[emat]

Newish lurker here coming out of the shadows to say hello. Have been dreaming of building my own camper conversion for a long time now and have learned a lot from this forum - so huge thank-you to everyone for all their contributions here. I don't have a van yet, am waiting for a resolution from VW in their little diesel gate problem before I can begin that process in earnest. I am pretty much sold on the idea of a Promaster, however ack! after reading the Water Leak in Cargo Area thread some doubt has crept into my mind. Are water leaks just isolated problems? Has Ram done anything to address this issue in recent years? That could be a deal breaker for me here on Vancouver Island.

Eric

 

[zwarte]

Vast numbers of PMs have no leaks. Mine doesn't. It may be related to weight and installations on the roofs.


Oh. And welcome to the forum.

 

[phil]

If your other option is a Transit, it has giubo flex joint issue and some have alignment issues. I stopped at a used commercial truck dealer and looked at the front tires of the low mileage Transits all had new front tires and old rear tires and one even had the torn up front tires left on. This is not every Transit, but it's something to be aware of.

 

[keeponvaning]

No leaks anywhere on my '14.

 

[emat]

Thanks for the welcomes and reassurance.

 

[emat]

With the VW diesel situation settled now in Canada, I can move forward and budget for this van build, yay! I'm weighing the pros and cons of buying new vs used, approximately what time of year do we typically start to get reliable information about next years models? About what month do 'next years' vehicles begin being sold? I'm not banking on any revolutionary updates to the vans but just the same, it might be nice to know. Have any changes been made to the Promaster each year up to now? If so are these compiled somewhere?

My preference would be for a silver van, but those have been hard to find used.

 

[SteveSS]

Hey, emat. Greetings from another Islander. We pick up our PM early next week. We factory ordered to get several options you won't find on typical white commercial models on dealer lots. Model year change-over happens over the summer, but I'm not sure exactly when. You probably already know there are no PM dealers in Victoria (weird) but there are in Duncan, Nanaimo (2), Parksville, and Campbell River. Tons over on the lower mainland. We got the best fleet pricing from JP in Surrey.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Typical last day to fleet order- around March 25 for same year delivery. Production changeover about July 20 and a few weeks to a month’s wait as early year production seems to go to contracts/government/etc.

 

[emat]

Looking a placing a factory order soon. I'm told it will be for a 2018 with delivery I'm guessing around September give or take a few months. Thanks for the info on the dealer SteveSS. JP's in Surrey has certainly been the easiest to deal with. The specs I'm considering include:

Silver 2500 high roof 159"
200 amp alternator
trailer hitch
power folding heated mirrors
swivel seats
cruise control
rear door windows
park sense and rear backup cam
security alarm

Just wondering about a couple of things. Firstly, is there any value in the bright instrument panel bezels vs standard? Are they all or none or can you increase or decrease the brightness of them? Second, my electrical system knowledge is very poor, Is it worth getting the auxiliary power input? Where is it located; in the engine compartment? I plan on doing a full electrical setup when I build the van out so if adding this now is going to save me even a bit of money and effort later I'll do it otherwise I'll hold off.

Thanks everyone.

 

[KNDLKSTMS]

Get all the upfitter stuff. Accessory Connector , Audio Connector , Power Connector , Rear Speaker Enable . You'll be able to live without but .... now is the time . If you don't use the goodies at least resale is improved .
Upfitter details here : https://www.ramtrucks.com/en/bodybuildersguide/2016/rampromaster/

 

[SteveSS]

Looking a placing a factory order soon. I'm told it will be for a 2018 with delivery I'm guessing around September give or take a few months. Thanks for the info on the dealer SteveSS. JP's in Surrey has certainly been the easiest to deal with. The specs I'm considering include:
Silver 2500 high roof 159"
200 amp alternator
trailer hitch
power folding heated mirrors
swivel seats
cruise control
rear door windows
park sense and rear backup cam
security alarm
Just wondering about a couple of things. Firstly, is there any value in the bright instrument panel bezels vs standard? Are they all or none or can you increase or decrease the brightness of them? Second, my electrical system knowledge is very poor, Is it worth getting the auxiliary power input? Where is it located; in the engine compartment? I plan on doing a full electrical setup when I build the van out so if adding this now is going to save me even a bit of money and effort later I'll do it otherwise I'll hold off.
Thanks everyone.

Great list of options, because mine are just about the same.
A few recommendations: the leather-wrapped steering wheel is really awesome and only $75. The 2 additional key flobs ($150) are way cheaper now than later (think of it as insurance). Wheel covers ($200) add a significant bit of class if you aren't going alloy. I got the stock mud flaps, but they are pathetic. The Mopar HD flaps have the Ram logo, so I'll be looking elsewhere. I got the Mopar walk-through slush mat ($150), also pretty pathetic. I definitely see heavier aftermarket floor mats and mud flaps in my future.

I didn't get the bright bezels so I'm not sure what it entails. It's no-cost, so I suspect it's just plastic chrome rings around the gauges. The stock dash lighting is dimmable. I think the Aux Power "Outlet" is inside the back doors (I didn't get one). The Aux Power "Connector" is now standard and it's one of the upfitter connections at the foot of the passenger B-pillar. Both tap the engine battery, which makes them less useful if you plan on installing separate "house" batteries and wiring.

BTW, all the upfitter connections appear to be standard now, at least in Canada.

Finally, if you happen to have a business with a GST number, you qualify for a fleet discount. JP's fleet salesman (Glenn) works out of JP Toyota in Victoria. Really nice guy.

 

[emat]

Great info Steve, thanks, just what I was looking for. Unfortunately I don't qualify for a fleet discount, so I sent them a lowish, but I think fair offer which to my surprise they accepted. Just sorting out a few small details then have to look for some courage to make that deposit. Eagerly awaiting details of your build.

 

[emat]

Well it turns out that midnight this past Monday, yes yesterday, was the final deadline to get orders in for 2017's. A mere 8 hours before I decided to make a deposit. They didn't tell me that beforehand, I don't think the salesman even knew. The cash discount only applied to the 2017's and I'm not in position to fork over an extra 5000 for the 2018. Fortunately, I hope, as you will see, the dealership had just placed an order for a van for their lot. They've submitted a request to have my specs applied to that order but they aren't certain modifications can be made after an order has been placed, though both the rep and the salesman are optimistic. So I'm waiting to hear one way or the other. Long story short, if you were hoping to place an order for a 2017 you're out of luck.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

This has happened each year and the cutoff can be as early as the third week in March. I ordered a 2015 in March 21 of 2015 and was told I got the order in 4 days before the cutoff. Your dealer can tell you the last order date and prospective buyers planning to order should ask months before. If you miss the cutoff the delivery for the next year is postponed a couple of months from the production startup, usually late July I believe. Fleet and government ordered vehicles seem to get priority.
See: http://www.automotive-fleet.com/new...ler-announces-2017-my-order-cutoff-dates.aspx
http://www.automotive-fleet.com/cha...ory/2017/02/fca-sets-2018-my-order-dates.aspx
https://www.arifleet.com/resources/...” front end design? You heard it here first.