glojo

I have just been 'surfing' the Dodge Sprinter site. This vehicle is powered by the 2.7CDI engine and is fitted with the older ASSYST servicing computer. I will just post the exact text on the servicing intervals and then ask the question.

***********Nothing can match Sprinter's available ASSYST maintenance monitoring system. This technology is so refined, it can stretch the already impressive 10,000-mile standard oil change intervals up to an incredible 20,000 miles. And with Dodge's 7-year/70,000-mile powertrain limited warranty* and 7-year/100,000-mile diesel engine warranty** you can be confident Sprinter will be there for the long haul.

*7/100 Diesel Engine Limited Warranty: With Every Dodge Sprinter, you're backed by the DaimlerChrysler 7-year/100,000-mile Diesel Engine Limited *******

The new 211 has ASSYST Plus and the European service intervals are comparable, if not superior to the older ASSYST.

Why can a commercial vehicle powered by a passanger vehicle engine go for 20,000 miles and the passenger car not?

Wear of the engine is certainly NOT an issue. Mileage claims acheived by these CDI engines that are only getting serviced every 20,000 miles are already regularly being published and are in excess of 500,000 miles.

Regards,
John

GDawgC220

I'm guessing because of the different fuels and oil's we have over here in the U.S. that can't match Europe's offerings

glojo

Hi,
The quote is from the US site on US vehicles using US oil. Please do not think I am trying to make this a US vs Others oil issue.

This is the Mercedes-Benz CDI engine that is a very popular choice the World over, and like you I have always noticed the short oil change intervals that MB USA recommend. This one stands out because of the different intervals.

John

pa28pilot

I think that's a great question. I suspect that part of the answer is that vendors selling to the public in America tend to take care not to assume ANYTHING about the competence or diligence of the user. Easily one-half of the 2005 E320 manual is comprised of the same set of warnings repeated over and over.

People selling to commercial enterprises tend to give a little more credit to common sense. Could it be that Freightliner has some confidence that buyers will actually do fleet maintenance in a consistent way?

The other possibility is that the heavy-duty oils for diesel use are pretty tough now.

All of these 5-digit mileage oil change intervals give me the creeps. In the aviation industry the consensus seems to be that the additive packages should be renewed (via an oil change) on a calendar interval, whether the engine is run or not. I've been to seminars with Lycoming (an engine manufacturer) and Shell representatives, and they were pretty clear on that front. (Of course, Shell has an interest in selling product, but the engine mfr wasn't co-marketing anything.)

Cars tend to be less idle, which means the water (and acidic precipitate) probably gets boiled off more frequently, but I still have the sense that we're pushing some axis of the chemical stability with these 10-20,000 mile intervals. I may also just be a Luddite.

GDawgC220

Oh I know I was just commenting on a possibility as to why the U.S. intervals are much much shorter than the Europe counter-parts.

Green E-300 DT

Where do you get this?

Oils, NOT

Fuel, Yes depending on where you are purchasing your fuel.
But here in California that is not true, especially if one is using Arco/BP ECD-1 ULSD.
That fuel is better than anything available anywhere in the World!

GDawgC220

ya know, I did say i'm guessing...not set in stone.

cdiken

In addition to it being a truck, it has a lower axle ratio so the engine is also spinning faster, more revs per mile. If anything, interval between oil changes should shrink.

Perhaps because of the larger chassis a deeper sump is used? Did you check crankcase capacities?

KB

glojo

It's dark and cold so at the moment I cannot really ask 'the boss' to go outside for the manual, but I think you are clutching at straws.

The issue really is the mileage between servicing of this car engine that is being used in a commercial body.

In Europe the 2.7ltr engine is not a popular size for the Sprinter at all. In fact apart from the emergency services the only time I have seen one is in a break down vehicle. The usual engine is the 4 cylinder 2.2ltr CDI, which is an even more popular car engine.


Regards,
John