Experience with Sprinter Class C's

I own a 2006 GMC with a Duramax diesel engine, pre DEF. When diesel fuel lost much of the sulphur content it also lost much of its lubricity. That was important to the diesel engine fuel systems. Each tank full I add a few ounces of either Lucas fuel treatment,Opti lube or MM oil. Recently I fueled up at "pilot' and they are selling Bio-diesel. Well, 100 miles later I have a check engine light, a "water in fuel" warning ,that I have never seen before, and the truck was not performing as usual. A call to a diesel truck shop buddy and he recommended the Lucas top cylinder treatment be added to the fuel. I borrowed a scanner, erased the code and all is well. Bio-diesel, maybe being less expensive, is not my engine's friend. I personally would not own a MB diesel in a motorhome. The fuel savings are just not worth it. I did own a 85 five cylinder sedan and anything that had MB on it was costly to purchase.
i enjoyed reading the post about the 47 MB the poster owned and the stories concerning repairs. As far as the comments regarding how hard the machines were used, well, that's what they are designed for, to be used, run and run some more. A V-10 may inhale gas but it is easy to maintain, any one calling themselves a mechanic can maintain and parts readily available. Friends had 495K on one truck and over 300K on another. One truck was totaled so he gave me , and recommended I carry, a few different sensors and also some spare ignition coils.

This is interesting. I have a new Mercedes Sprinter RV (2018 Midwest Patriot by American Coach in a 2017 Mercedes body) and have been having power issues with the coach, not Mercedes installed parts or any engine issues, but this post does concern me for future repairs. I guess I will take it to the Mercedes dealership when I have issues and hope they are reasonable.

rjstractor wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Yes, but I do not have a source--it was about 18 months ago. They would not pay for rebuilding the injectors etc.

This is the case on any new vehicle. Vehicle warranties cover defects in the vehicle, not damage caused by bad fuel. It's true that bad fuel causes more damage in some vehicles than others though.

Indeed. There is a very big difference between a warranty not covering problems caused by other than manufacturing problems, and a warranty being voided. In the first case, the company simply won't be covering things that are not their fault, no different than the warranty not causing collision damage. In the latter case, the company would claim that because you put the wrong fuel in the vehicle, no warranty claims at all would be considered, even if they had nothing to do with the fuel--a power window that died, for instance.

In the US, there are few if any legal situations where a car maker can actually void a warranty. They can't void it for your using aftermarket parts or making modifications or employing independent mechanics, though of course they can and frequently will deny coverage for any problems actually caused by such things.

pianotuna wrote:
Yes, but I do not have a source--it was about 18 months ago. They would not pay for rebuilding the injectors etc.

This is the case on any new vehicle. Vehicle warranties cover defects in the vehicle, not damage caused by bad fuel. It's true that bad fuel causes more damage in some vehicles than others though.

I would search the Sprinter owners forum for up to date info. When i checked in early 2018 i was told there is a limited network for service.
I really wanted one so i started asking route drivers that drove them, who confirmed it. My rv repair shop and my Benz car dealership told me the same. That they could not touch a Sprinter bc they did not have the needed software. Only the Sprinter network has it.
I do have a Sprinter facility where i live but if you check the nationwide Sprinter Service map , it , at the time , showed a limited number. There were zero facilities where i camp and fish within 200 miles. I decided against the Sprinter at the time.

jjrbus wrote:
Unless you are rolling in dough and money is not an issue. I would suggest Google something along the lines of mercedes benz RV repair issues. Or complaints, scams, something along those lines. This is the first one that came up for me out of 8,840,000 hits.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f259/fatal-flaw-of-late-model-mercedes-sprinter-319026.html

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f259/fatal-flaw-of-late-model-mercedes-sprinter-319026.html

I've seen that before - it was written by a fleet owner whose drivers put about 100k miles per year on each Sprinter - and they are some pretty hard miles being a commercial operation. Read the whole series of posts for more info - I for one am not concerned.

Unless you are rolling in dough and money is not an issue. I would suggest Google something along the lines of mercedes benz RV repair issues. Or complaints, scams, something along those lines. This is the first one that came up for me out of 8,840,000 hits.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f259/fatal-flaw-of-late-model-mercedes-sprinter-319026.html

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f259/fatal-flaw-of-late-model-mercedes-sprinter-319026.html

Damage caused by bad fuel should be paid for by the fuel seller - warranty wouldn't cover it - maybe insurance under the comprehensive - damage other than collision. I doubt that any manufacturer would provide warranty coverage for damage caused by using improper fuel - gas in a diesel or vice versa, contaminated fuel etc.

JohninSD wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Sprinter may void the warranty on the chassis if you happen to pump some bad fuel. That would be enough to scare me off.

Has this actually happened? Source? I can see MB telling an owner to take it up with the fuel seller if bad fuel was used and caused engine damage but "void the warranty on the chassis"? Doubtful.

Yes, but I do not have a source--it was about 18 months ago. They would not pay for rebuilding the injectors etc.

pianotuna wrote:
Sprinter may void the warranty on the chassis if you happen to pump some bad fuel. That would be enough to scare me off.

Has this actually happened? Source? I can see MB telling an owner to take it up with the fuel seller if bad fuel was used and caused engine damage but "void the warranty on the chassis"? Doubtful.