Ball joints unnecessarily replaced during MVI
Just had a Motor Vehicle Inspection done on my 2006 Leisure Travel Van built on a Sprinter chassis. Mechanic and his manager insisted that there was too much axial (up and down) play in the ball joints and that they had to be replaced. After once ball joint was removed, I fax them them a copy of the Daimler AG service bulletin provided by Doctor A in the Sprinter Source forum (under TIN Database). Axial play in a Sprinter's ball joints is normal and under normal use, they don't have to be replaced during the life of your vehicle. The new ball joint behaved exactly the same as the one it replaced. The service manager did not charge for the ball joint nor the labor for this unnecessary work, and apologized. The same mechanic also overfilled the engine with oil (12 litres instead of the recommended 9) and had to come drain out the extra oil while I remained parked off the highway. Needless to say, a pretty frustrating day altogether.
