New 2018 Sprinter/PleasureWay brakes feel soft and low

[ernie1]

I have a new 2018 Sprinter/PleasureWay that when purchased brand new 800 miles ago has a soft and low brake pedal. This is my first experience with a Sprinter so I asked the selling dealer who told me that was typical Sprinter and that I'd get used to it. Actually I find it hard to get used to and have asked a friend who has the very same vehicle and is also a PleasureWay MH. He said that the brakes were indeed low and soft and that his previous 2005 Sprinter also had low and soft brakes. It sure seems like the brake system needs bleeding and normally I would do it myself except that this would be a Mercedes warranty issue. I don't have problems stopping and the pedal doesn't sink to the floor but it sure doesn't feel reassuring when I have to stop. Any of you who own a similar vehicle care to provide me with your experience? Is there a fix for this if the problem is "a normal Mercedes thing" and I might have to approach fixing it myself?

[luvlabs]

Your brakes are normal for a Sprinter chassis. Mine are the same way and it took a bit of time to get used to them. I had a diesel pusher before the Navion and if I put as much pressure on the pedal as I do in the Sprinter, I would have locked all six tires up.

[paddykernahan]

I have notice the same thing. Brakes seem to be soft. Got used to it. It stops very well. I wouldn't worry.

[ernie1]

luvlabs;
You got a point there! But how bout my brakes?

[luvlabs]

If you lived in Germany, what's good for Mercedes is good for the country. You own a German chassis and live in the US, well what can I say.

[ernie1]

Yup it looks like I will "have to get used to it". You'd think Mercedes would pay attention and do better. Reminds me of the ole saying "What's good for GM is good for the country". Who in the world started that anyways? Anyhow thanks everybody for your feedback.

[CharlesinGA]

Normal for a Sprinter, you will get used to it.

Charles

[DrewE]

I haven't had a chance to drive a Sprinter of any sort yet, so I can't compare there.

Undoubtedly my E-series motorhome has a different brake feel than my Honda Fit (and than my Toyota Corollas before the Fit0, but that's hardly a shock. The steering feel is also somewhat different and much less sensitive to inputs, for that matter.

Hydroboost brakes, such as the E series have, do respond a bit differently than vacuum-assisted ones. They take a fraction of a second to fully respond to a sudden hard stop--or at least mine does, and i have no reason to believe it's not working perfectly normally--so the pedal goes down and then seems to rebound a bit. They also behave differently when first starting the vehicle.

When I step on the brake pedal on the motorhome, it stops, with authority if needed. When I remove my foot, the brakes release, especially now that the calipers have all been renewed from the original old ones that were getting sticky. It seems to me that's what really matters. I am glad they are not super touchy, truth be told, as it maybe helps avoid unnecessary rearrangement of the contents of my cupboards at times.

[sachilles]

Spoke with my buddy who is a sprinter hoarder. He says is normal for them, but the first thing he does when he gets another one is bleed the brakes.

[j-d]

2002 E450 with original master cylinder and larger 2012 brakes. Soft feel to the pedal. Stops great.

[docsouce]

2x on the soft and low brake pedal. I have a Thor on a 2016 E350 chassis. When the RV was delivered to me (Aug. of 2016) I questioned the Tech doing the walk through about this. He told me this is a "factory normal brake."
Fast forward to yesterday (strange to tell). I have put 25,000 miles on the RV and brought it to my mechanic to have the brakes checked out in preparation for our upcoming cross county trip. The pads are fine and I had him bleed the system. He took no exception and told me this is just the way these systems feel. I don't know they still feel strange to me.

[rogerddd]

I have a Thor Four Winds with a Sprinter Chassis. Like you, I was surprised at how soft the break petal is. I does not seem to be a safety issue though.

When I checked the VIN of the chassis on my RV for a parts order, I learned my 2018 RV is mounted on a 2016 chassis. But that is another issue. I know, I should have run the VIN before purchase, but maybe that is normal for Thor and other manufactures.

[sachilles]

A quick look around the interweb, and it certainly looks like you are not the only one to encounter the issue. Didn't find anything that seemed to fix it either.
Sorry, I can't offer more help.
I'll ping a friend who is a bit of sprinter "collector" and see what he's experienced.