MB Sprinter

[Norcal Mike]

Question/Concern regarding the MB Sprinter. There are several pre owned Sprinters in the market with less than 10K on the odometer. I know there are probably an equal amount of scenarios to match the mileage and why the van got to where it is today from Upgradeitis, Lemons, Bank Repo's whatever. I am not skittish of minor issues and know some of it goes with the territory. RV, Boats, Power Equipment, etc, Not worried too much about the RV part of things. I have a large "RV Dealer" down the street about 10 miles, that doesn't scare me maybe it should, but I can get RV related items pretty easy so the RV part is a no brainer for me. So these Preowned Spinters maybe a year or two old depending on Chassis or Model year are a value compared to new rigs on Promaster or Transit chassis at the same price (We have a Ram and Ford Commercial Truck Center with 20 miles each way). So a Preowned Sprinter with significant upgrades compared to a new base model rig on a different platform. Anyway.

My Main Concern regarding selection is the chassis: We are about 2 hours from our nearest MB Service Center. You would expect a New (Newer) vehicle under warranty to not have to frequent the shop other than for routine maintenance and recall items. I anticipate I would have to drive to Sacramento for oil changes and maintenance at 20K and then at the service intervals. A Recall to get the firmware updated wouldn't bother me either. I know a great place to get a Shrimp Po Boy near the dealer while I wait. If I accept that as a given am I way out an limb? That is a long way to tow a large vehicle.

We bought our new 2016 Mazda under similar conditions as the closest dealer was in Sacramento too. I figured worst case scenario I could trailer it in. I can't trailer the Sprinter.

Does it concern you being that far from a dealer? How much does the 20K Service Appointment cost? Are they accommodating knowing you travel to get there? Hard Breakdowns, limp mode, check engine, did they come and get it or was it a PITA dealing with the MB people? Don't want a $100K driveway marker. We would like to go into the purchase phase with confidence that it is a quality product and we will get many hours of enjoyment out of our rig without a lot of down time. I am assuming that the rig I buy would still be under factory warranty and I would have it checked out thoroughly

Thanks!

[BBQ]

.

Listen to your heart.

[Phoebe3]

I once got bad fuel that brought my MB to a halt. Not the fault of MB. Still, I had to winch it up onto a rented trailer and tow it 120 miles to drop it off for service.

If you plan on traveling west of the Mississippi, there is a whole lotta nuthin' between towns. Just sayin'.

We have good insurance and once lost a waterpump on a Ford truck on the I15 East of Barstow. Took 1.5 hours to get a tow truck and then he had to drive another 20 miles before he could get to a place he could turn around. Total time from call to getting to the repair shop was around five hours and the tow bill was pretty hefty but we were covered. Stayed in a hotel that night and back on the road the following afternoon. Might have taken longer if it was a Sprinter part, but who knows? I guess that if you aren't in a hurry and can sleep in your van for a couple of days while a shop gets the part, it doesn't matter what kind of rig you get.

[Norcal Mike]

So not my brain? Last time I followed my heart I spent the next week splitting a tractor in the driveway. The Mrs wasn't happy.

[Norcal Mike]

Originally Posted by Phoebe3

I once got bad fuel that brought my MB to a halt. Not the fault of MB. Still, I had to winch it up onto a rented trailer and tow it 120 miles to drop it off for service.

If you plan on traveling west of the Mississippi, there is a whole lotta nuthin' between towns. Just sayin'.

We have good insurance and once lost a waterpump on a Ford truck on the I15 East of Barstow. Took 1.5 hours to get a tow truck and then he had to drive another 20 miles before he could get to a place he could turn around. Total time from call to getting to the repair shop was around five hours and the tow bill was pretty hefty but we were covered. Stayed in a hotel that night and back on the road the following afternoon. Might have taken longer if it was a Sprinter part, but who knows? I guess that if you aren't in a hurry and can sleep in your van for a couple of days while a shop gets the part, it doesn't matter what kind of rig you get.

I guess the journey is all about taking our time. Having good insurance and no worries is an excellent plan too. The real problem that I know you can relate to is a brand new Crossfit with 2K on it from delivery or the year old Galleria with 7K that was traded in on a Class A. The Jury is still out.

[Ron J. Moore]

Your common sense is moving you where you need to go...listen to that little voice! Your right about sparse service in certain areas, Murphy seems to follow some people. You mentioned towing to a Service Center, if you had the FMCA Road Service, wouldn't they pick it up and take it to the nearest Sprinter? It is going to be interesting where you land on this. Ron

[Norcal Mike]

FMCA?, I've seen their ads but never looked into it, I guess that or a Good Sam Roadside Assistance plan is a good thing to have. When I had my boat I had TowBoast US policy for Ocean Towing. Seems like a smart thing to have. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[avanti]

Take a look at CoachNet. They seem to be the class act.

Good Sam is just a reseller for Allstate Roadside Assistance.

[Norcal Mike]

Thanks! So I guess no mater what I decide to buy, factory warranty, coach warranty, and a roadside assistance policy that covers towing etc and don't worry about the horror stories and folk lore associate with one platform or the other and I'm good to go. I like it!

[Phoebe3]

I got a free year of Coachnet with my Crossfit, but never activated it. Online reviews of Coachnet and Good Sam are kind of spotty and I didn't think I needed it. Now that we've had this little discussion, on Monday, I'll call my insurance agent (I use State Farm) and make sure that the towing and roadside assistance that I have with my policy covers the RV. I know it did with the truck and boat on that I15 incident, but an RV may be different.

Mike, the Galleria has a couple feet more room and I think that equates to something like 12%, which in a Class B is a lot. However, when I looked at a 2016 Galleria, it appeared Coachmen had bought a stripped-down version of the Sprinter. There were several things wrong with the chassis at 111 miles. On a brand new rig, the sliding door wouldn't shut properly and the check engine light came on while I was driving it. We loved the Coachmen conversion, but the lack of quality in the chassis scared us off. If you are looking at a later model, they may have decided to upgrade the chassis.

In any case, I don't put much stock in "why" someone got rid of their vehicle. It is in their best interest to tell you it wasn't for a reason related to the vehicle in question.

[Phoebe3]

Originally Posted by Norcal Mike

Thanks! So I guess no mater what I decide to buy, factory warranty, coach warranty, and a roadside assistance policy that covers towing etc and don't worry about the horror stories and folk lore associate with one platform or the other and I'm good to go. I like it!

Ummm, I'm going to take issue with coach warranty providing peace of mind. I think chassis manufacturer's take care of warranty service pretty well, but RV warranties are troublesome. If you have to go to a place that you didn't buy your RV from, they will put you at the back of the line. Whether they will help you faster if you are far from home, I don't know. I spoke with Coachmen about it yesterday and the service manager said dealers and repair shops are privately owned so even though they are authorized to provide warranty work, Forest River doesn't have any control over how they treat customers.

The component manufacturers usually warranty their components for some period of time and we will just pay the local shop out of pocket for anything we want done. They are close by, quick, careful and not terribly expensive.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Phoebe3

I spoke with Coachmen about it yesterday and the service manager said dealers and repair shops are privately owned so even though they are authorized to provide warranty work, Forest River doesn't have any control over how they treat customers.

No OEM control over how they treat customers? If so, it's a result of their business relationship with the dealers that sell their products. Other OEMs have an agreement with their dealers that obligates them to repair and service their vehicles regardless of where they are purchased. It behooves the customer to ensure that there is a dealer network available for warranty and post warranty work.

The class B warranties seem to vary widely:

Roadtrek provides a six year transferable warranty and a dealer network for this work. As reported to me, they don't stiff the dealers on warranty work and reimburse at their regular shop rates and have a communications hot line for the repair facility to get technical support.

Pleasureway provides a five year warranty which is not transferable to a second owner. Additionally they don't provide supplemental coverage for appliances after the appliance warranties have expired. I don't know if the PW dealers have any obligation to service PW coaches.

Winnebago only has a one year warranty but they do have a lot of dealer service and repair support.

Advanced RV has the best warranty provisions in the industry. In the event of a problem, they will coordinate with a skilled repair facility as close to you as possible and provide intense technical support to that facility for repairs.

Coachmen/Forest River has IMO the least desirable warranty which is for one year like WGO but with no assurance that there will be any dealer willing and able to provide necessary service and repair, which means that in the worst case, for non-appliance work, you might have to get the coach back to the factory for warranty work. On a case by case basis they might provide a remedy that precludes this, but that's at best a roll of the dice.