Sprinter4WD Miami Build

[Sprinter4WD]

So the great news is that my Sprinter arrived at SMB Texas on April 27. For those interested in timing, it was ordered on November 20, 2014. The van was "produced" in Germany on February 27, 2015, so it took exactly two months from its production date in Germany to showing up at SMB Texas.

The bad news is that I still don't have a price quote from SMB Texas. This is not for a lack of me trying over the last 11 weeks. I'm not sure what is going on there, but today is the one month anniversary of my van sitting at SMB - without a final quote much less a "start date" for the conversion.

Is this slow timeline typical for you folks that have used SMB Texas in the past?

[k9sprinter]

So you gave a deposit on the sprinter ,without knowing the price????

[Sprinter4WD]

Hi K9Sprinter

No I didn't put down a deposit. As I recall Paul didn't think I needed to through some combination of factors such as: a) I took a plane trip to make a site visit, b) I had committed to paying outright for a Sprinter 4x4 which was scheduled to be delivered to Austin, and c) I had a firm list of options and floorplan and was (and am) ready to start work ASAP.

I am certainly committed to getting a Sprinter Sportsmobile. Especially since my brand new 4x4 van which I have financed with Mercedes is sitting in Austin.

But you raise a good point - if I had simply written a $2000 deposit check would progress be faster?

Thanks for the thought.

[k9sprinter]

You say you financed the the sprinter thru MB, do you know the price you payed?
Who did you buy the the Sprinter from,... a dealership or SMB
Ive worked with Paul on my build, ( probably the highest priced factory Sprinter AND the highest priced conversion they did... I was never left in the dark , Paul was always there to respond to any questions within a day or so

[Sprinter4WD]

Well I hope I'm not going to eclipse any high-price records, though it feels possible.

I purchased my van from Mercedes-Benz of Miami, and I paid MSRP which was $58,998 plus I got the maximum extended warranty (4 extra years or 175,000 miles) and the maximum length prepaid maintenance (160,000 miles). Normally I never pay MSRP - typically I pay $1000 over dealer cost on new vehicles. In this case though I was a ways past the start date for ordering 4x4's and I knew that there was a very limited allocation. "Dave the Sprinter Guy" was my first choice but he already had a substantial waiting list. So far I've had a great experience working with Mercedes-Benz of Miami.

I'm going to keep pushing - I've not lost faith yet in SMB Texas - I just need to get to the next stage where we are building.

I'm really looking forward to the dog friendly features on this vehicle from the K9 window temperature rolldown feature to the battery-powered air conditioning system. This makes taking the dogs on day-trips much more practical.

This is the greatest thing about SMB in my estimation: you can get a van with the exact features you need and expect to feel great about using those features each time you drive it. I bet with your level of customization on your van you know what I am talking about.

[Sprinter4WD]

So fantastic news - SMB Texas has my build scheduled for a July 15 completion date. Also, my quote is almost completely solidified.

I've decided to use 3M Thinsulate insulation in place of the standard cotton insulation. Many DYO builders are using this because the Thinsulate doesn't retain moisture. And even Texas is getting a lot of moisture lately!

[cottretr]

Originally Posted by Sprinter4WD

So fantastic news - SMB Texas has my build scheduled for a July 15 completion date. Also, my quote is almost completely solidified.

I've decided to use 3M Thinsulate insulation in place of the standard cotton insulation. Many DYO builders are using this because the Thinsulate doesn't retain moisture. And even Texas is getting a lot of moisture lately!

Hows the build coming along? Any pictures of the finished product?

[tonyvoudy]

agreed! Would love to see it!

[Fastswede]

Hope you have your new SMB!please share some pics and your first impressions!

Am considering a build similar to yours.

[Sprinter4WD]

Sorry for the long pause in posting - lots of things going on.

First - the dash electronics are almost completely installed. Matt at Custom Sounds sent me lots of interim pictures and asked great clarifying questions along the way.

Furthermore the SMB Texas folks have been working on the van and are making great progress. My current completion date is August 21 and I'm heading down to Austin on that date.

I've attached a picture of the progress where you can see the 3M Thinsulate insulation in the van - it looks great so far!