First Shakedown trip

[Quark]

Hello everyone,
We will take our first shakedown trip with the PW sprinter sometime soon (3-4 day trip)
Some class c experience (84 Minnie Winnie,97 fleet wood) but none with a B .
Longer trips in fall & winter coming up. Anything to watch for on the sprinter
That I might miss?
Thanks for any input!!

[Mike]

I'm not a Sprinter expert, but they have some operational quirks that might affect performance, not the least of which is the DEF level in the engine. If it's not up to minimum, the performance will degrade, and eventually the van won't even start, as I understand it.
Depending on where you go, cross winds may be an issue for handling, although there have been mixed reviews of that from different Sprinter owners.
Maybe others with Sprinters can share any issues they've noted from their experience.

[gerrym51]

Most important thing in a sprinter. always know where you are in relation to where a sprinter can be fixed. sprinters are technological dreams-they are also serviced/repaired at relatively few places

[Mike]

Excellent point. That includes somewhere where parts are readily available, like near a bigger town, city, or metropolitan area.

[Quark]

Thank,s for the feedback folks!
I understand the def fluid has limited shelf life, but I,ll see it topped off with extra on hand.
I will be traveling through the smokies in early fall and will try to get a feel for wind related
Travel issue,s . The limited availability of good repair options is a legitimate concern, all I
Can think of is use my dealers sources, good Sam,s trip planner, possibly pleasureway and
Build a list of solid sprinter contacts(May be a good post for a later date).
Thanks,s again!!

[gerrym51]

everytime i say something like this people say i'm dissing the sprinter-and i'm not. the sprinter is the class of cargo vans.

However in North America there is a dearth of qualified servicers.

In Europe they're all over the place here-mostly clustered around major metropolitan areas.

just a fact of life with sprinter.


chevy and ford servicers everywhere

[Fastpaddler1]

I have a 2006(2007 build) PW Plateau TS with almost 60K. Never needed anything except normal servicing and a new resonator at 10K miles. My previous V10 Winnebago went into limp mode due to Ford throttle positioner valve failure and it took a week to get it fixed(part cheap plus labourt). Dealers dont keep much stock so it is a crap shoot if your typical Ford RV can be fixed any faster than a Sprinter MB. I have two MB dealers in either direction within 30 miles and many on the Vancouver Mainland. Some speciality shops like KalTire have wipers etc.
If my Diesel 5 cylinder dies I get it towed and that is what I have all inclusive coverage for including hotels etc. Same for newer MBs like yours. Fords, Chevs etc can be same.

If anybody is in the Nevada desert and their RV dies--not good scene anyway.

Just my experience. My PW has been great.
Happy shopping and travelling.

AL

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

chevy and ford servicers everywhere

Because they need it?

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by Fastpaddler1

I have a 2006(2007 build) PW Plateau TS with almost 60K. Never needed anything except normal servicing and a new resonator at 10K miles. My previous V10 Winnebago went into limp mode due to Ford throttle positioner valve failure and it took a week to get it fixed(part cheap plus labourt). Dealers dont keep much stock so it is a crap shoot if your typical Ford RV can be fixed any faster than a Sprinter MB. I have two MB dealers in either direction within 30 miles and many on the Vancouver Mainland. Some speciality shops like KalTire have wipers etc.
If my Diesel 5 cylinder dies I get it towed and that is what I have all inclusive coverage for including hotels etc. Same for newer MBs like yours. Fords, Chevs etc can be same.

If anybody is in the Nevada desert and their RV dies--not good scene anyway.

Just my experience. My PW has been great.
Happy shopping and travelling.

AL

Al, of course your sprinter is before the 2007 new emissions controls. your sprinter is a totally different sprinter than after the 2007 and after year.
practically no issues with sprinters 2006 and earlier. it's the 2007 and after that are the technological marvels and if they have an issue can be tough. as for Davydd well what would you say.

Again- i did not say the sprinter is not a marvel. it is. but it simply does not have the servicing base of the big 3.

in the heart of Europe which is a diesel based vehicle society I would have a different opinion. Diesel would be dominant and sprinter servicing common. Even with more facilities from big 3 i would also avoid their diesel products(post 2007) even if they have more servicing.

[Davydd]

As for Davydd, it seems the only people in the Class B world I've met (probably a lot more than most) that seem to worry about Sprinter service are people who don't have or never had Sprinters. I've never met a Sprinter owner with any regrets in my travels. Yeah, now I am sure they will come out of the woodwork now after saying that.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by Davydd

As for Davydd, it seems the only people in the Class B world I've met (probably a lot more than most) that seem to worry about Sprinter service are people who don't have or never had Sprinters. I've never met a Sprinter owner with any regrets in my travels. Yeah, now I am sure they will come out of the woodwork now after saying that.

David-you take me wrong-most people who have sprinters have no problems over normal. However if they do happen there are not a lot of facilities to do repairs.

at the sprinter-forum most like their sprinters-but the ones that do have problems are usually horror stories-agreed it is not a high percentage.

[Mike]

I think as technology improves, they all have less aches and pains along the way, and are generally more reliable and designed better, with a small percentage of exceptions.
However, one only needs to look at the endless list of recent GM recalls for stuff that ranges from inconvenience, to downright lethal. Chrysler and Ford have had their share over the years, but relatively few long term quality control problems by comparison over the last 2 decades that I can recall. Toyota had a rash of issues in recent years. I remember when BMW was know as an "every other vehicle was a lemon" company, but they seem to have put that behind them. MB has always been a higher priced animal, and has usually produced products that live up to that higher price, in reliability and performance.
End of day, it does seem like a crap shoot when you pick one chassis over another. Parts suppliers are often the most likely single point of failure, and a manufacturer's exposure to supplier quality issues increases as cars and trucks and vans rely more and more on parts from 3rd party sources to control overall production costs. I can't recall too many major recalls due to a workmanship issue, but there have probably been a few. It always seems to be faulty parts and materials that turn out to be the problem, for one reason or another.
Just my opinion.
Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes not.

[arvie]

Last January I began losing power in Oklahoma. I decided to continue driving as it was Sunday. I stopped in Amarillo Texas only to find out that the two dodge dealers and one independent no longer serviced sprinters. I got within twenty miles of Albuquerque where I lost all power and was towed.Larry Miller Dodge was able to replace the turbo resonator but I had to get a hotel. Progressive told me they only pay for a hotel if it is a collision. What insurance do you have fastpaddler? I had 70000 miles on my 2006 sprinter.

[gerrym51]

picture of actual places to service sprinter-notice the tremendous gap in middle of the country


http://www.advanced-rv.com/service/

[Mike]

We like the Rockies and there aren't many places in the mountains that I can see. Looks like Missoula, Boise, SLC, Las Vegas down the backbone of the hills are about it. I can't believe there aren't any in Arizona and New Mexico? The coastal areas look to be pretty well covered. I guess MB knows where there largest areas of sales are for their vehicles, and places their service centers accordingly. Pretty much follows the population centers, it seems. It generally makes sense. Maybe some of the horror stories have been related to the lack of nearby repair facilities? Doesn't matter who the chassis maker is, if they're far away when you have a problem.

[gerrym51]

I am not going to check but i bet there are at least a couple of ford and chevy dealerships in those middle states.

[Mike]

There are. I've been to a few of the GM dealers in there for maintenance stuff while on the road. Amarillo, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, to name a few. When they aren't open, I've taken both my Chev Roadtrek and my Ford F150 to Express Oil Change, Jiffy Lube, and Pennzoil 10 Minute places for basic stuff. I've never seen a Sprinter at any of them, in all the time I've used them.

[gerrym51]

according to this article i am going to link to that was written march 3, 2014

only 188 of mercedes benz dealers actually sell/service sprinters. it also adds in 57 freightliner dealers . thats 245 not the 400 we were told.

it says they are adding some 35 more. this is as of 3/3/14.


http://www.autonews.com/article/2014030 ... oom-in-u.s.

[Davydd]

When I had a Sprinter with a turbo resonator I carried a spare and instructions to replace it. What I realized was any mechanic could make the repairs as it was rather easy. I carried the tools and had my contingency plans to do it myself if necessary. 61,000+ miles later the new owner got the spare turbo resonator and instructions. I never had to do it.

[Mike]

Better to have it, and not need it, than to need it, and not have it.
Why many of us carry some basic tools and repair parts and stuff. Blade fuses, WD40, duct tape, picture hanging wire, vice grips, universal screwdriver, hack saw, to name a few.