Mercedes Benz VITO 111CDI LWB Extra Long

I owned a 05 Merc van for light building work and like most guys got sucked in by good looks but never again!!

Endless problems.

Yes it really does chew up the outer edge of front tyres very very fast,both electric windows failed and expensive to fix,alternator had to be replaced twice within 3yrs, engine bonnet release never worked, rear suspension springs had to be replaced along with a clunking noise from the front suspension and lots of road noise.Gearbox like and old tractor clunked into 2nd gear, nice having the 6 speed box though.

Paint quality very poor and rust started to show. Had major problems with keys not starting the vehicle took 3 weeks to get sorted with ignition sensors being pulled apart,keys re coded etc,more $$$

Plastic outside door protectors fell off I glued them back on, plastic headlight lenses crazed badly from sun, steering wheel outer broke down due to heat/sun.Cup holders broke very early on, radiator hose fell off while driving emptied out water, lucky I had tools onboard and refixed hose back tight. Way too much plastic even plastic front guards.

Now good things,impressive fuel economy, plenty of torque,6 speed gear box, looks good and that's about all.

Now have a Hyundai i load CDI very pleased much much better build quality and no problems.

great engine ,but the body work is so rusty , you would think I lived by the sea, went to my local Mercedes dealer , because there is a ten year paint warranty , I had no joy , to keep the weight down they spray the van lightly. my van looks terrible when I turn up for a job , I will leave the van looking rusty , to show other people in the building trade to stay clear , such a good advertisement for Mercedes driving around in a rust bucket , very disappointed with the van and Mercedes dealership

The title says it all,yes it does have its problems main one is rust but we have had it sprayed to cure it for a few years.On the mechanical side it has had no major problem alternator a battery propshaft repair.Electricaly central locking is rubbish and we haven't bothered trying to fix rear doors and lock them manually.The minibus is run every day and we have no complaints with its performance or reliability.very few vehicles will ever reach this mileage on the same engine and running gear. On another view I also have a 109 traveliner with 200000 on it 06 plate and this is a complete bag of spanners with many faults.

2005 111cdi lwb 80,000 miles love this van she has been good to me parts have been cheap.She fits into every car park we have been too. But seats are wafer thin, cabin is as appealing as Borat in his lime green swim suit, road noise is like sitting next to a Texan from London to Scotland on a slow train. As for the rust well you would think I live in Cornwall on the beach. Will be addressing the seating problem by installing some leather seats from a Vaneo and purchasing a sound proofing kit as well as some 2nd hand doors. She is under powered on the motorway bigger turbos or larger MB engine is needed and rear wheel drive in the little snow we have well Zero traction.

Ok then ive read the other reviews ad im very surprised, I bought the van new fully specd excluding alloys as I work in london and know what wheels go through. Ive used it for work, camping, travelling and it laps it all up. A review here said that rear wheel drive vans were absolutly rubbish... yes the van does slip a bit if you go fast round wet roundabouts, but what I find is that the back stepping out is predictable and easy to correct...if your any sort of a good driver. Ive been caught in foot deep snow in norfolk and the only vehicals making it through... you guessed it the vitos... If your a poor driver that panics then you need to learn how to handle a rear wheel drive. 111 is plenty powerfull I didnt see the point going for the v6 too heavy for doing 5mph in london, constantly get 400-420 on a fill up. Im writing this review as im getting my new one in april, exactly the same but its now the 113 I believe. From new parts wise upto this year it has only needed tyres brakes.. however this year it needed a erv valve, the aircon this summer decided to develope a leak, and the rear springs have snapped a 1" bit off the end.

My biggest mistake was having qwikfit disks and pads fitted I fell for the free pads waffle, the rwal pisser is they cost more than the merc proper parts and have squeeked and faded since new.. thank god theyve now been changed.

Dont go for remote locking as you need to srand infront of the drivers door to activate it...which in my book isnt really remote....!!!!

The reviewer said it dents easy... yep it will so have the inside lined for 80 quid and dont drive into things

I think it has been a great van

Having owned a 110 cdi which was great, I must say im very disappointed. Poor suspension issues and always a knocking noise from somewhere,gear selection terrible and now losing power occasionally with rubbish fuel economy. From rust issues on the earlier models this still has not been addressed and as mentioned tracking is always an issue.

We are an independent light commercial vehicle dealer established almost 10 years ago.The vito does have it`s faults.Pre 2007 bad for bodywork rust,Heavy on anti roll bar bushes ( £4.40 each ),window regulators,rear coil springs fracturing.In spite of these faults i would always recommend the Vito over any of it`s competition including the VW.Why?? because in the last 10 years we have sold over 500 Vito`s without what i would consider one major problem i.e engine,gearbox.We also find the parts are quite possibly the cheapest of any manufacturer maybe with the exception of Ford,the parts availability is brilliant,the dealers are mainly open 24hrs a day unlike any other van manufacturer.So if i do get a problem with a Vito i can solve it quickly and relatively cheaply.We think the VW has superior build quality and drives better but are bad for clutches,turbo`s,gearboxes,intercoolers and the parts prices are way more than MB.

I am owner of Vito 111 Extra long 2007, shame for Mercedes so far in my experience on Vito put me of on Mercedes VANS and CARS, the Vito worse van ever I had. I ask many people who’s have Vito they told me same thing, electric ways very bad every day different light coming on in dash cost way dear to fix and body get rust everywhere making nose, I advise every one don’t spend your money to buy Mercedes Vito VAN or other merc VAN not worthy. Just go get transit van or any other I am sure much better you make right dissection better then Mercedes don’t go for name, I am very regret to bought the Vito spend over £10000 :( contact me if you have any question [email protected]

Having owned 5 previous vans of various makes and models this is by far the best purchase l have made.

2007 Extra Long WB, 111 CDI

Owned for 4 years and no problems.

Front tyres wear on the outer a little fast, however, l still go 19000 miles out of the last set (only a budget pair of tyres).

Fantastic Van

I Bought a pair of 111 vans in 2009 having been very happy with a 2001 Vito 110. The new van looks the part and drives more like a car but I should have suspected something when I paid the same amount for an equivalent van after 8 years....how do they do that?....by skimping on everything, that's how.

There's no temperature gauge and no warning when the washers are getting empty. The dash display panel would make a mobile phone feel cheap. The comfort seat has less padding. The metal body is made of thinner sheet and dents really easily.

The radio aerial is printed on the windscreen and a) is rubbish and b) breaks almost straight away. Mercedes dealer don't have access to proper aerials to attach to the body or din plates to upgrade the radios - unlike our local hifi place that keeps them in stock - "a lot of Vito owners buy them..."

I had a slight accident when someone reversed into me and we at first thought it was just the bonnet...how wrong we were. The radiator, grille, headlamps, air filter etc. etc. are plastic mouldings held in place with lugs. One tiny knock and all the lugs break off meaning you have to change all the parts!! The other car bill £250. Vito £3000. All for the sake of saving a few quid at the design stage.

Vito 2 leaked from new. After 14 months and many complaints Mercedes finally tracked down the problem to a faulty body weld in the roof. I asked for some 'goodwill gesture' and was told that Mercedes (despite having not welded the car properly) had no liability - my contract was with the dealer.

Unlike the humble Citroen Berlingo there is no catch to hold back the sliding doors - as I found to my cost when nearly decapitated after parking on a hill and leaning in to pick my daughter out of the back when the door self released from the lug that is meant to hold the door open but not at more than approx 5 degrees. Again, a fiver's worth of catch would make this much safer.

Come the snow, borrow a VW. Unlike the old VITO this new version is RWD and drives as well in the snow as my old Ford Capri. With little weight in the back it's lethal and that goes for wet roads and corners too.

My top tip. Don't be fooled by the badge. This is an expensive cheap van, not a cheap expensive one. There are far better ways to spend your money.