2007 Winnebago View Diesel

If you plan to boon dock for extended periods, understand that your generator (assuming you have one) likely runs off propane which for people like me would be an issue. The generator itself is not a reliability issue. The matter at hand is that it's using up your propane. Once your propane is gone, everything inside the house shuts down, the fridge, the stove, the furnace, the hot water, and of coarse the generator, soon followed by your batteries. So the best you can hope for then is charging your batteries while bee-lining it to a propane filling station.

With the Ford chassis, you'll have a 55 gallon drum worth of gasoline which the gasoline generator will have it at it's disposal for all but the last 1/4 tank so theoretically you have as much as 41 gallons of gas to support the generator.

We tow a vehicle so we gas up (and top off 6 gallons more) our Ford gasoline powered motor home and drive to a primitive campground where it could sit put for a week, so 41 gallons of gas is good to have around to support the generator which we'll use to charge the batteries and generate hot water via electricity at the same time. With charged batteries and adequate propane, we can run the furnace at night without concerns over battery and/or propane depletion. Only once did we run our gas tank so low that the generator stopped working. But it was time to move on anyway, yet we still had propane for much of the basics.

On another matter over the 2007 L5 Ram/Freightliner diesel chassis, I have read it's load is rated less than current day. As a result, it has handling issues. If the previous owner did not make improvements to the suspension, you might find yourself investing further to help the rig handle better. Mind you the Ford of the same era isn't any different. I had to invest too in our 2007 E350 chassis.

With everything mentioned, I did want to say that if that 70K View for $40,000 is in decent shape, it seems a fair deal for both parties.

Wow, great bunch of info, thanks, Charles!

Dakzuki wrote:

OLYLEN wrote:
The diesel will cost you two to three times the yearly cost of the gas for the chassis. The coach itself should be about the same. Fueling is no problem, maybe EZer than a large gas rig. You will have a longer range with the diesel so planning fuel stops gives you more distance options.

LEN

Incorrect on the range. Sprinters don't have very big fuel tanks. Not sure about the T1N but my 2011 is 26 gallons. At 15 MPG that puts me right in there with many gasser RVs...or less than some.

As far as expenses on the chassis, I change my own oil, filters, etc. so it's pretty cheap. The kicker (on the DPF equipped Sprinters) is the oil as it's made from the breast milk of mermaids and is priced accordingly. I can get it down to $6/qt on sale but it it takes 12-13 qts. The up side is oil changes on mine are only every 10K and I think they've since extended the interval. Oil filter change is stupid easy as it's under the hood in front on top. Checking oil level is done from a button on the dash (Yay!). Fuel filter change on the V6 is not for the faint of heart as it's in the "crotch" of the V on top under a bunch of intake stuff and it can be tough getting the water sensor out. The 5 cylinder is way easier. 5 cylinder oil is cheaper too and it can run off non ULSD fuel if you choose to go to other countries with el cheapo dino diesel.

Indeed, the tank is 100 litres, about 26 gallons. When the low fuel light comes on you are down to about 3 or 4 gallons till the tank is DRY. I just had mine out, it was leaking around the fuel pump, a known chronic problem on T1N models.

I buy the Mobil ! European Car Formula oil at Wal-Mart in 5 qt jugs for about $22. Doesn't get much better than that. Napa also runs sales a couple of times a year on Valvoline and they have one oil that meets the specs for both the 5 cyl and the 6 cylinder. 5 cylinder uses 9½ quarts plus a little it seems. Oil filter is idiot simple and absolutely NO mess at all. Get a Fumoto drain and replace the plug with it and you have the easiest, cleanest, oil change on the planet.

Fuel filter on the 5 cylinder is quite easy and unlike the 6 cylinder, there are only two different filters to chose from. The V-6 has six different part numbers and even Mercedes cannot tell you what the vehicle should have in it, you just gotta see what you have installed and get the same thing.

Transmission fluid, if you track down a Shell distributor in your state, a 12 qt case of ATF 134 should cost between $60 and $70. The Fuchs 4134 will run about $110 for 8 qts shipped. No idea what Chrysler gets for the Sprinter/Crossfire ATF.

AutohausAZ is a good source of parts, I got a Continental serpentine belt there cheaper than elsewhere. Dont' buy Gates, Napa and Dayco belts for the 5 Cyl, they don't make one the proper length, but they do list a belt for it, that is too long. Get the proper Continental belt.

EuropartsSD will have many of the small items and filters and such you need, but some of it is available elsewhere including Amazon. I would stick with Hengst, Mann, and Mahle filters. Make sure the air filter is the one WITHOUT the foam piece bonded to one side. That one is only for vehicles with the AYSST system and it will cause problems on other vehicles.

Be sure and change the cabin air filter, it probably never has been. Its easy, there are youtube videos showing you how.

Charles

Diesel is a little more than gas around here lately, about 10c/gal more.

We have had Sprinters since 2010, current one is a 2013 Navion (same thing as View.) Like them a lot. Diesel is everywhere, and now it as as cheap as gas. For a while there, it was $$ more per gallon.

Wow, some really knowledgeable comments. Thanks!

OLYLEN wrote:
The diesel will cost you two to three times the yearly cost of the gas for the chassis. The coach itself should be about the same. Fueling is no problem, maybe EZer than a large gas rig. You will have a longer range with the diesel so planning fuel stops gives you more distance options.

LEN

Incorrect on the range. Sprinters don't have very big fuel tanks. Not sure about the T1N but my 2011 is 26 gallons. At 15 MPG that puts me right in there with many gasser RVs...or less than some.

As far as expenses on the chassis, I change my own oil, filters, etc. so it's pretty cheap. The kicker (on the DPF equipped Sprinters) is the oil as it's made from the breast milk of mermaids and is priced accordingly. I can get it down to $6/qt on sale but it it takes 12-13 qts. The up side is oil changes on mine are only every 10K and I think they've since extended the interval. Oil filter change is stupid easy as it's under the hood in front on top. Checking oil level is done from a button on the dash (Yay!). Fuel filter change on the V6 is not for the faint of heart as it's in the "crotch" of the V on top under a bunch of intake stuff and it can be tough getting the water sensor out. The 5 cylinder is way easier. 5 cylinder oil is cheaper too and it can run off non ULSD fuel if you choose to go to other countries with el cheapo dino diesel.

I have an '07, which is on a '06 Chassis, a T1N Sprinter model, 5 cylinder. The transmission IS the weak link in this vehicle. It needs all the help it can get. I installed a deep aluminum pan to add about 2½ qts fluid capacity, and also added a transmission temp gauge. I am planning on adding a cooler as the temps climbed a little higher than I liked the other day on a trip.

Quite honestly the fluid needs to be changed about every 20 thousand miles. Mercedes started out recommending 80K, then 60K finally 40K and that is for a regular van. I'd cut that in half for a heavy motorhome. Fluid change should include the torque converter, which has a drain plug, will take 8 qts for a normal pan. Fluid level is tricky to set, you need to buy a dipstick, the dipstick is a TOOL and not intended to, nor can it, be left in the transmission. You check the fluid level and cap the tube when done.

You need to use the proper spec fluids or you WILL have problems. Transmission fluid, their is only about four different ones available, The OEM Mercedes fluid, the Mopar Sprinter/Crossfire fluid, Fuchs 4134, and Shell ATF 134. Use anything else and you can expect transmission problems or failure.

Follow motor oil specs too. Mobil I European Car Formula is most commonly used in the 5 cyl and has the proper approval specs on it. Valvoline also makes an oil with the proper specs.

They are quirky at best and somewhat underpowered. The door locking system will drive you nuts. NEVER EVER lay the keys down in the vehicle, keep them in your pocket at all times. You will never know when the security module will decide to lock the doors on you. Drives me nuts. If one door is unlocked and the others locked, you gotta unlock first, before locking, or it will not lock the doors.

If a brake light bulb burns out, the cruise control will not work, and other things will work strangely. Lots of weird stuff. The list just keeps getting longer.

Edit: forgot to add, Mercedes says this engine is to be operated on diesel that is less than 5% bio, thus pumps that have no bio labeling. If the pump has a 5% to 20% label, do not use it. This is most of the large truckstops such as Pilot and Loves. Buy fuel in places that move a lot of diesel, the fuel filter is marginal and really doesn't do much of anything about removing water.

Edit #2: I bought this in part because I was not willing to have a vehicle with single digit fuel mileage. So far I have been impressed. Trip from south of Atlanta to Huntsville AL Space and Rocket Center, was 18.0mpg, The return I went the long way to stay on interstates, I-65 to Bham and I-20 to US27 south, and got 17.6 on the return as I was doing a little faster speeds than the stop and go that I encountered from Anniston north, and I-65 is quite a bit of up and down hill. Stayed in 4th most of the time at about 60mph, hard on the transmission shifting in and out of 5th all the time.

Charles

Really wanted to buy a Winnie Sprinter View a couple of years ago. Here is a suggestion. Goggle and go to the MB Sprinter site for the USA. Take a look at where the dealers/service centers are located. See if you are comfortable in a rural area with an authorized service center at that distance. That is what stopped me from buying one.

Oklahoma City has a huge Freightliner center. Next stop west was Albuquerque back when I looked. From ABQ, next north was Denver. And so on. The folks like FEDEX and UPS have their own mechanics and full service centers for their fleets. I didn't want to be in line at Freightliner. There are some independent guys within ten miles of my house that will work on them, but I was buying a new rig and so needed a warranty center, not one of these folks.

If I traveled in a more densely populated area of the country most of the time like many on this forum seem to enjoy, I would buy one. I wrestled with this for a couple of months and bought a C on a Ford chassis. I don't think there is a county seat town in the country that doesn't have a Ford or Chevy place.

The diesel will cost you two to three times the yearly cost of the gas for the chassis. The coach itself should be about the same. Fueling is no problem, maybe EZer than a large gas rig. You will have a longer range with the diesel so planning fuel stops gives you more distance options.

LEN