Getting Sprinter service in the west

[rarebear.nm]

We are considering the Winnebago View on a Sprinter Chassis. It will most likely be a used View. In practice how hard is it to locate a qualified MB Sprinter shop say in the mountain west, NM, CO, Wy, etc? What about in western Canada, Alaska, etc?

What really happens when you need to a have check engine light checked in these more remote areas? Farther east it appears that there is plenty of MB dealers.

[dosxx]

Call Freightliner and talk to them about your concerns. They may have additional guidance.

They work on Sprinters and sell a product on that chassis.

[FlaCats]

Winnebago has a pdf file available on where Mercedes SPRINTER dealers are located. There is a difference between "regular" Benz dealerships & those that will also work on Sprinters. You can google or go thru Winnebago site.
Some CELs can eventually put you into limp mode, others just keep the lamp lit & won't strand you out in the middle of no-where.
If there are any Freightliner service centers in your area, but no Mercedes Sprinter Service Centers, I'd telephone the Freightliner to be sure they will do service work.
I probably sound very cautious but had one experience while traveling & Sprinter Mechanic on vacation that week!

[luvlabs]

Originally Posted by dosxx

Call Freightliner and talk to them about your concerns. They may have additional guidance.

They work on Sprinters and sell a product on that chassis.

Better to call MB. There are MB dealers in all major cities out here in the Wild West and some are just better than others. Mercedes also maintains a Sprinter hotline which you can call for help. The Sprinters all use a standard automobile type data bus (OBDII) and if you are really worried, you can get your own code reader, however, most auto parts stores can read it as well.

[rarebear.nm]

Originally Posted by luvlabs

Better to call MB. There are MB dealers in all major cities out here in the Wild West and some are just better than others. Mercedes also maintains a Sprinter hotline which you can call for help. The Sprinters all use a standard automobile type data bus (OBDII) and if you are really worried, you can get your own code reader, however, most auto parts stores can read it as well.

I've spoken at length with my mechanic about the Sprinter. He says that standard code readers don't work very well on the Sprinter. MB codes don't match up with standard codes in some cases and you wind up going down the wrong path. I have a good code reader for my other vehicles along with the debug sheets.

If I buy a Sprinter RV I just want to go in with my eyes open. We'll be using it in Alaska and remote areas of Canada so service is a concern to me.

[604eholston]

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

I've spoken at length with my mechanic about the Sprinter. He says that standard code readers don't work very well on the Sprinter. MB codes don't match up with standard codes in some cases and you wind up going down the wrong path. I have a good code reader for my other vehicles along with the debug sheets.



If I buy a Sprinter RV I just want to go in with my eyes open. We'll be using it in Alaska and remote areas of Canada so service is a concern to me.

luvlabs, I have a Scan Gauge 11 in my Mercedes-Benz, Winnebago, Era. It works beautifully. Got it mainly to monitor DEF, reservoir.

[FlaCats]

Googled Mercedes Sprinter Service Centers In Canada - a few came up in Vancouver are, 2 in Alberta Province, a decent number in Ontario.
Winnebago's Current PDF on Mercedes Sprinter Service Centers shows:
Zero - Alaska, Minnesota, New Mexico, Wyoming & Oklahoma - there are about 10 States or so that do not have one - go to their PDF.
One Center - Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, N & S Dakota
Two - Montana Four - Washington
The cities where centers are located, the names, addresses & phone numbers are in the Winnebago PDF file.
Mercedes' OBDII plug may be the same & your usual run of the mill scan tool may well do the job for some "readings" but Mercedes is at times off in a world of their own & you need to make sure any scan tool you purchase will do it all, from wheel sensors to nox sensors etc etc.

[rarebear.nm]

The only nation wide list I've is dated 2011, a bit out of date to be very useful or dependable. Does anyone have a current nation wide list of MB Sprinter service centers, MB or Freightliner?

The 2011 list shows none for New Mexico.

[FlaCats]

You could contact Winnebago via their customer service email & ask if they have an update to their PDF file for Sprinter/View service centers. One would like to think Winnebago would keep that file as up to date as possible since their sales of motor homes on Mercedes chassis appear to be increasing but some things can slip thru the cracks.
There is a Benz rep. specifically for Winnebago &/or other Mfgs that use Sprinter Chassis. If our saved paperwork from our sold View was not long ago disposed of would have gladly passed on that email address. There should be a customer service phone number for Mercedes Benz out there somewhere. They should be able to at least steer you to the right web site for the info. If you talk to MB just remember to tell the cs rep you are interested in Sprinter Service - that you own or are considering purchasing a motorhome.
I do not mean to sound so "down" on Sprinter based motorhomes but our experience was not good. While we may have been the exception & not the rule, it was to the point when planning a trip, we looked to see where service centers were located. Not a fun way to travel so guess this is my way of "encouraging" anyone to know where Benz Service Centers are in their Home State or where they travel to frequently.

[milkman55]

I have a Sprinter based RV bought new 2 1/2 yrs ago. Zero issues over 16k miles. I have a fantastic MB dealer near me that has a separate RV service department. I have had two A service and one B service and they always do it while I wait in their very nice lounge.

No complaints on Sprinters from me.

[Bunnz]

Originally Posted by milkman55

I have a Sprinter based RV bought new 2 1/2 yrs ago. Zero issues over 16k miles. I have a fantastic MB dealer near me that has a separate RV service department. I have had two A service and one B service and they always do it while I wait in their very nice lounge.

No complaints on Sprinters from me.

Where are you located and what is the name of the MB Sprinter shop? Thanks
BruceC

[rarebear.nm]

Originally Posted by milkman55

I have a Sprinter based RV bought new 2 1/2 yrs ago. Zero issues over 16k miles. I have a fantastic MB dealer near me that has a separate RV service department. I have had two A service and one B service and they always do it while I wait in their very nice lounge.

No complaints on Sprinters from me.

Thanks for the response. I was under the impression that not all MB dealers can service Sprinters. How true is that?

It sounds like you MB dealer is setup for the Sprinter with that separate service department.

I'm pretty cold on the Sprinter unless I see for sure that I can get service without long tows if/when a failure happens. When I lookup MB service areas in the west they are a long ways apart.

[FlaCats]

Yes, you do need to look for Mercedes Sprinter Service. For example I believe Tennessee is a State that shows Zero Sprinter service centers. But there are Benz dealerships in the State.
I don't know if it's something as simple as "regular" dealerships not being listed because the facility cannot accommodate the height/size of a basic van much less a motorhome. Or the obvious, since diesel engines are so different from gas there are not enough qualified diesel techs. Or if the diagnostic tools & programming are so radically different that a number of Benz dealerships do not want to invest in the equipment.
Our trips for scheduled services & all the warranty work we'd needed (when at home!) was about a 200 mile round trip. If you're an avid DIY'er where your local Benz Sprinter dealer is located might be less of an issue. If that's not your cup of tea or chassis under warranty those trips become quite tedious.

[604eholston]

FlaCats, no, the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Knoxville, Tennessee is a fully equipped and very receptive Sprinter service center. The one in Kingsport is not. I lhave had three recalls done in Knoxville, the airbag issues and can not say enough nice things about my visits there.