Hello

[Boji]

Hello,

Just picked up my first van and looking forward to enjoying more vistas. I'll apologize in advance for my dumb questions. I am new to this and have a LOT to learn. Happy Trails y'all.

 

[Fitz-SMB]

How about telling us where you are from?

 

[Boji]

I live in Palm Desert, CA and summer in Iowa

 

[Fitz-SMB]

Summer in Iowa...you must have family there. I was born and raised in Iowa and I don't summer there...
Any trouble finding diesel in Iowa that conforms to the MB biodiesel specs?
Where was your (nice looking) van built?

 

[Boji]

I was born and raised in Iowa, moved to CA 23 years ago. Palm Desert is scorching hot in the summer so I live on a lake ( Okoboji) in Iowa for a couple of months. That could change now that we have a van.

 

[Fitz-SMB]

I've been to Lake Okoboji many times, in fact, that's where I did my Scuba check out dive many years ago. Lots of fond memories of that place. Is the Queen still on the water and is the amusement park still there, or am I dating myself?

 

[Boji]

No problem finding diesel so far. I'm not sure where the van was built. I'll have to check my manual. I am the 3rd owner. I was told SMB used it as a "model" for trade shows... Who knows if it's true. It's in great condition and works great for me so far.

 

[AndrewInSeattle]

I'll apologize in advance for my dumb questions.

Welcome! Don't worry about dumb questions, this is a friendly crowd that will happily answer any questions, as long as they come with a bit of humor or pictures, preferably both. And if you ask any questions dumb enough that even I can answer them confidently, I'll have a chance to "pay it forward" to all the people that have helped ME so far, so fire away!

No problem finding diesel so far.

Finding diesel is usually easy, but it can sometimes be hard to find at 5% biodiesel or less that Sprinters require, particularly in the farm belt. Filling up with B20 is sometimes unavoidable (we particularly ran into issues on I-94 near Minneapolis a while ago), but should be minimized.

 

[Boji]

Thanks Andrew,

Can we add a bottle of octane boost to B-20?

 

[AndrewInSeattle]

Can we add a bottle of octane boost to B-20?

My (limited!) understanding is that it's not about what B20 is missing, it's about what it has too much of, so I'm doubtful that would help much.

Here's a generic pamphlet from Mercedes on the topic:
http://www.sprinter-rv.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Mercedes-Benz-Biodiesel_rev5.pdf

From what I've been able to glean online, the executive summary is that sometimes you have no choice, and in those cases, be prepared to change the oil slightly sooner than you otherwise would, don't let the van sit for extended periods, and fill it back up with B5 or less as soon as convenient.

 

[Boji]

Thanks for the info!

 

[MarinBlaine]

Hey Boji, welcome! Where is that third pic you shared, with the waterfalls...looks awesome!

 

[Boji]

Provo Canyon Utah, Bridal Veil Falls. Only 30 minutes from Park City

 

[bidgoodr]

Great spots!