davepcpowernet
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Re: Service On Sprinter Chassis?
Wilsonville MB informed me of the problems with the Sprinter and that they are actually working on it. However, the real problem is that they and most other dealers are woefully lacking in technicians that truly understand the complex emissions "patchwork" systems. I am not so sure that I would again purchase an MB Sprinter again given the expense and problems with today's engine complexities with their failure history. Though, even I with over 50 years experience with complex computer systems and with a basic knowledge of how the NOx systems "should" work would not even attempt to try to diagnose and restore the proper functioning of the MB system. Let's hope that we can resume our trip to see our grandchildren before we can't drive anymore.602Views0likes0CommentsRe: Service On Sprinter Chassis?
I suppose I should post some factual data: Sprinter 2015 3500 6 cyl. On one of our trips at about 8000 miles we experienced low DEF warnings and within 50 to 100 miles received limited restarts. Filling the DEF with no more than 2.5 gallons and often with a gallon or less cleared the restarts. Stopped at Freightliner dealers in Minneapolis and at St. Paul, was told they were too busy to look at it. Maybe in a week or so could get it in. Our home is in the Portland Oregon metro area. Continued to add DEF as needed, no more than a gallon or rarely 2 gallons with no warnings or limited restarts. In January 2018 took in to Mercedes/Sprinter dealer in Wilsonville, Oregon (approx. 30,000 miles, 33 months on warranty), after one week could find nothing wrong. In April, after driving 400 additional miles limited restarts on nearly full DEF and with check engine light. Returned to Wilsonville dealer on April 10, 2018. With 4 restarts remaining. Total additional miles after January 950. Contacting dealer for status updates as of April 23, 2018, have had no return information. My iCaresoft scanner showed: 47643.14 km since last regen (29,604 miles) Last regen at 47643.96 km 18BC00 upper limit value for long-term adaptation of the SCR system was exceeded DTC stored 16CF00 Fault in system AdBlue – The number of possible engine starts is limited DTC stored Engine off: Current kilometer reading 49112 (30,517 miles) Fill level of DPF 89.37% Soot Level 7.11 g Ash content 0 g Engine on: Soot content of DPF 5.03 g Ash content 0 g Engine speed 679 1/min Pressure differential in DPF filter 7 hPa Upstream temp of turbo 155.30 C Upstream of DPF 143.7 C Exhaust back pressure 1100 hPa601Views0likes0CommentsRe: Service On Sprinter Chassis?
We have been experiencing rather poor service from Sprinter dealers in regards to the emissions systems in our Roadtrek. Dealers are "too busy" to look at anything for one or two weeks. If we are traveling, as were were two years ago in Minneapolis/St. Paul, we couldn't afford to wait for more than a week in a motel while the dealers were putting us in the queue behind the commercial Sprinter users. So, we live with faults until they become a crisis. The other side of it is some dealers are too busy to even do a proper diagnostic until a crisis develops and then it takes weeks to find and then "fix" the problem by throwing parts at it until something happens to work. I have a saga of our Roadtrek that I would like to share, positive for the Roadtrek but negative for the dealer support of the Sprinter. To bad it is too long to share on this forum. Right now we are waiting for the dealer 50 miles away to fix the emissions problem that made us abort our 2 month long trip to our grandaughter's birthday. It has today been two weeks sitting at the dealer.601Views0likes0CommentsRe: RoadTrek Sprinter RS or CS Adventurous for family of 5
Sprinter diesel service doesn't have to cost that much. First, compare getting oil and filters changes every 3K to 5K miles: 4 changes at $30 to $50 = $120 to $200. My last oil change was about $100 for oil and filters from NAPA (on sale), $130 for a Mercedes mobile mechanic to come to my house to work. Total cost $230. The filter cost can vary, but you can buy a Mercedes fuel filter on line.1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: RoadTrek Sprinter RS or CS Adventurous for family of 5
AdventurerW wrote: davepcpowernet wrote: I would certainly lean toward the RS. It would certainly lend itself more to a family of five with its seating and the view out of its windows. Riding comfort for passengers in the RS also be a plus. Roadtrek seats are very comfortable, especially with the faux leather. Again, the downsides would be limited storage due to the much smaller cabinetry, smaller fridge and the placement of the microwave. The toilet space is also smaller. Thank you Dave! My line of thinking on choosing the CS over the RS: CS has a bigger fridge - good for family or with the fellas during tailgating (where beer storage comes at a premium). Yes, the RS has a 4th option for a sleeping arrangement. Thoughts here are I would be pitching a tent anyways on a campground. So the extra 4th is nice, but unnecessary. In the event of bad weather, where we all have to sleep in the CS. Adult and 2 kids in the back (yes it could be sardine-ish, but can work), one on the front bed, and yours truly on a makeshift bed on the aisle. Have you looked at Mike Wendland's newsletter at mwendland@me.com , Your RV Lifestyle Newsletter? He has links to his blog, Roadtrekers on Facebook, etc. I understand your point. Utility against comfort. Kids are resilient, too and you certainly are not our age (80+ and still Rving)where comfort is paramount! If you do go with Roadtrek, be sure to weigh the propane generator against the engine mounted generator and the 4 battery option. We have the engine mounted and 4 batteries which allows us to overnight hookup free with power to spare. Driving the next day recharges.532Views0likes0CommentsRe: RoadTrek Sprinter RS or CS Adventurous for family of 5
AdventurerW wrote: davepcpowernet wrote: We have a Adventurous CS. With the second passenger seat and the rear couch we can seat 6 and sleep 3 with the front bed option. Though we only travel with the two of us. Pulling any sort of trailer is somewhat inconvenient if you want to stop someplace in town or even in some crowded rest stops. Once in a while we have been places where tourist traffic was rather horrendous and with a trailer or even with a wider RV than the sprinter would be problematic. We do really like the Roadtrek and in two years have traveled over 30K miles. Seating more than that really cuts down on interior utility - storage especially and as well placement and size of the fridge and microwave. Hi Dave - when you mentioned "seating more than that", what # did you mean? More than 6? More than 2? If you had a family of 5 right now, would you go RS or CS? And why? This rig is desired as a weekend extender, a comfortable ride for my family with the amenities to "extend our stays" at places without having to leave for some food or a toilet. Any long trips we take will surely be used in conjunction with tents, motel/hotels, RV resorts. The ride itself will be a thing of beauty to explore places. Seating more than 6 as some of the models do is what I am referring to. For the two of us we removed the third seat and added the closet instead. This leaves the couch in back for three crowded seats plus the two in front. My wife reports that riding in back is like riding in the back seat of a school bus. If seating 3 in front and two in back works, then there is the loss of storage that probably would need to be made up some other way for a family of 5. There are ways to do that such as a hitch mounted storage box or like others have suggested, a trailer. You mention longer trips using other facilities which is what we do. Our stays in motels average about 1.3 stays per week. Otherwise we usually stay in campgrounds with an occasional stay in a Cracker Barrel or a truck stop. The CS allows us to do that. I guess the upshot is when you mention mainly using it for a deluxe transportation and if I were in your shoes, I would certainly lean toward the RS. It would certainly lend itself more to a family of five with its seating and the view out of its windows. Riding comfort for passengers in the RS also be a plus. Roadtrek seats are very comfortable, especially with the faux leather. Again, the downsides would be limited storage due to the much smaller cabinetry, smaller fridge and the placement of the microwave. The toilet space is also smaller. The major plus for both models is the Sprinter. It is very easy to drive, comfortable, and easy on the fuel. I once drove for 19 hours in order to make it in time for a funeral. I would not have done that in many other vehicles. I haven't spoken about the quality that Roadtrek puts into their vehicles. It is excellent, especially compared to the rest of the RVs out there.532Views0likes0CommentsRe: RoadTrek Sprinter RS or CS Adventurous for family of 5
We have a Adventurous CS. With the second passenger seat and the rear couch we can seat 6 and sleep 3 with the front bed option. Though we only travel with the two of us. Pulling any sort of trailer is somewhat inconvenient if you want to stop someplace in town or even in some crowded rest stops. Once in a while we have been places where tourist traffic was rather horrendous and with a trailer or even with a wider RV than the sprinter would be problematic. We do really like the Roadtrek and in two years have traveled over 30K miles. Seating more than that really cuts down on interior utility - storage especially and as well placement and size of the fridge and microwave.532Views0likes0CommentsRe: Anyone keep their B plugged in for winter storage?
Yes, we do keep it plugged in. The Alde heater in our Roadtrek is set to 55 to help keep it dry inside and not so warm as to encourage critters looking for a warmer place even though it is stored inside our large shop with critter traps and/or munchies for mice.545Views0likes0CommentsRe: NEWBIE Needs Help: Pleasureway, ROADTREK, Winnebago
We have a Roadtrek CS Adventurous without the third seat by the door for the two of us. Can haul 4 if the bed is cranked back as a couch, but we generally leave it as twin beds. With all the storage and bath, it does feel a little closed in, but open the doors, side and back (with screens) it seems wide open. Ours is on a Sprinter chassis, bells and whistles included. It is just a little over a year old with 20,000 miles on it. We have to justify our spending our kids inheritance! Resale value as others have said is higher on the Sprinter and workmanship tends to be better and with better materials. It has the engine mounted generator which has performed much better than what we used to have to do with the Onan in our former class C plus no or little maintenance. Boondocking is no problem, with our 4 AGM batteries we can even run the AC for 4 or 5 hours until recharging which only takes an hour or two at an engine idle. Idling only burns about a third of a gallon an hour. Don't have the solar, but have been considering adding. A little hard to justify at today's diesel prices. I had it in to the dealer today to get the inverter replaced as it died on the way home from Alaska. The 5 year warranty does pay off. Of course, there always a few little problems or things breaking, but usually can easily be fixed. Cabinet latches seem to be an ongoing problem, but are very easy to replace. The factory is generous in supplying extras. For just one person would suggest getting one of the models on a 3/4 ton chassis, ie. without duals. You would have factory supplied tire monitors. It pays to keep tire pressures up and monitors are a great aid in doing that. As others have said, though, each of us have specific wants or needs or even biases, so that is why we have so many different makes and models to choose from. Good luck!309Views0likes0Comments
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