VW Crafter and Mercedes Vito: two working vans compared

The Crafter and Vito sit in different classes and come from different manufacturers, but their fault lists are remarkably similar — because both are diesel vans doing van work, and that use pattern dominates.

Comparable reading: Mercedes Sprinter common OBD issues, Ford Transit van diagnostics and Iveco Daily.

The use-pattern problem

A van designed for long working days that instead does short urban delivery runs will block its filter, coke its EGR valve and dilute its oil.

That is the single biggest determinant of van reliability, and it is not a design fault.

Short trips and engine damage.

The two readings, monthly

Soot load and distance since regeneration.

Oil level — rising means fuel dilution, and diluted oil does not protect bearings.

Reading	Meaning
Soot under 45%	Healthy
Soot above 70%	Plan a longer run now
Regenerations every 500–1000 km	Normal
Regenerations under 200 km	Investigate upstream
Oil above maximum	Change it, do not top up

DPF light on, P2459 regeneration frequency and oil light flickering at idle.

AdBlue on both

Later Crafters and Vitos both use SCR, and the countdown is legislated: warning, then reduced power, then no restart.

On a working vehicle that is a lost day, so the warning distance is your planning horizon.

AdBlue warning countdown, P204F reductant system performance and P20EE SCR NOx catalyst efficiency.

Short journeys cause AdBlue crystallisation, because the exhaust never reaches the temperature at which urea decomposes properly. Same root cause as the DPF problem.

Vito specifics

The Vito uses Mercedes engines, including the OM651 in many variants.

That brings its documented items: injectors and the rear-mounted timing chain: Mercedes OM651 diesel diagnostics and Mercedes-Benz common DTC codes.

Injector correction values name a failing injector before symptoms appear, which on a working vehicle is worth reading regularly: injector correction values on EDC17.

Crafter specifics

Later Crafters are Volkswagen-engineered throughout, using VAG diesel engines and electronics.

That brings the VAG items: EGR carbon, intake tract deposits, and the group’s approach to battery management.

P0400 and P0403 EGR flow, P2004 to P2010 intake manifold runner control and battery replacement and registration.

Load and brakes

Both are bought to carry, and load is what wears them.

• Brakes work considerably harder laden: grinding when braking and driving in mountains.
• Tyre pressures differ substantially between empty and loaded: loading the car safely.
• Suspension and bushes carry real loads: suspension bushes wear symptoms.
• Transmission fluid temperature on automatics during a long loaded climb: transmission overheating warning.

Electrical: the leading roadside cause

Van use is hard on batteries: short journeys, doors open constantly, interior lights, and often auxiliary equipment drawing power.

Across most commercial fleets, battery-related failures outnumber every other roadside cause.

Parasitic battery drain diagnostics, alternator charging diagnostics and P0560 to P0563 system voltage faults.

Auxiliary equipment installed by previous owners — racking lighting, inverters, trackers, refrigeration — is a frequent cause of drain and of unexplained electrical faults: aftermarket accessories electrical faults.

Corrosion and water

Check the underbody, and check the load area and door seals for water ingress. A van that has carried wet loads for years has a different corrosion profile from a car.

Underbody rust inspection and water leak into cabin.

Buying used

Almost always ex-working, with hard lives.

1. Soot and ash load. Ash tells you the filter’s remaining life.
2. Oil level and condition.
3. Injector correction values where readable.
4. AdBlue system condition and any active countdown.
5. Battery condition under load, and any aftermarket wiring.
6. Underbody condition.
7. Readiness and permanent codes: Mode 0A permanent DTCs.

Used car pre-purchase OBD check and OBD for a small fleet.

Check soot load and oil level together, monthly — an ELM327 adapter and the free tier of the app are all it takes. On a working van, those two numbers prevent most of what goes wrong.