Anyone hear of this Mercedes Metris Jetti...

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by mumkin

Obviously...

I was referring to ability to afford MB's outrageous service fees...

IE... if you can afford to buy from Advanced, MB's overpriced service charges won't bother you.

Umm, GeorgeRA just said it best. Don't you understand 20,000 miles between servicing and overall cost over 20,000 miles? They seem to be pretty thorough as they don't just "change your oil". I've gotten service at Freightliner too. Since it is more commercial truck oriented they provided Lazy-Boy type recliner seating in their waiting room.

But you got me. I can afford an Advanced RV. I did work to a point I can afford what I think is the best and can get a custom design of my own executed in its entirety.

[Blue Note]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Never had that issue and you can see my list of Sprinter ownership and over 240,000 miles. The VS30 chassis 2019+ is practically silent from owners on the DEF issues.

They now make it easier to fill with DEF moving it forward at the front of the engine compartment and eliminating the dip stick. They have a visual real time usage on the dash, and warn you incessantly every time you start the engine and also periodically while driving when you are 2.5 gallons down out of a 4.8 gallon tank. I think many people just ignored DEF until too late. Now you would have to be some kind of stupid not to ignore it.

Ours is a 2010 and it seems the click no start issue is prevalent around that vintage. My worst fear is being in a lineup to get on or off a ferry and the damn thing not wanting to start. It usually goes after moving the shift lever in and out of park, turning the key upside down, or using enough bad language. The problem remains undiagnosed. Apologies for taking this thread off topic.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by jrobe

Have you ever owned a Sprinter? I bought mine and do service work at my local Freightliner dealer. ....

Although I wanted one, no, I never bought one for the reason that there was no service available nearby. The nearest Mercedes dealer was about 500 miles away. The Freightliner dealer in town refused to work on them. (even though I pointed out that Mercedes owned them...) As did the next closest 3 of them within 500 miles. Didn't seem convenient.

So, I bought a Chevy based.

As the years have passed... and three of my friends dumped their Sprinter based Class B or C rigs because of just too many breakdowns and limp homes... (and this was before the latest debacle), I have continued to avoid them. As women traveling alone, we want something a bit more dependable.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by mumkin

Although I wanted one, no, I never bought one for the reason that there was no service available nearby. The nearest Mercedes dealer was about 500 miles away. The Freightliner dealer in town refused to work on them. (even though I pointed out that Mercedes owned them...) As did the next closest 3 of them within 500 miles. Didn't seem convenient.

So, I bought a Chevy based.

As the years have passed... and three of my friends dumped their Sprinter based Class B or C rigs because of just too many breakdowns and limp homes... (and this was before the latest debacle), I have continued to avoid them. As women traveling alone, we want something a bit more dependable.

I had no issue with the local Freightliner dealer service and I thought most of them service Sprinters. My local Freightliner service cost was about the same as the local MB dealer (Portland, OR)

Rather unusual for four Freightliner dealers in your 500 miles vicinity were declining the Sprinter service, which states? Extrapolating your points geometrically I could conclude that in a 1000 miles circle there was no service for Sprinters, that is about 1/3 of USA. Agree that long distance to get a service done is not really convenient.

[avanti]

The prices that Sprinter dealers charge for service vary wildly, often by a factor of three dealer-to-dealer. Since the odds are the you only have one practical option (if that), it is the luck of the draw. But, there is no reason to do routine service at a dealer, so finding a good independent is often an option, as is DIY, since Sprinter service is generally easy. I have never found Sprinter maintenance costs to be unusually high, especially given the long service intervals.

Repairs are a different matter. Despite what lucky individuals will tell you about their personal experience, the average reliability of Sprinters is a disgrace. Now that I am following the Transit forum, I find it striking how much less failure-related chatter is found there compared to the Sprinter Forum, this on otherwise very similar lists. You also don't read much about hundred-mile tows followed by weeks of waiting for an available service slot. And then there are the many Sprinters held hostage at the dealer for months (literally) due to the unavailability of "upgraded" emissions sensors (although admittedly, parts shortages are industry-wide right now). IMO the Sprinter service situation is beyond ridiculous.

Sprinters have real advantages, and if the service nightmares are worth it to you, that's great. But to deny their existence is disingenuous, at best.

I have owned two diesel Sprinters over a period of 17 years. I am voting with my feet.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by avanti

The prices that Sprinter dealers charge for service vary wildly, often by a factor of three dealer-to-dealer. Since the odds are the you only have one practical option (if that), it is the luck of the draw. But, there is no reason to do routine service at a dealer, so finding a good independent is often an option, as is DIY, since Sprinter service is generally easy. I have never found Sprinter maintenance costs to be unusually high, especially given the long service intervals.

Repairs are a different matter. Despite what lucky individuals will tell you about their personal experience, the average reliability of Sprinters is a disgrace. Now that I am following the Transit forum, I find it striking how much less failure-related chatter is found there compared to the Sprinter Forum, this on otherwise very similar lists. You also don't read much about hundred-mile tows followed by weeks of waiting for an available service slot. And then there are the many Sprinters held hostage at the dealer for months (literally) due to the unavailability of "upgraded" emissions sensors (although admittedly, parts shortages are industry-wide right now). IMO the Sprinter service situation is beyond ridiculous.

Sprinters have real advantages, and if the service nightmares are worth it to you, that's great. But to deny their existence is disingenuous, at best.

I have owned two diesel Sprinters over a period of 17 years. I am voting with my feet.

Hi avanti, 2 Issues here:

The thread here is "Anyone hear of this Mercedes Metris Jetti..."

The thread has kind of devolved.............

The other issue is What the heck is going to happen with your free pastries, lunches and nice seats.

Bud

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by mumkin

Although I wanted one, no, I never bought one for the reason that there was no service available nearby. The nearest Mercedes dealer was about 500 miles away. The Freightliner dealer in town refused to work on them. (even though I pointed out that Mercedes owned them...) As did the next closest 3 of them within 500 miles. Didn't seem convenient.

So, I bought a Chevy based.

As the years have passed... and three of my friends dumped their Sprinter based Class B or C rigs because of just too many breakdowns and limp homes... (and this was before the latest debacle), I have continued to avoid them. As women traveling alone, we want something a bit more dependable.

If you say you live in the Twin Cities, All the Dodge dealers were servicing the N1T older model Sprinters. After they abandoned the Dodge moniker for Freightliner, three Freightliner dealers in the Twin Cities were servicing Sprinters. True, there were no Minnesota Mercedes Benz dealers capable because of their lifts and height of their buildings and an investment of one million dollars for diagnostic equipment. That was rectified by a new MB dealership, first in Rochester, MN and then Minnetonka in the western suburbs of Minneapolis with a new building. I've never lacked for service in the Twin Cities since I first bought in 2005.

Also, I got great service in and out one morning with a three day delay to get the part at the Scottsdale, AZ Mercedes Benz dealer to replace a third party leaking VB Air Suspension air bag. They took care of our cat too.

Now getting back on track. Advanced RV built a few Metris RVs but they didn't seem to take hold with the public. I think they were just too small to consider them a Class B. They had a kitchen unit from the back lifting the tailgate. Maybe they would have been a great tailgating van for a football game.

[JennG]

Originally Posted by mumkin

The ad is gone. It was probably a scam. There are many companies in the US doing conversions with a pop top on a Metris. I looked into it before I bought my little Promaster having decided that I wanted to be able to stand up with lifting the top. I saw a nice one in a campground in New Mexico a year or so back.

GTRV is the only company doing the extended length Metris. There are a good half dozen or more that do the standard length. All with the same basic floorplan. The Sportsmobile model was different, but I'm not sure if they still do it.

Besides the standing up thing... I also decided that I didn't want to have to deal with the expensive service costs of any Mercedes product... even if they provide a fancy waiting room with a free latte. lol

Although, I wouldn't say the seller was a scamster, he IS a liar (oops almost spelled it LAWYER, LOL.) Ad is gone but he said it was the only one in the U.S. imported from Europe, very rare, when he FINALLY called me back after a week when I first called him, and when I asked him how he could bring it over because of the chicken tax tariff and the emission laws being different here, he admitted it was built in the US and thus could pass emission law. Then when I asked him if it was a Sportsmobile conversion made in CA he said it was (so not rare.) He then told me that he had calls and emails from people begging to buy it from him, and am wondering why, because as I said if you googled Jetti you wouldn't be able to find any info, unless this forum thread popped up! Maybe people think it's one of those "exotic" compact campervans, one can't buy here. IF CL didn't charge for the ad, I'd write one telling people to ignore his, buy a Metris and then go to Field Vans (which left Sportsmobile and converted them) directly and get it made and maybe save a bit of money.

Neither GTRV nor Ursa Minor are no longer doing popup tops but Keystone and maybe Peace Vans and Field Vans are.

Interesting, how things get off topic here, since the bottom of this thread seems focused on what food the dealers provide!

[GeorgeRa]

Did you check this one, mentioned earlier, directly from Mercedes. I bought two Westfalia camper vans in 1977/1985 directly from Volskwagen dealer, it was painless.
https://www.mbvans.com/en/metris-getaway