I would say that was an isolated incident and there was more to the
story than a mere dead battery. Think about it - if every early Sprinter
owner who changes a battery had to go through this, no one would ever
buy or keep one. Perhaps someone attempted a jumpstart incorrectly and
corrupted things? I replaced the battery on mine (an '03
Freightliner-badged 3500) as it was nearing the end of it's lifespan, no
problem whatsoever.
Brake parts are super easy to find in almost every brand you could want
and for comparable prices to the ones I bought for my Vanagon. I sourced
all of my new brake parts (to make everything new on the build) through
Rock Auto. Even the discs were very reasonably priced. I bought the
Mercedes parts catalog for the entire world (e-version) and parts are
extremely well priced through Dodge dealers and even some Mercedes
dealers online. I have yet to be shocked by any parts prices.
For any faults or recoding, it is fairly easy to buy a clone of the
Mercedes diagnostics system for under $500. With Sprinters sold just
about everywhere in the world, I have no qualms about making it my
choice for world travel. Diesel fuel quality is not a problem south of
the border, filters are not expensive either.
Karl

On 4/28/2015 4:11 AM, kenneth wilford (Van-Again) wrote:
> Karl, I am speaking from experience.  The early Sprinter (I think it was
> an 01) battery went dead and it corrupted the coding in the ECU so the
> immobilizer would no longer allow the van to start.  We went through all
> of the rigamorole I described just to get it to start up again.  I wish
> it wasn't true but I experienced that.  I also personally serviced my
> brother's 2004 passenger Sprinter.  The brake parts all had Mercedes
> emblems on them and they were expensive.  I have about 16 years worth of
> sourcing aftermarket parts and I couldn't find any for the van.
>
> What year is the Sprinter you are dealing with?  Maybe parts have gotten
> easier to get as time has gone on.  The biggest weakness I see is the
> immobilizer system which requires access to MB via the internet to get
> things back online and this can only be done by a very few locksmiths
> around the country or the MB dealer.  I wish you the best with your
> Sprinter, hopefully you will never have to deal with these issues.
>
> Ken
>
>

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