When you purchase a new camper van from Off Highway Van, the systems, functions, and learning curve to your new van's operation can seem daunting at first. No worries! The Off Highway Van team has put together this quick tutorial to take you through both some of the functions of your new Mercedes Sprinter van as well as some systems specific to your Off Highway Van build.
Camper Van 101: The Basics Functions of Your Sprinter Van
Using The Seats In Your Sprinter Van
To use the swivel functionality on your new Sprinter van passenger seat, you will first need to located two levers on the base of the seat. The first lever is located higher up near the base of the seat and controls your seat's ability to move forward and backward.
The second lever on your seat, located closer to the swivel base, allows the seat to swivel around to face either the front or rear of the van.
To begin the process of swiveling your passenger seat, you will want to pull the upper forward/reverse lever and pull the seat toward the rear of the van. Once the seat has the maximum clearance from the dash, you can pull the lower level to complete the swivel.
Other Seat Controls from Mercedes
On the outside of the seat base, you will find some additional controls that mimic a standard vehicle like adjustments for seat angle, seat height, lumbar support, and lean angle.
The Mercedes (Passenger) Underseat Box
Under your Mercedes Sprinter van passenger seat, you will notice a small compartment with a plastic cover. This can either be used for storage or will house the amplifier for your upgraded sound package from JL Audio.
Locating Your Jackstand and Breaker Bar
To access your Mercedes jackstand and breaker bar, head over to the passenger side of your vehicle and remove the cover from the step front of your step (shown below).
Inside this hidden step compartment, you will find your Mercedes jackstand and breaker bar.
The Mercedes Sprinter Underseat Fuse Block
For ease of access, Mercedes has thrown out the standard engine bay fuse box location and has instead opted to install their main fuse panel under your driver's seat.
This fuse block controls many of your major Mercedes Sprinter functions, but also contains the fuses for your integrated light bar (connected to your starter battery), and your drain gray water tank (connected to your house batteries).
Other Switches + Levers
On the dash of your van near the steering wheel you'll find your lighting switch panel.
This switch panel runs accessories like your light bar, auxillary lighting, and even your low voltage button (when applicable).
Engine Bay + Fueling
Locating Your Mercedes Sprinter Fueling Point
When you initially pull up to the gas station in your new camper van, finding the fueling point can be a bit tricky if you're not sure where to look.
The fueling point on your Sprinter van is actually located just behind your driver's side door and can only be opened when the door is open.
Popping the Hood
To pop the hood on your van, like many other vehicles, locate the hood lever near the drivers side door on the inside of the pillar panel.
Simply pull down on this lever to release the hood latch and then head to the front of the van to open the hood.
Filling the DEF in Your Sprinter Van
With new diesel motors, you will need to keep your DEF tank full to keep your van running smoothly.
You can find this fill point by opening the hood and locating a blue cap labeled DEF near the passenger side headlight.
Where to Purchase DEF Fluid and When To Fill
Premium DEF fluid can be purchased from any major auto parts retailer. Your van will send out a notification when your DEF needs to be filled.
Filling the Washer Fluid in Your Sprinter Van
Near the driver's side of your hood, you will find a blue-topped reservoir that holds your van's washer fluid.
Fill this reservoir as needed or when prompted via your Mercedes display screen.
Locating Your Sprinter Van's Battery + Jump Starting
The Sprinter van's battery can be a bit tricky to see if you're looking for the standard vehicle layout. The positive and negative leads of the van battery are actually located in two different places.
The positive lead connector is accessed by pushing back a red plastic cover (shown above) located near the center of the engine bay.
The negative lead is located on the driver's side engine bay wall. This is a basic ground wire connection and will typically look like the post shown below.
Off Highway Camper Van Functions
3-Zone Dimmable LED Lighting
When you first step into your new Off Highway Van, you'll need to be able to locate your light switches. These switches are located in a few different places. Right as you step in the side door, you will find a small button on the b-pillar on your right hand side.
There is also a control located on your main switch panel as well as two in the rear of your van; one located on the backside of your Series A™ aluminum cabinets (shown below):
and an additional switch located on an auxillary panel near the rear of your van above the platform bed (shown below).
How to Use Your Dimmable LED Lighting
To use the lighting in your Off Highway Van, first start off by pushing the light switch once. Then, to dim, simply hold the button until you're happy with the illumination then let it go. To re-engage the lighting system, hold the button down a second time until the lights respond.
Safety Features Included
Fire Extinguisher
Every Off Highway Van comes standard with a fire extinguisher that can be easily accessed from the rear of the passenger seat.
There is a quick release handle that allows you to quickly remove this item from it's seated position.
Carbon Monoxide + Smoke Detectors
Each Off Highway van comes standard with a carbon monoxide and smoke detector.
From time to time, this may begin to beep repeatedly. If this occurs, simply replace the double AA batteries.
The Off Highway Van™ Galley + Kitchen
Each Off Highway Van™ we produce comes standard with a high-quality kitchen that includes a Series A galley, Isotherm™ fridge, under-mount sink, and more! Here, we'll go through some basic settings and functions of our galley kitchen system.
Using Your IsoTherm™ Refrigerator
In your IsoTherm™ refrigerator, you will find a small dial in the upper right hand corner that adjusts the temperature of your camper van fridge. This dial ranges from 0-7 (7 being the coldest; 0 being off).
PRO TIP
From our testing, we suggest keeping this fridge set at about a 5 for most applications.
Using Your Lagun™ Table
The Lagun™ table is a premier option for our camper van builds. This table comes standard with two mounting locations and can be easily moved, remounted, or stowed for travel.
The Lagun™ table has 3 major pieces: the tabletop, the arm, and the leg. To stow your Lagun™ table, we recommend removing the table top first followed by the arm and then, finally, the leg.
To remove the table top, push in on the button located on the lever on the arm of the Lagun™ system. At the same time, rotate the lever clockwise to release the table top from the arm.
Once this lever is free, you can push your table top up and it should unseat itself from the arm of the Lagun™ system.
Now that the table top is stowed, you should be able to easily remove the arm by pushing the button in and rotating the lever at the top of the leg clockwise like you did to remove the tabletop (this may take a bit of back and forth wiggling to remove the connector post from the leg).
Finally, loosen the lever near the base of the Lagun™ table leg and slide the leg upward to unseat it from the Lagun™ table bracket.
Activating Your USB Ports
On your main switch panel, you will see a port labeled USB. Flip open the cover and press the button to activate the USB ports around your camper van.
Opening + Closing Your AMA Windows™
When you purchase a new Off Highway Van™, you're not just getting an as-is cargo van with a build out. We have partnered with AMA Windows™ to add vented windows throughout your van so you can feel more connected to the outside.
To open your AMA Windows™, push down on the manual lock near the bottom center of your window. Then, simply push on the lip of the window to slide it open.
Once you slide the window into its open position, you will notice a screen in the that can also be opened in the same way to give you seamless access to the outside of your van.
PRO TIP
You can drive with these windows open if you so choose without worrying about rattling, etc.
Quality of Life Improvements
Bug Screens
Bug screens are one of the premier upgrades you can make to the quality of life in your van. These come as options on our Basecamp and Pro models and standard on every Pro-X Off Highway Van™ model.
You can option bug screens on your slider door, rear doors, or both!
Using Your Bug Screens
To lower your bug screens from their stowed position, begin by unclipping the 4 clips located at the top of your bug screen. Once these are unclipped, begin to roll the screen down to the floor of the van.
Once the bug screen is unrolled, use the zipper and begin to pull down to close each side of the bug screen. Don't worry, you're not closing yourself out; each screen comes with a magnetic opening in the center so you don't have to be constantly zipping and unzipping to get in and out of your van.
The Supply Slider™
Speaking of premiere options, enter the Off Highway Van proprietary Supply Slider™. This sliding gear tray makes accessing all of your storage a breeze.
Using The Supply Slider™
To extend the Supply Slider™ storage tray, push down on the two red levers located on each side of the slider. Then, pull the slider out toward you gently. And don't worry about loading it up; our patented Supply Slider™ system can hold up to 450 lbs!
Other Systems + Functions
Exterior Shore Power Plug
To make plugging into shore power as simple as possible every Off Highway Van comes standard with an exterior shore power plug on the driver's side of your van that can be plugged into your home or any campsite electrical hookup.
Gray Water System
If you reach down on the driver's side near the center of your van, you will find a small cap labeled "drain." This is where you can access your gray water system to dump the contents. Simply unscrew this knob and then pull out the lever to release the contents of the tank.
Heating System Exhaust
Next to your gray water drain, you'll see an additional silver pipe exiting toward the rear tire. This is your heating system exhaust line.
The only time you need to worry about this system, is if you see any snow, ice, mud, or buildup, go ahead and clean it off to ensure proper functionality.
Thanks for Choosing Off Highway Van!
Looking for even more help with your new Sprinter camper van? Talk to the van experts at Off Highway Van today!
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