Vehicle acessories list; w/ price & source

Van building is a full time unpaid job on the side for me. I do not buy equipment without extensive research, comparison, review reading and market analysis. And guess what, you get to have all the data from my hard work, for free. I hope my blog is helpful for you. This is a work in progress.

I drive for a living, so these were more of a priority to me than having a camper right away. Besides, I'd rather do things right the first time; that means patience before doing steps that are difficult to undo. It's taken me a while to figure out exactly how I'm going to do my build, so in the meanwhile I've been upgrading the vehicle itself.

$153 Autel MD802 all modules scanner

You must have a scanner in your Sprinter! You'd be naive and ill prepared otherwise. Even if you don't know how to read a scanner, other people will. If you don't have a scanner and you get a check engine light, you will have no clue if immediate damage will happen and will pay $100+ at the dealer for a scan. Two scans and it pays for itself. This is the best Sprinter scanner in the <$400 budget range. Next step up is the Xentry clone, but this is much faster, and it can scan just about every car out there. Free updates too. You can find a much better price than amazon, on ebay ($153).


$60 Window Rain Deflectors:

These are the only DOT approved deflector for T1N's, FWIW. It uses no adhesive, it's shaped to fit, imo it's the highest quality product. I chose tinted so people can not see when I have my windows cracked and use the old hanger wire loop trick. This mod came first because it makes the van livable - you must have ventilation. Also I live in the PNW, you have no idea how nice it is cracking your window without getting pissed on by His Holiness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster =P.


$220 rear view always on camera system:

I have no rear windows, and I prefer it that way for the thermal properties and security. The only window I like to have on the cabin is the sliding door window, for visibility when driving. But that window will have visible bars over it some day. The backup cam took the most research; I admit, over a month of on and off googling. There were so many options that I began to look to warranties and IP waterproof ratings to differentiate quality. I feel blind without my rear cam now - money WELL spent. Picture is great, will do a review on it later. Installation was easy, I will do a video tutorial. For the I/O conector, the negative lead goes to ground under the seat, positive and ignition power are twisted together, terminated with a ring connector on the ignition power body builders terminal under the drivers seat. Camera extension cable leads to the silver multiplexer box, then the monitor plugs in to the attached female connector. It's as simple as that. 5 wires. I procrastinated installing this way too much - Just get out there and start with step 1. Starting a project is often the most time consuming part. Anxious speculation does not help. Make a flow chart of what is stopping you from progressing and go do it. Warning: Absolutely DO NOT tie anything to the brake light circuit of a Sprinter, it is monitored by CAN and can cause unintended consequences/CAN errors codes of doom.


$27 Bluetooth communication:

Don't be one of those people holding up your cell phone and driving. I will use hand signals, my air horn, point, and publicly humiliate you at the next stoplight. I spent a lot of time finding the best bang for the buck waterproof headphones. These are it. Just don't expect amazing bass out of them. For calls, they are perfect. For an audiophile, not so much. But the sound is still "Good" imo. 1.5 years later they are still kickin out the tunes, no visible wear, they're just perfect. Lasts at least 7 hours with music on full volume, but I typically leave it on the usb charger, nestled atop the Sprinter's clipboard clip. It is cheap insurance against a distracted driving ticket. Plus, it makes you feel like an android.


$20 used ebay radar detector.

At this price point, brand probably doesn't matter. Why buy new when this works just as well? I went with a Cobra XRS 9430. Cheap insurance against tickets. And I say this as a guy who puts on cruise control once I reach the speed limit, and I always drive with Waze.


$324 total for a 3 mile car alarm:

 I got a better deal than amazon on ebay, so shop around. It cost me $250 for a top of the line remote, $74 for the alarm. The schematic is huge and complicated but really all you need is battery power, ignition power, ground, and door light switches.


$161 shipped Superbumper:

Mfgr says: Stops 1 ton @ 4.34 mph (without you feeling anything) – Withstands 15-20 mph impacts. I have it mounted so that after 1 inch of travel it will squish my oem rear bumper before reaching the end of travel and transmitting 100% force to the frame. I explain my reasoning here.


$1.50 LED strip for cab floor:

Extended wires with butt connectors, terminated ends with crimp ring connectors, used ground under seat and ignition power from body builders terminal on sidewall under driver seat.


$18 Heatshrink crimp connector kit for ring terminals and butt splices:

 After buying them I found these which seem to be higher quality, a 3m knockoff:


$20 ratcheting crimpers

Quality tools are important for a quality job, sometimes. I had some non ratcheting awful crimpers, they were bent and just didn't crimp worth a damn. This way, you will get the same crimp every time. This tool can mean the difference between wires falling apart and shorting years down the road, or lasting forever.


$40 Best bang for the buck waterproof  LED 18650 headlight:

Everyone needs a headlight. It's not a vehicle mod, but a vehicle necessity. I keep mine in the door pockets, and it's one of my favorite posessions. Order direct from Fenix and get $20 off on first order. I spent literally months on this decision and have not regretted it 2 years later with it still performing flawlessly. It will blind you with 900 lumens on turbo. Get a nitecore I2 charger to go with it and some Samsung 25r's from www.imrbatteries.com, or rip apart a laptop battery pack in the home depot collection bin.


$25 Stereo:

Searched craigslist for top of the line brands. No Pyle allowed here. Found a nice JVC single din head unit for $25. It was easy to install. I found the connector pin out in the service manual here: http://aie-services-2.net/ and pulled the wires from the oem radio harness, using butt connectors covered in tape. Don't forget to do the 10 pound pull test after you crimp a wire. Speakers I already had lying around. I found a subwoofer at the local dump a while ago for free, and I also had an amplifier one of my old roommates gave to me for free. I found "CODE!" radio stickers in the dodge owners manual in the glove box, and I put up some stickers from my alarm system.


$3 blinking solar fake alarm LED:

I got this before I had my alarm system. It works great, never missed a beat. You must let it charge for days in the sun before you first turn it on, or it may fail. Do not move the switch after you turn it on - it is very flimsy. It blinks faster in the dark. Now I have a red, and a blue blinking LED; very obvious to a thief. My review


$25 12v USB fast charger: 

Don't cheap out - Every one I've owned has broken, except this one. An OEM charger may be cheaper, I would recommend that instead. Best buy is a rip off for these, but they're locally available and you can return it locally. Look for a warranty. Insignia brand is bad. If you have a Galaxy S7 or similar, you may want a 4 amp super fast charger, this one is only 2 amps, which is the fastest most older phones can charge. Charging a hot lithium battery can cause damage, and fast chargers warm up the phone quite a bit. For this reason I am happy with my 2a charger as is.


$0 elbow rest:
 I took some packing foam and VHB taped it to the door arm rest. Instant relief.


$0 Seatbelt chime disable:
Under the drivers seat is a 2 pin plug leading through a hole in the wood cover. Unplug it. Thank me later, don't forget to wear your seatbelt. For an NVC3 sprinter, stick a 100 ohm resistor in the connector.


$30 139db Airhorn with built in compressor:

Works great, make sure to install with cylinder vertical (per manual), and the funnel upside down otherwise it will collect rain and fail - the demise of my OEM horn. The relay does not care how you trigger it, either positive switched, or ground switched in this case. It just needs current to the coil; power and ground. The pins are labeled with a diagram on top of the relay.
To install, take the two wires leading to the oem horn and crimp on some spare wire with a butt connector to extend it to your horn. On the other end of each wire, crimp on a spade connector then connect either spade to the coil terminals 85 and 86. Take 14 guage wire with an inline fuse from an auto store and crimp a ring connector on one end, and a spade terminal on the other. This goes from the + battery post to pin 30. Pin 87 goes to power the horn, so use a spade on the relay side and a ring connector on the horn connection. Lastly, put ring connectors on either side of a wire from battery negative to the - stud on the horn. Warning: If you power this horn directly from the existing 10A oem horn circuit, you will blow a fuse and cause unintended consequences b/c it is tied in to other systems.


$51 Digital video recorder for rear view cam:

Haven't installed yet. I messed up, this is 4 pin, and the RVS systems backup cam I have is 5 pin din. Dangit. They come with 4 pin connectors with bare wires, and I got an RCA cable, so it should be as simple as giving it ignition power and ground, and then butt splicing one end of the RCA cable to the yellow wire (video) and ground of the 4 pin connector supplied. I will do a video tutorial. All of this stuff is stashed under the passenger dash and zip tied in place. They also sell a 3G version for like $150 so that you can view it remotely, but from reviews I read it seems troublesome/imperfect.


$1 voltmeter: 

At a glance, you can see roughly the health of your battery, alternator, and charging circuit, and detect unusual parasitic loads. Most people never check their battery until a problem has been going on for a while and something eventually breaks. If you have insufficient voltage, you want to know about it. The warning lights on the sprinter will tell you when something major has gone wrong, but by then you're screwed already.
Simply connect the red wire to a power wire that is on with the ignition, and connect the black wire to any ground. Cut a rectangle somewhere and it pops right in place. I have had mine for over 2 years and it works great.


$8 Key reel retractor made in USA with lifetime guarantee:

This is essential for me. I have locked my keys in too many times in my life, yet not once with the Sprinter. Cops use these cause when you're in a hurry you might just forget 1% of the time. Has a kevlar cord. Don't get the longer one - just makes it easier for it to get snagged on the seatbelt, then lock your keys inside in a jiffy, thinking they're on your hip. My Sprinter came with a nice mod - You can't lock the doors from the inside with the doors open, you must use the key from the outside. My delivery boss taught me to use this method even with a car with remote locking, and I've begun to agree with him. Yesterday for the first time I my keys got caught inside and I shut the door quickly cause my alarm was blaring and my remote was upstairs. Thanks to the P.O's mod, the door wasn't able to be locked in my haste. It might just be rusty, or maybe it's modified in there, idk. Make sure you grease your door hinges btw. It's a good idea to get a spare chip key for $40 from SOS diagnostics in Portland - much cheaper than a dealer.


$70/yr good sam roadside assistance:

Unlimited towing to the nearest shop willing and able to fix it. If you're in the mountains and all you got is AAA which will tow you all of a gracious THREE miles on their basic $70 plan, you are screwed.


$2.50 Hang up and drive sticker

$4 fuel cap to avoid $4000 fuel system failure:

My fuel cap was rusted badly, and I still need to replace the rusty filler neck. The Sprinters oil cap fits airtight on the fuel filler neck and is a better design. You can put some fuel conditioner on the metal to keep it in good shape.
Any high pressure common rail fuel system is extremely sensitive to particles as small as 2 microns, which is 2.6% the width of a human hair. Filters are not 100% efficient - that means that some particles still get through. This means you need to sample your fuel tank for debris, fungus ("Diesel bug") and water. Speaking of water, absolutely  NEVER add water dispering fuel additives. Water is the #1 cause of HPCR injector failure, even when suspended in additives. Just have a look at the prices for a HP pump, injectors, fuel rail on europarts if you need any convincing. It's not that Sprinters are overly expensive - It's the HPCR fuel system that is expensive due to the nature of the tight tolerances and extremely high pressures. This is the price you pay for the amazing fuel economy and good emissions.