We Answered All of Your Van Conversion Questions

After 13 years of converting campervans, we’ve heard about every question regarding designing and building van conversions. At the same time, we’ve worked with so many clients and have built thousands of adventure vans that we know the exact set of questions to ask every client before and during their campervan buildout. To better help anyone interested in getting their van converted, whether through ADF or not, we’ve aggregated all the questions and answers concerning a campervan conversion. 

Questions We Get Asked 

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Sprinter Van Conversions. Let us know in the comments what other questions you may have, and we’ll be sure to answer. 

Why do you choose to convert Sprinter vans? 

Before founding ADF Sprinters, the founder Ron Weaver worked extensively with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis immediately after it was released into the United States. While responsible for designing and overseeing the production, Ron built a lasting relationship with Mercedes-Benz Vans engineers, and the Sprinter chassis was a quickly established favorite among customers. Fast forward 18 years, and ADF Sprinters continues to focus their builds primarily around the Sprinter Chassis.

The Springer van chassis has given ADF the most complex and capable platform to build on. Everything from how we can integrate our structures into the van to our electronic systems and even how we work with the interior dimension is a very reliable platform. We want something that customers can feel confident in when investing $100k+ into their custom campervan and that they will last for a long time. We keep using the Sprinter Van chassis because it’s a very nice robust platform that gives us many opportunities to get creative. 

What is your current lead time, and how long does it take to convert a van? 

Within our 20,000-square-foot conversion facility, we are working on upwards of 18 vans at any given time. Based on our current build queue, if you dropped off your van today, it would be 3-4 months until we could start building your campervan. Once we receive the van, from start to finish, the build process usually takes 8-18 weeks, sometimes a little longer, depending on the complexity of the build. 

Can I buy my van through ADF? 

Are you having a difficult time trying to acquire a new Sprinter van? You’re not alone, as this is a nationwide problem Mercedes-Benz has faced consistently over the last few years. No need to worry because we’ve recently sourced and secured multiple Brand NEW 4WD Sprinter Vans – 144’ and 170’. They are only available for sale with an ADF Conversion that starts at $140,000 (van included). These 4×4 Sprinter vans will continue to be popular, and the demand will always be there, so if you’re looking to re-sell the van down the road, it will hold its value much more than a 2-wheel drive van. If interested, contact our team at [email protected] to discuss your dream conversion.

How can I finance my van conversion? 

You can absolutely finance your van conversion. We’ve written an article about What You Need To Know About Financing A Conversion Van. 

Do you offer custom floor plans? Do you offer several layout styles? 

Everyone is unique, and each person has a different style. While we might build similar campervan layouts and designs, each van is built custom and completely one-of-a-kind. That said, every campervan built in our shop is tailored entirely to your lifestyle and design tastes, with hundreds of layouts and fabrications to choose from. However, many of our clients have selected one of the handful of proven layouts from our past builds, but they will choose different fabrics, colors, or appliances. Check out our blog, The Best Sprinter Van Design Layouts. 

Will I be involved in the design process? 

Absolutely! As Sprinter van design specialists, we work closely with you to design the ultimate van conversion for your lifestyle and needs. Our customization options are nearly endless, and we encourage you to bring any materials, fabrics, photos, and sketches into that design process so we can make sure to match your style as closely as we can. Once we settle on a floor plan layout and have chosen the appropriate materials for the build, we’ll create an estimate for you, including every possible feature and accessory available. 

What is your warranty? 

After we’ve completed your van conversion and you’ve hit the road, we offer a 3-year or 36,000-mile warranty on everything we touch. If anything breaks, we will take care of it – For FREE. We are also incredibly thoughtful about our systems and their interaction with the van chassis. This means that our work doesn’t void the van’s warranty on critical components from Mercedes-Benz.

What does your average build cost?

This is a bit of a loaded question because our scope of capabilities and our customer’s budgets are so broad. On average, if you’re looking for an adventure van that will hit all your needs, then on the low-end, it’s about $40,000. Still, our builds go as high as $200,000, depending on what you need and if it’s something we’ve done before. If it is a build we already have a template for, it will be cheaper than us going to the drawing board to engineer a new layout. When working with a client, we often say: If you can dream it, we can build it! 

Why ADF?

When choosing a van conversion company, you want one that will offer quality craftsmanship, five-star customer service, a strong warranty, and years of experience building adventure vans. While quality and craftsmanship are paramount, the start-to-finish experience of working with a van conversion company is also crucial. We are different from other camper van conversion companies because we have an established tenure, control all aspects and components of the build, and have been family-owned and operated since our inception. As a family-run business, we take pride in customer service and an intimate design experience. If Mercedes-Benz can trust our work, so can you!

• 35 years in vehicle modifications 
• 13 years converting Sprinter vans 
• 1,000’s of vans built and on the road
• 41 team members at ADF
• We have been a Mercedes-Benz Expert Upfitter for 12 years.

What is the Expert Upfitter Program? 

The Expert Upfitter Program is a program by Mercedes-Benz that keeps all the top Sprinter upfitters in check regarding the safety and quality of their builds. So rather than having anyone hopping in and just doing whatever they want to the Vans, this program is how we work together with Mercedes to build in a very safe and high-quality way. We follow strict Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) when building our interiors, especially regarding Halo zones, seating systems, and mounting systems. We’re highly trained in integrating our systems with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and not voiding the factory warranty.

In 2010 Mercedes-Benz recognized us as a Sprinter Preferred Upfitter, which then became the Master Upfitter program, and now most recently, it’s called the Expert Upfitter. Regardless of what it’s called, we’ve been acknowledged by Mercedes as a top Sprinter Van Conversion Company – Which we humbly boast. 

Should I be looking at other companies to compare?

Plenty of other van conversion companies are available, with more and more opening daily. We encourage all prospective clients to do their research and talk with other companies to see which one they feel the most comfortable working with throughout the process. Our goal is to grow our ADF community and bring new members into our family because you love what we will build for you, and the entire process for how we got there. 

Here are a few of the most trusted van conversion companies that we recommend checking out:

• Field Van
• Outside Van
• TouRig
• VanDoIT

Do you have any client references? 

The best way to judge a company is by talking to its past customers and seeing their experience and how the van has held up. Unlike products on amazon, you don’t typically see ratings on their website, so referrals are the best way to go. Any good builder should be able to provide at least a few past jobs; if they don’t, be wary. Another suggestion is to visit their Instagram to see who tags them and reach out through DM’s – I’m sure they would love to share.

Here are some testimonies from a few of our customers – 

“The reason I chose ADF Sprinters was because they were the most upfront and honest with me about the process, they seem to be the most hands-on and meticulous, their reputation with their build work was incomparable to the rest, and their reputation stands for itself.” – Helen Grace | Helen’s Van Conversion

“There is no other up fitter that has the kit of parts that make up what I wanted to be accomplished. It was really a very fortunate scenario because ADF could pull this off. I would sketch, and they would say yes, and that’s awesome. They even came up with better ideas than I had even sketched. It really worked out perfectly, and they were able to accomplish everything I wanted.” – Neil Norehime | Neil’s Van Conversion 

“ADF has been great! With the pandemic, shortages, and just the delays of everything, they handled it as best as any company could. Jeremiah has been great, he’s been giving me updates, and the quality is just amazing, he did a really great job, and it’s been really great working with them.” – Nick | Nick’s Van Conversion 

“ADF was absolutely wonderful to work with. They customized the van to every specification that we needed it for. Everything from the extended bed to fit Dave, who’s 6’6”, to adding a special cubby hold to fit our fly rods, so we don’t have to break them down every day when we’re on a fishing trip, so they were just wonderful to work with, it was a great process, there are so many options they really help you navigate and pair down what they think would work best for you which was great when you have endless options for the van. They were just great to work with.” – Mary Aaron | Mary and David’s Van Conversion 

“The process working with ADF was fantastic. The dealership connected me with Ron and Jeremiah, and they were really good about catering to my needs and really diving into my personal lifestyle and building a van around that.” – Jared Simmons | Jarrod’s Van Conversion