Mercedes Diesel Sprinter motorhome

I,ve been under my sprinter and theres a steel frame from front to back. looks plenty strong to me. my coach is a LTV all fiberglass.

midnightsadie wrote:
I,ve been under my sprinter and there's a steel frame from front to back. looks plenty strong to me. my coach is a LTV all fiberglass.

You are right, it does have a frame. But the frame is thin hardened steel, two "U" channels glued together to make a "box" frame. They call it a uni-body design because the front cab is integrated into the frame. No welding is permitted or the steel looses it's strength, one reason why the wheel base of a Sprinter is not allowed to be modified like an E-series. Outfitters like motor home manufactures are not even allowed to drill a hole into the frame. So if the box frame is damaged in an accident, the vehicle is quick to be totaled.

CLICK HERE to see many pics of a Sprinter cut-away chassis I seen at an auto show a few years ago. Also is the Transit. Note how the Sprinter frame and cab are integrated. An E-series, the frame passes under the cab with the cab bolted on top of it like a truck.

In the pics, note the two "U" channels that make up the box frame.

DownTheAvenue wrote:
I am not a fan of the Mercedes Sprinter diesel. It has very specific oil requirements that even Mercedes dealers don't know. Finding a dealer who can and will work on it can be challenging.

I have heard the same issue and many Mercedes dealerships don't want to work on them.

That said, I have a friend who bought one a couple of years ago. She likely it so much, she bought another that had a different floor plan that better suited her needs.

Ford Transit cutaway chassis/cab is very similar in design to the Sprinter, a unibody construction. Fact is, if your E series is involved in an accident that damages the chassis rails, you can bet the insurance is going to total it, rather than replace the chassis (and have it stretched if needed).

I agree, the owner of a Sprinter needs to become knowledgeable of the vehicle, much in the way that the owner of an old English sports car is. If you cannot do the work yourself, you need to be able to tell the mechanic exactly how you want it done, and know that you are right, and be able to ask enough questions to know if the mechanic did something incorrectly. The oil situation is a difficult sticking point. There are only a couple of semi-readily available oils on the market that meet the MB 229.52 spec (or for 2016 or earlier 229.51 or .52 spec).

Charles

I don’t understand all the confusion about the oil. Go to your chassis manual and use what they recommend. Sprinter parts depot online sells the entire oil change kit based upon your model.

HawkTX wrote:
I don’t understand all the confusion about the oil. Go to your chassis manual and use what they recommend. Sprinter parts depot online sells the entire oil change kit based upon your model.

There is no confusion, its just that many people prefer to purchase their oil locally rather than order it and pay sometimes stupid shipping charges.

NAPA sells Valvoline SynPower MST 5W40 Motor Oil which is priced right now for $5.49 a quart. It meets the 229.51 spec.

Taking the MH to a Mercedes dealer will many times get the wrong oil installed, as apparently, even the dealer does not understand the oil specs. More than one member of the Yahoo V/N forum has reported having the wrong oil installed during an oil change at the dealer.

Charles

CharlesinGA wrote:

HawkTX wrote:
I don’t understand all the confusion about the oil. Go to your chassis manual and use what they recommend. Sprinter parts depot online sells the entire oil change kit based upon your model.

There is no confusion, its just that many people prefer to purchase their oil locally rather than order it and pay sometimes stupid shipping charges.

NAPA sells Valvoline SynPower MST 5W40 Motor Oil which is priced right now for $5.49 a quart. It meets the 229.51 spec.

Taking the MH to a Mercedes dealer will many times get the wrong oil installed, as apparently, even the dealer does not understand the oil specs. More than one member of the Yahoo V/N forum has reported having the wrong oil installed during an oil change at the dealer.

Charles

Sprinter Parts Depot ships free for orders over $100. If you buy the Mobil 1 change kit, which Mercedes approves and recommends it ships free.

I wonder if for those who are not comfortable changing their own oil if they buy the oil change kit and take it to the Mercedes dealership they would just charge them for the labor? That would be an easy fix.

The Freightliner repair shop in Jefferson, Georgia would not service mine.
Service is my only problem-------------------some car dealerships will not take them in.
I will NOT recommend one for RV'ing. If I ever buy another Class "C" it will be a Ford.

DownTheAvenue wrote:
I am not a fan of the Mercedes Sprinter diesel. It has very specific oil requirements that even Mercedes dealers don't know. Finding a dealer who can and will work on it can be challenging.

Mercedes dealers that sell and service Sprinters do. It's just like Ford dealers that don't deal with RVs.

CharlesinGA wrote:
Ford Transit cutaway chassis/cab is very similar in design to the Sprinter, a unibody construction. Fact is, if your E series is involved in an accident that damages the chassis rails, you can bet the insurance is going to total it, rather than replace the chassis (and have it stretched if needed).

I agree, the owner of a Sprinter needs to become knowledgeable of the vehicle, much in the way that the owner of an old English sports car is. If you cannot do the work yourself, you need to be able to tell the mechanic exactly how you want it done, and know that you are right, and be able to ask enough questions to know if the mechanic did something incorrectly. The oil situation is a difficult sticking point. There are only a couple of semi-readily available oils on the market that meet the MB 229.52 spec (or for 2016 or earlier 229.51 or .52 spec).

Charles

The Sprinter cutaway is not unibody....only the vans are. They build class As on the same chassis (sans cab). The Transit is of the same construction. Oil is not a problem if you know what you're looking for. NAPA sells it and it goes on sale for cheap regularly.