Comments: 1-15, 16-17
Clutch Cylinder leaks - no spares! $500
Expansion tank repaired - no spares!$200
Brake discs all replaced $200
Side Door fell off (Just a bolt)
Rear view mirror fell off ($6 glue repair)
Incredibly cheap 2nd car @ $11K for 3 years COE. Road tax is $500.
Very fast for van
Low consumption - on cheap diesel!!
Maroon Vito Van - registered in my sole proprietorship. Very easy for PRs and citizens.
Removed partition - Legally!
Just fitted on my Vito van some tasteful 16 inch alloy original Mercedes sports rims - formerly sitting on a Mercedes CLK - that has upgraded to 18" rims. Second hand rims with second hand sports tyres $700 for 4 pieces, including balancing etc etc.
Fitted rear external mirror. $35.
Fitted two 8" eletrical oscillating fans - quite ugly - but important in the back. 2x$25.
Now working on the 19" LCD TV with surround sound and DVD. $1200
Cars have wimpy 8" screens - on a Van - we can go the whole hog!!
Have to find 15-19"computer screen LCD with a 12V external transformer. This is cheaper than by an LCD TV with unnecessary sound and tuner.
Alternatively Shinco has a 15" TV with built in DVD player for $1200 - still with a 12V transformer.
In the back I have a plain black vinyl two seat sofa - Brand new from Turf City - $299 -- nicely wedged between the rear wheel arches - so perfectly legal since not bolted to the floor.
I have a nice carpet - from India on the floor.
Privacy window film for $45 was DIY fitted last evening.
I also pasted on my new 70kph sticker $2.50 and my "8 pax" sticker.
To be legal I paid NTUC $50 to insure any 5 workers in the back of my van.
... So now we are again, despite single impoverished income, a two Mercedes Family.
Thank you for your very nice review. I must apologize, though, and say that I am extremely concerned for your safety, because of that couch you have in the back of your van, which is not bolted down. It sounds like your van is very nice, but no matter how nice it is, you are still bound by the laws of Physics. I am sure you know Newton's law, a body in motion will stay in motion...inertia. That is a formidable thing, that you cannot get around no matter what. If you get into a frontal collision, that couch is going to come flying forward, most likely flattening any passengers in the back of the van, before plowing through your drivers and passengers seats (momentum equals mass times velocity) and flattening anybody sitting there. I do not mean to rain on your parade, and/or discourage you from setting up your van the way you want it (it sounds like you have it looking pretty nice), but there are safe ways to do it, which are well worth the effort. I am very fearful that there might potentially be dire consequences from the way you are proceeding with things now. I do not like to butt my nose into other people's projects, but I happen to be an engineer, and I felt your safety was in jeopardy, which compelled me to speak up. I strongly encourage you to please think about it, and always make safety your absolute number one priority. Best of luck!!
I graduated with a Physics degree from Oxford University...
And now am an impoverished Singaporean Van driver!!
Legally in Singapore - we cannot bolt down the seats. You then have to pay car tax.
But this lightweight pine-wood framed vinyl black Sofa is carefully and comprehensively wedged between the rear wheel arches.. It truly cannot move of its own accord.
Passengers can still bounce about and are without seat belts... but the speed limit here is 70kph and 60kph when you have rear passengers.
OK - not safe as houses... but safer than riding my previous Harley Davidson Fat Boy!
Interesting comments! I have recently 'acquired' a 1998 Vito 108D from my son, who used it for his business... and he has now replaced it with a brand new 115 cd. As the only cost to me was just the 'transfer' fee (only $A 335 or so)...my son had already removed all his business advertising, had the van (white) cut and polished... and the fenders resprayed... it looks and drives almost like new... despite 301,000 k's on the clock. Still getting regular 8 liters/100 K's fuel consumption figures (approx 40mpg!)...and it makes an ideal 'golfers' transport. The only 'issues' to have shown up so far...1) the glow plug panel indicator is performing oddly...doesn't come on to start... then comes on after about 1 minute... and remains on for about 5 minutes when it then goes out. I am told this is probably an 'open circuit' in one of the glow plugs... but it doesn't cause any inconvenience so I'll just leave it for the moment until next service. (Oil change with oil and fuel filters replaced regularly every 10-15,000 kms by dealer service dept... since new!)...and 2) the other annoyance in the direction indicator switch... seems to have a 'ratchet' sound when changing to indicate, I'm sure it was just a neat 'click' when I first got it!...and now the major annoyance is the fact that I cannot locate a source for a 'workshop manual' for this model... the only one I have found via the internet is in German! (I am in Australia). Anyone help here?
Wedging the sofa between the rear wheel arches won't it in place in even a minor front end smash.
I am amazed you can get the van through whatever the Singapore equivalent of the MOT with this in place.
I guess comments about my sofa - are from those not living in Singapore.
#1 - There is a speed limit of 60kph if anyone is in the back.
#2 - the legal alternative is to have everyone sitting on the floor.
#3 - Yes - if we have a front end crash - it will be very sad for everyone. But still safer than sitting on a motorbike.
#4 most of the time we use a normal W124 Merecdes saloon.
"I guess comments about my sofa - are from those not living in Singapore."
Correct.
"#1 - There is a speed limit of 60kph if anyone is in the back."
There are many documented cases of unrestrained car occupants being killed in collisions where the vehicle speed has been less than 12mph (20kph)
"#2 - the legal alternative is to have everyone sitting on the floor."
Maybe neither is strictly illegal in Singapore, but it's certainly not in the spirit of the law.
"#3 - Yes - if we have a front end crash - it will be very sad for everyone..."
The first sentence is very worrying if you really intended it to sound this way (I suspect you didn't).
"... but still safer than sitting on a motorbike."
Maybe, but the bike does not have a windscreen to get thrown through or the sofa approaching from behind at 60kph.
I'm not trying to be unpleasant, or a killjoy, but I am very worried someone is going to be killed or seriously injured in your van. Your insurers may refuse to pay up if your modifications (the sofa in particular) are found to be contributory factors.
Fitted Windows in back of Van.
Purchase $320 and fitting $650.
Same time had clutch pump replaced.
$285 for complete New left wing mirror and tightening right mirror including labour.
Took heed of safety comments and 3 black bean bags replace sofa.
I have a travel-liner 108D Vito. Just a few things Merc dealers are terrible, I know renault are bad, but Merc have won my vote. they charged me 20 pounds to take a type off to look at CV boots. they also left a screwdriver in my engine, this was a Merc dealer. their classist attitude sickens me and so I now do all my work on my Vito on my own. As for the chap with the glow plug light, the word from Merc is that these will go eventually, it is the quality of the car apparently that it still runs, an Italian wouldn't apparently. anyhow the glow plugs will go and if you take it to the Merc Garage on A4 in London Chiswick then they will charge 400 pounds and leave a screwdriver in the engine. hope that helps for the glow plugs.
Regarding the glow plug problems. True.. there was an open circuit in one of them. Eventually another failed and the vehicle became difficult to start on cold days. Having been quoted well over $1000 to have them replaced I did it myself for just the approx $100 total cost of the plugs themselves. This is quite a tedious exercise as they are impossible to access. You need to remove just about everything from the top of the engine... inlet manifold etc... the lot! Took me a full day! Good job my labour is cheap! Working perfectly now.
I have now had a go at replacing the front brake pads... you have to be careful to get the right ones... the Bosch caliper system they are on are actually listed as 'Sprinter' parts... as is the brake system themselves. Also tried to replace the front disc rotors, warning... these are not the usual 'slip off' discs as expected... they are combined with the drive axle parts... also you need to remove the caliper mounting, which is difficult. The M14x1.5 mounting bolts are tightened to 170 Nm... dunno how to get those off!
"The M14x1.5 mounting bolts are tightened to 170 Nm... dunno how to get those off!"
I'm an apprentice commercial vehicle technician for Mercedes-Benz.
The best way to get the bolts off is to use a power bar. They can be pretty tight!
Hiya found this web site by chance, while reading it I noticed that one chap was after an owner's manual, but didn't get any answer. As I am after one as well in english is there any one out there who know's where to get one from?
No at 24 months of ownership.
Runs beautifully... since I have trained myself to deal with dreadful gear change.
Great economy. Just changed two tyres (on the Jumbo CLK rims).
A nice bus with custom seats and seatbelts in the back.
The glow plugs were very worrying - but the garage managed to change them!
COE now at $86 for renewal for 10 years. Great since new COE due before 2008.
I have just bought a 1998 108d and was looking for some info and found this site I just thought I would mention that there are a couple of english workshop manuals for the vito on www.ebay.co.uk for those that are looking.
Very entertaining read! As a fellow Singaporean I just have to chuckle at how the rest of the world is probably reading about the rear unbolted sofa in awe and horror! Just to share and enlighten. Vehicles cost a BOMB here and unlike most first world countries. workmen don't have their own trucks or vans, they get ferried by the truck loads to the worksite. Picture a lighter shade of slavery (ooh was that too harsh?) They (workers) get paid USD$13 a day to work all day and they stay in Workers camps (or worse, in steel shipping containers on site) So to help the burden on the building companies with transportation issues, there is an allowance to carry a certain amount of people in a commercial class vehicle... together with the building material etc etc. so expect to find the sand and shovels together with the workers. Now commercial vehicles enjoy lower taxes and the discounted diesel usage so the author of this is probably not a builder, but instead someone whos capitalising on cheaper motoring and still staying right by the law by not installing additional seating. By law, he can carry 5 people rolling around in the back (to the worksite etc) but they can't sit on bolted down chairs as that would make his 'diesel commercial vehicle' a 'diesel passenger car' and thus imposing a passenger car tax which would be USD$1000 (2200cc) per year. A diesel commercial vehicle is USD$300 (2200cc) per year in comparison and if the vehicle is Diesel and private passenger its USD$6000 (2200cc) a year in road tax. So there are a lot of people that need cheap motoring and skirt the law by buying a commercial vehicle and dress it up so that their friends can have a little more comfort than rolling around on the floor. As far as the law is concerned... the writer of this thread is merely transporting a sofa.
So to the writer of this thread... I know you enjoy creative economics :) In fact... I have a pretty good idea who you are as we've met before. Best wishes.
Ps... how about a W124 estate like this?
http://www.carsurvey.org/review_95759.html
Changing the glow plugs isn't a hard job for those out there who would like to save big bucks on having them done. To look at the top of the motor, yes I would say it looks mind boggling, but rest assure it only took me a little over an hour to replace and that was taking my time. You will need to undo and take off the plastic head cover that allows you to get to the plastic intake manifold screws. From here you will need to remove the intake tube (2 clamps,2 bolts and a pipe that simply pulls off in the center of the tube) Then undo a dozen or so star headed bolts that hold the intake manifold body in place (most can be seen although there is one hiding on the left, down behind and almost directly under the windscreen sill of the manifold) Remove this complete plastic manifold carefully and there you will see 4 wiring plugs attached to four glow plugs. These will pull off. Before removing the glow plugs, it pays to blow around each plug with some sort of air hose or similar to remove foreign particles that sit in the cavities around the glow plugs. This will stop any unforeseen material falling into the chambers once the glow plugs have been removed.