs. Service B. These are just fancy terms dealerships use for different packages they offer for servicing your van.
Service B is more elaborate than Service A, and considers the following checks:
It is important to note that these services alternate between the two: Service A, Service B, Service A, and so on.
Service B is costlier than Service A as it covers several areas that Service A excludes. Service charges for both may also depend on your location, the number of dealerships, and any discounts offered by different dealerships.
It is useful to keep a note of when your oil change is due.
Service A typically occurs after 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) or 1 year (whichever happens first). Service B occurs after 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) or 2 years (whichever happens first).
However, there are several other factors that you need to take into account when deciding whether your van is due for an oil change or not.
The time for an oil change can vary significantly if you have a diesel or a gas engine.
An oil change is due for a diesel engine typically after 20,000 miles. However, a diesel engine also eats up more oil, making it more expensive per change. A diesel engine still comes on top because it provides greater torque and is more fuel-efficient.
An oil change typically occurs between 10,000 – 15,000 miles for a gas engine. However, the oil change is cheaper as gas engines don’t use much oil. Gas engines also weigh less and are easy to refuel and maintain.
Pro-tip: If you are not looking for heavy-duty work with your sprinter van, a gas option may be more viable, given cheaper maintenance costs. However, diesel engines have a better fuel mileage. With that said, as gas engines are becoming more efficient, the gap is lessening.
Even if you have not driven your sprinter van for the required time or miles, a few signs may indicate that an oil change is due. These primarily include:
One of the best ways to check if your sprinter van needs an oil change is to look at the control panel, which indicates how many miles remain before a service is due.
There are several different oil types and oil grades that you can use in your sprinter van when replacing its oil.
Two common oil types include the following:
Synthetic oil is the go-to oil for most vans, especially the new models. This is true for both gas and diesel engines and is the recommended type of oil by Mercedes Benz as well.
The best oil grade to use in your sprinter van is 5W-30 (MB 229.52). This oil grade ensures that you can start your van at low temperatures in addition to reducing deposits. The 5W-30 also offers solid performance in tough climates and is ideal for heavy-duty work.
Several brands offer the 5W-30 oil grade:
A synthetic oil recommended by Mercedes that protects your engine and enhances performance.
These oils are best used for sprinter van models after 2010. For pre-2010 sprinter vans, you can use a 5W-40 that offers similar benefits to the 5W-30 but also enhances performance at higher temperatures.
A few good names in the market are:
Pro-tip: A 5W-40 is more suited to diesel engines, while a 5W-30 will fare well with gasoline engines.
In general, older vans may or may not require more frequent oil changes depending on a range of factors.
Older vans may require an oil change every 2000-3000 miles because of older technology and aging engines. When you rack up miles on your van, the engine tolerance decreases, leading to more regular oil changes.
As a rule of thumb, Mercedes Benz recommends an oil change every 20,000 miles, which may sound like a lot to many people. However, to be on the safe side, changing oil after 10,000 miles is a better option as it keeps the van’s health in check.
For the latest Mercedes Benz models, using synthetic oil, you can replace the oil after 10,000 miles. With older models using conventional oil, you may have to change the oil after 3,000-5,000 miles. You can replace oil after 6000-7500 miles with a well-maintained older model using synthetic oil.
Changing your van oil can seem daunting but is actually quite a simple maintenance task.
Here are a few tips that will make it easier:
Check out this video that shows you exactly how to change the oil yourself.
After reading this guide, you should have a pretty clear idea of when and how to change the oil in your sprinter van.
Here are the key takeaways from the article:
Remember, changing the oil regularly is vital for your van’s health so that it stays fit and you can enjoy your adventures to the fullest!
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