High-level question about class B powertrain

[Bsheffer]

Hello, I've been lurking on the forum for a while and ready to dig in. I appreciate any comments.

My wife and I have been been researching and investigating several of the sprinter class of products and we recently rented a Roadtrek CS-Adventurous for several days. We learned to really like the vehicle.

This post is not about the specifics of that unit but I'd like to get a higher level view of the sprinter class of products-3500 chassis/3 liter turbo/Mercedes(interstate,Roadtrek,Leisure-way,etc) vs. for instance class "A" units.

I just had a visit with a buddy who owns a 40 foot diesel Winebago pusher and at about 30K miles, he trashed the differential which caused problems with the allison transmission and ultimately the Cummins diesel motor. Bottom line, his take was that with his units, these parts were mashed together from several manufacturers so he ended up going to the different service houses for different components. It was a nightmare even after everyone finished up with all the finger pointing!!

I told him I though that one of the beauties of the sprinter class product is that the engine and all drivetrain is a well tested platform. My conclusion was solely based on all the forums I have read about these products and that almost never do I hear anyone talk about engine or drive train problems on a sprinter based product.

I've been known to speculate but in general, am I on the right page with my thinking?? My sense is the sprinter platform is a tried and trued platform that defined itself as a commercial delivery vehicle the made it's way into the motorhome world.

With all this said, I am aware of all the various other subsystems that go into the sprinter platform and the problems that arise out of those but I am really talking just about the drivetrain and power plant at this point and would appreciate any opinions...thoughts??-brian

[jacwjames]

I bought a 1997 Class C new on a Ford Chassis 350 platform. The Chassis was a piece of junk.

Last the drivers side exhaust manifold, took +3 months to fix because it was such a huge problem there were no new manifolds available anywhere in USA. Asked for an extension of warranty because of the length of time but was denied.

Then lost the passenger side manifold right after warranty went out, replaced myself with aftermarket, never had another problem with this one.

Lost the drivers side manifold again.

The front end suspension basically failed causing severe tire wear, told this was common problem.

Seal in transmission failed, replacement seal was went with a TSB stating original seal was not designed for heavy duty truck use. DAH??

Lost the oil pump, the pickup tube flange cracked causing air to get into the system causing loss of oil pressure. Luckily I was proactive and caught in time.

I notified Ford of every problem with no offer of relief. The last issue I sent a registered letter to Henry Clay Ford Jr and got a call from customer service who were clueless. Ultimately insinuated that the problems were caused by a lack of maintenance. (Note, I was maintenance manager for a large mining complex so I know what it takes to maintain a rig). Asked about the other letters I sent and finally found out that the address in the chassis manual was wrong DAH??? Still no relief from Ford but I get vindication by writing about my problems and knowing thousands of people have heard/read about it.

Long story short, you can still have problems even if the chassis was made by one company.

Do some research on the engines in Sprinters, certain versions have lots of problems and the cost of maintenance is high.

[Bsheffer]

Jim, thanks....Just to put my thinking in perspective, I would be looking for probably a 2 year old unit or so most likely....probably 2015 or later....thanks..-brian

[mScarcella]

Here's my experience with the Sprinter:
The first one we owned (a 2007 2500) had been returned to MB as a lemon, my dealer said to his knowledge all problems had been resolved. Not true but I kept working with local Freightliner (iState)tech who found a few loose pins in the connector to the Main computer module and we put an additional 35k miles without a hiccup. Until I had trouble starting one cold Minnesota winter day which resulted in replacing the glow plugs.

I next was able to negotiate a trade for a 2013 3500 XL model, I really enjoy driving the Sprinters, at 14,000 Miles the CEL came on and Freightliner replaced the EGR. Recently with just over 22,000 miles I got 4 malfunctions indicated... Cruise, Traction, ABS and ESP the MB dealer in McKinney Tx replaced a Right Rear Speed sensor.

I bought the Sprinter RV to travel as trouble free as possible MB's reputation is high quality and reliability. So far I’d say the experience doesn’t live up to the MB image, I’ll change my mind after the next 100,000 Miles of trouble free driving.

[triton132]

We recently bought a 2003 chev roadtrek with the 3500 chassis with the 6ltr engine and solid transmission.I also lurked and finally settled on a proven combination which can be serviced at any chev dealer.
It had 135000 kms on it .Went to alaska and now have 160,000 kms on it.No problems.
There are many happy owners on this site of most brands including chev,dodge and sprinter.I just understand the sprinters are expensive to service.I am sure they are a good rig but I just went with tried and true.The final decision is yours .Good luck with your choice.

[luvlabs]

Your Winnebago friend is just wrong in his theory about why his differential failed. Chassis manufacturers select various components to build a chassis that meets the buyer's specifications. If this approach didn't work well, then millions of over the road trucks would be parked and broken down.

I've had Ford, Freightliner, and Sprinter chassis under my motorhomes. All worked well and as expected. Class Bs & Cs not use a custom chassis (like the Ford, Freightliner, and Spartan chassis) but use a modified chassis from an existing van model. In the long run the chassis is the least of your worries - the house stuff breaks more often than the chassis.

[444]

Hymer v6 3.6-fiat engine ????
getting ready to find and buy low mile B class of some type.

Experienced comments Please ;durability, repairs, maintenance. thankyou

[nothermark]

As luvlabs said, our buddy bought a standard package put together every day for both motor homes and heavy trucks. No better and no worse than the Mercedes package. OTOH you won't get far with the Mercedes in a big A.

I have to wonder what happened to the rear end and what was done/ignored to get all the way to an engine problem. That may well have done in either package.

[MikeO58]

My only concern on the sprinter would be service and parts in less populated areas.

[Scarab0088]

I noticed a stunning point on all the current "Euro" van based C's and B's...very low OCCC (people and Cargo capacity).

If you're OK that and you have no issues with going to a Mercedes dealer (read NOT cheap) for any work on the chassis, that's great.

If you've never had the MB service experience, here's a peek...recent routine brake job on an ML (the not-so-special SUV) = $1,750. Requires all new rotors, 'cuz the rotors are not Factory OK'd to "turn" for the new pads.
BUT, they often have a cappuccino bar in the service lobby.

[Unicorn Driver]

Originally Posted by MikeO58

My only concern on the sprinter would be service and parts in less populated areas.

I live in Mid Michigan and the nearest MB dealer to me is is 80 miles away.

Nearest Ford place that will work on my class A is 20 miles and there is an independent shop 10 miles away that will do work for me.

I would love a Winnie View 24g but put off by Mercedes service locations.

[Slolane]

We had a Roadtrek CS for 1 1/2 years and 27000 miles. Very few issues with the Sprinter. We took it to a Mercedes dealer for warranty service and drove a nice loaner sedan for a week.

Did the 20000 mile service, a little on the expensive side but knew that going in.

If the Ecotrek systems were as reliable as the Mercedes portion we wpuld still have it.

[wanderso]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

I noticed a stunning point on all the current "Euro" van based C's and B's...very low OCCC (people and Cargo capacity).

If you're OK that and you have no issues with going to a Mercedes dealer (read NOT cheap) for any work on the chassis, that's great.

If you've never had the MB service experience, here's a peek...recent routine brake job on an ML (the not-so-special SUV) = $1,750. Requires all new rotors, 'cuz the rotors are not Factory OK'd to "turn" for the new pads.
BUT, they often have a cappuccino bar in the service lobby.

Interestingly, Sprinter has the highest carrying capacity of the 3 Euro chassis out there: Sprinter, Ford Transit, and Dodge Promaster. Our sprinter-based Winnebago had the highest OCC of the 3 Euro versions we looked at. The Ford E-series will retire soon. Chevy hasn't announced a retirement of theirs yet. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the B, B+ and C markets in the next few years. I expect that 25 foot and shorter lengths will be the norm unless it is a Class A or a Super C on heavy truck chassis.

[nothermark]

I would not hold my breath waiting for the larger gas C to go away. Too much demand in many markets for the heavier chassis and drive train. Depending on political fortunes the whole issue might change drastically.

FWIW as somebody who went the short C route once you won't find me very interested again. Particularly not in a diesel version.