I have a 2017 Metris Cargo Van with 256,000 miles on it that I purchased new. I used it to haul medical and surgical supplies all around the Pacific Northwest with cargo weights up to 2,500 lbs. The only problem I have had is replacing a fuel vapor canister. Everything else has been maintenance. It runs as good as it did when it was new. It has been the most trouble free vehicle I have ever owned. Brakes go between about 85,000 - 90,000 miles. Michelin Defender tires go about 70,000 miles. All service work has been done by a Mercedes authorized Sprinter-Metris service center. Sounds like your van has been a bit of a lemon.
Thanks for this review! My 2016 is about to roll 100,000 miles and trying to decide if I can keep it for the long haul. I believe you answered that question!
You much not be located in the United States having km. Is your van gas or diesel? I hear good things about the diesel. Also here in Michigan we don’t have very good dealers for service work and most foreign car shops refuse to work on them.
@@hughbertsprojects I m in Canada. Gas. I live very rural so I do m y own service except for transmission oil change. My local mechanic does all my maintenance that I can’t do, I never go to the dealer. The 2 litre engine is very common in the Mercedes lineup. Vast majority of my driving is highway, always loaded with equipment and stuff. So it’s a workhorse. Very robust mechanicals. I live in a rust belt but no rust after 4 years. Body sheet metal my be galvanized but not sure.
@@southhillfarm2795 Same here. I got 2016 and used it for painting mostly and some carpentry. It's always loaded with weight. Had Astro Vans prior all the time for same business. Both are work horses for me so far. Thinking to trade it in for a 2022 with 9 speed transmission. Only real problems I've had is emergency brake doesn't release fully, and causes a problem while driving on highway. Need to pull over and try to manually pull up on break release pedal. Service people suck as it was brought in for fix and they didn't do anything. I do my own repairs now and never really trust dealerships, but since it was new I gave them a shot. Never again.
I have a 2016 since new... van has been great and no major repairs besides early on it has the 'piston slap' issue that was common with early 2016 models...engine was replace under standard warranty and it's been pretty much trouble free. I'm a member/admin at a couple online Metris owner groups and the vast majority seem to love them too.
I’ve come to the realization that idling these constantly to power tools for the job didn’t help with a bunch of the problems we had. Many of them had 15,000 engine hours. Also the dealers we had access to did not have the necessary knowledge needed to work on these properly.
@@hughbertsprojects Thanks for touching on those two crucial aspects. I have seen many members have issues when they just drove these around town, heavy traffic, and short drives. I purchased mine from MB dealer that had a MBVans dept so you might be right about access to knowledgeable techs. I put 315Ah AGM battery bank and Xantrex Freedom 2000 watt inverter to power our gear on location. A 60 amp DC-DC charger when on the road, and 50Amp AC-DC charger when back at the office.
Very interesting I’m in Southern California so we don’t have the cold weather and moisture however, I install glass out of a Metris and I’m at 170,000 miles the only thing that’s gone that was one starter it does. It breaks every 50 K and tires just like you said but other than that it’s been a great van
I was accustomed to our other work vans needing tires after 75k. I had one a 2010 Transit Connect that did 100k on a set of tires. Always rotate them after every oil change/5k miles.
@@hughbertsprojects I always installed out of Silverado prior, but then we started having reliability issues with those and I started doing adas calibrations so we switched to the metris van. I too lost the skid plate it’s definitely a heavier van than the transit connect and double the power so maybe that’s why it goes through tires a bit faster and I put a windshield in a customers van who had 260,000 miles and the only thing he had to go bad was an alternator.
My 2016 Mercedes Benz, serviced at the dealer everytime. but my Turbo went bad at 164K miles, repair is around $3200, with an independent mechanic, so waiting for repair or replace van.
I pulled a tow dolly and a single axle 6x10 trailer with one of these. Empty it was ok but with a mower or load of wood weighing less than capacity it was struggling. Not sure if it was gear ratio related but it was not liking it. Additionally the hitch sits very low and would scrape driveways when empty.
@@hughbertsprojects It's a shame because they are quite nice vans. I was gonna go test drive a 2020 next Tuesday. I wish Dodge and Ford would make a similar design. The ProMaster and Transit both look weird.
Pro master when they first can out had transmission issues and steering problems. The transit had rust issues. The Metris van was a good size van. The transit connect was too small for us and the pro master and full size transit were too big. I’ve since gone with a Chevrolet express van. I love everything about it except the fuel economy. But I’ve been doing g a few things and it’s improving. Mostly driving it differently and as simple things. The Metris used premium fuel and never got better than 21mpg for me. My express is doing 15mpg on regular unleaded which is around $0.75 a gallon cheaper on average than premium. So I call it even at this point.
@@hughbertsprojects That it had so many issues...spending about a year out of those six in the service. Did you get a lemon, or is this a more common experience? I was looking at this van to shlep my motorbike. Well, Mercedes is discontinuing this van anyway...
We are highly considering going back to the Chevy express van. Even though they are larger and have a little bit less fuel economy they are still cheaper to maintain than the Metris. We will stay away from the diesel model since it is more costly to repair when needed.
And if you want a smaller van I would buy a Toyota Sienna without a sunroof and rip all the rear seats out and if it’s a 2021 or newer I would put airbag simulators on the second row seats to keep the airbag light off on the dash. Toyota Siennas as well as most Toyota models are very reliable and will last 200,000 miles or more with regular maintenance. If the power sliding doors fail on those, you can in most cases use the sliding door manually and live with it. On the 2021 and newer vans, they will save you on fuel and brakes if you use regenerative braking. Also Toyota has a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty on the hybrid battery.
The timing was not done correctly in my experience. Multiple shops have said there is little to no information available to non-Mercedes shops. We even replaced the cam phasers and cam shaft in one of the vans.
Sorry but a lot of the stuff you have said is a bit more ignorance then knowledge you can get brake pads anywhere I have got them from many many places pelican parts is my go to as they always have many options and they are $35 your van 100% is out of timing needs to go to a different dealer tires and brakes lasting 40-55,000 miles is a lot you sound like you haven’t driven any other vehicle. I had all the timing components and sensors so on and cams replaced in mine and for $2000 it has its misc random wear and tear issues but nothing else abnormal. Never heard of someone just giving up on a vehicle for 150,000 miles and dealing with it going in limp mode . Your probably a nice guy but you open a door 100,000 times things will fail… if it’s so bad your boss should have got something else. I have 154k and only replaced wear and tear items for the most part I did 100k in the first year owning it. Then 30k over 3.5 years
Nice to hear review from someone who abuse company vehicle a lot, most people including you drive like animals w van what cost don't hit your personal wallet
I’m in charge of all the maintenance on our vans. My van is fixed whenever something breaks. Since we do mobile auto glass repair we are constantly on the road driving. If something on the van is broken or damage due to our negligence comes out of our pocket.
According to the Mercedes system it is in the correct timing had it checked by a dealer. I’m fairly certain at this point they have no clue what they were doing as they will no longer service a metris or the m274 engine.
I have a 2017 Metris Cargo Van with 256,000 miles on it that I purchased new. I used it to haul medical and surgical supplies all around the Pacific Northwest with cargo weights up to 2,500 lbs. The only problem I have had is replacing a fuel vapor canister. Everything else has been maintenance. It runs as good as it did when it was new. It has been the most trouble free vehicle I have ever owned. Brakes go between about 85,000 - 90,000 miles. Michelin Defender tires go about 70,000 miles. All service work has been done by a Mercedes authorized Sprinter-Metris service center.
Sounds like your van has been a bit of a lemon.
That’s good to hear. I figure a lot of the issues we had were due to it being a first year model
Thanks for this review! My 2016 is about to roll 100,000 miles and trying to decide if I can keep it for the long haul. I believe you answered that question!
You’re welcome.
Wow, I have a 2018 metris long wheelbase with 145,000kms. No problems knock on wood. The vans is a rocket, comfortable, good fuel economy.
You much not be located in the United States having km. Is your van gas or diesel? I hear good things about the diesel. Also here in Michigan we don’t have very good dealers for service work and most foreign car shops refuse to work on them.
@@hughbertsprojects I m in Canada. Gas. I live very rural so I do m y own service except for transmission oil change. My local mechanic does all my maintenance that I can’t do, I never go to the dealer. The 2 litre engine is very common in the Mercedes lineup. Vast majority of my driving is highway, always loaded with equipment and stuff. So it’s a workhorse. Very robust mechanicals. I live in a rust belt but no rust after 4 years. Body sheet metal my be galvanized but not sure.
I believe they are galvanized.
@@southhillfarm2795 Same here. I got 2016 and used it for painting mostly and some carpentry. It's always loaded with weight. Had Astro Vans prior all the time for same business. Both are work horses for me so far. Thinking to trade it in for a 2022 with 9 speed transmission. Only real problems I've had is emergency brake doesn't release fully, and causes a problem while driving on highway. Need to pull over and try to manually pull up on break release pedal. Service people suck as it was brought in for fix and they didn't do anything. I do my own repairs now and never really trust dealerships, but since it was new I gave them a shot. Never again.
I just bought my used 2018 with 80k and this video made me very worried, so thank you for your comments.
I have a 2016 since new... van has been great and no major repairs besides early on it has the 'piston slap' issue that was common with early 2016 models...engine was replace under standard warranty and it's been pretty much trouble free. I'm a member/admin at a couple online Metris owner groups and the vast majority seem to love them too.
I’ve come to the realization that idling these constantly to power tools for the job didn’t help with a bunch of the problems we had. Many of them had 15,000 engine hours. Also the dealers we had access to did not have the necessary knowledge needed to work on these properly.
@@hughbertsprojects Thanks for touching on those two crucial aspects. I have seen many members have issues when they just drove these around town, heavy traffic, and short drives. I purchased mine from MB dealer that had a MBVans dept so you might be right about access to knowledgeable techs. I put 315Ah AGM battery bank and Xantrex Freedom 2000 watt inverter to power our gear on location. A 60 amp DC-DC charger when on the road, and 50Amp AC-DC charger when back at the office.
Very interesting I’m in Southern California so we don’t have the cold weather and moisture however, I install glass out of a Metris and I’m at 170,000 miles the only thing that’s gone that was one starter it does. It breaks every 50 K and tires just like you said but other than that it’s been a great van
I was accustomed to our other work vans needing tires after 75k. I had one a 2010 Transit Connect that did 100k on a set of tires. Always rotate them after every oil change/5k miles.
@@hughbertsprojects I always installed out of Silverado prior, but then we started having reliability issues with those and I started doing adas calibrations so we switched to the metris van. I too lost the skid plate it’s definitely a heavier van than the transit connect and double the power so maybe that’s why it goes through tires a bit faster and I put a windshield in a customers van who had 260,000 miles and the only thing he had to go bad was an alternator.
Thanks for the info
You’re welcome.
My 2016 Mercedes Benz, serviced at the dealer everytime. but my Turbo went bad at 164K miles, repair is around $3200, with an independent mechanic, so waiting for repair or replace van.
Some of the parts for these bans are just way overpriced. Then the labor rate at the dealership is also high.
Im looking at a 2016 because of payload and towing capacity for an Rpod travel trailer.
I pulled a tow dolly and a single axle 6x10 trailer with one of these. Empty it was ok but with a mower or load of wood weighing less than capacity it was struggling. Not sure if it was gear ratio related but it was not liking it. Additionally the hitch sits very low and would scrape driveways when empty.
@hughbertsprojects thanks for the feedback I will have to do a bit more research on towing an R-pod, perhaps the metris forum fans know better.
@camcaro5873 sounds like a good idea. Wevdidn’t have good luck with the 9 at my work. No dealership support.
Very interesting German engineering. I was just going to buy a used one. Thanks for sparing me the troubles. I think I'll just go with a Dodge.
You’re welcome. The post office has bought a bunch of these and I’m seeing them breaking down all the time out by me.
@@hughbertsprojects It's a shame because they are quite nice vans. I was gonna go test drive a 2020 next Tuesday. I wish Dodge and Ford would make a similar design. The ProMaster and Transit both look weird.
Pro master when they first can out had transmission issues and steering problems. The transit had rust issues. The Metris van was a good size van. The transit connect was too small for us and the pro master and full size transit were too big. I’ve since gone with a Chevrolet express van. I love everything about it except the fuel economy. But I’ve been doing g a few things and it’s improving. Mostly driving it differently and as simple things. The Metris used premium fuel and never got better than 21mpg for me. My express is doing 15mpg on regular unleaded which is around $0.75 a gallon cheaper on average than premium. So I call it even at this point.
Thanks for sharing. Now the question is - is this an exception or a rule?
Exception or rule for what?
@@hughbertsprojects That it had so many issues...spending about a year out of those six in the service. Did you get a lemon, or is this a more common experience? I was looking at this van to shlep my motorbike. Well, Mercedes is discontinuing this van anyway...
It’s a common issue. We had 6 all of them had problems. I would not recommend.
Is there a reason the company didn't by the cargo version?
We purchased 5 cargo and 1 passenger. This is a cargo with optional double doors and we added the slider door windows to it.
So what is your company looking at next as a service vehicle?
We are highly considering going back to the Chevy express van. Even though they are larger and have a little bit less fuel economy they are still cheaper to maintain than the Metris. We will stay away from the diesel model since it is more costly to repair when needed.
@@hughbertsprojects My old mechanic said Chevy express was the best van for repairs later in life.
@@bertpainter8385 so many of them on the road and parts are super easy to get.
And if you want a smaller van I would buy a Toyota Sienna without a sunroof and rip all the rear seats out and if it’s a 2021 or newer I would put airbag simulators on the second row seats to keep the airbag light off on the dash. Toyota Siennas as well as most Toyota models are very reliable and will last 200,000 miles or more with regular maintenance. If the power sliding doors fail on those, you can in most cases use the sliding door manually and live with it. On the 2021 and newer vans, they will save you on fuel and brakes if you use regenerative braking. Also Toyota has a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty on the hybrid battery.
@@bertpainter8385 The old Ford E Series vans were great as well.
Limp mode! Mine is doing the same, even after timing service.
The timing was not done correctly in my experience. Multiple shops have said there is little to no information available to non-Mercedes shops. We even replaced the cam phasers and cam shaft in one of the vans.
Geez! I'm $5K in and wish I could get my hands on another mid-size like the NV300 overseas@@hughbertsprojects
I ended up purchasing a pre owned Chevrolet Express van with Awd. Needs a little work but so far has been very reliable.
@@hughbertsprojects I just tried driving it in manual mode with the paddle shifters and she drives like a dream!
Good to hear. Mine would go into limp mode when in manual mode.
I have same van but 2017
We have all 2016 models.
I’m starting to think your the problem not the van😂😂😂j/k
I was thinking the same thing. I ask too much of my vehicles
Sorry but a lot of the stuff you have said is a bit more ignorance then knowledge you can get brake pads anywhere I have got them from many many places pelican parts is my go to as they always have many options and they are $35 your van 100% is out of timing needs to go to a different dealer tires and brakes lasting 40-55,000 miles is a lot you sound like you haven’t driven any other vehicle. I had all the timing components and sensors so on and cams replaced in mine and for $2000 it has its misc random wear and tear issues but nothing else abnormal. Never heard of someone just giving up on a vehicle for 150,000 miles and dealing with it going in limp mode . Your probably a nice guy but you open a door 100,000 times things will fail… if it’s so bad your boss should have got something else. I have 154k and only replaced wear and tear items for the most part I did 100k in the first year owning it. Then 30k over 3.5 years
Nice to hear review from someone who abuse company vehicle a lot, most people including you drive like animals w van what cost don't hit your personal wallet
I’m in charge of all the maintenance on our vans. My van is fixed whenever something breaks. Since we do mobile auto glass repair we are constantly on the road driving. If something on the van is broken or damage due to our negligence comes out of our pocket.
Cam phaser needs a second look
It has been replaced 2 times.
According to the Mercedes system it is in the correct timing had it checked by a dealer. I’m fairly certain at this point they have no clue what they were doing as they will no longer service a metris or the m274 engine.