Community Forums

hoosierrun · 07-13-2017, 12:17 PM

This just gets worst..
We just checked on the RV because my wife thought that some of the items in the refrigerator might be going bad. When we opened the outside door, the inside of the RV smelled like a 10 day dead horse. The refrigerator was dead, the LP panel blank and the entire inside of the RV would almost make you vomit.

My wife, in tears, crying and screaming, just spend the last hour scrubbing the fridge down, taking every shelf, clamp, and virtually anything attached to the inside out while I bagged everything that had rotted up and got it in a dumpster. The fridge door is now Bunge corded open and off.

So I spent a few minutes trying to figure out what happened. When I last checked on Saturday, we had 40% propane left which should have kept the fridge running.

Apparently, one of the unknowledgeable techs at the dealership thought he would do us a favor and shut off the 12 volt main switch. That killed everything. These refrigerators do not run on pilots like the old units. It lights electronically and has electronic leak detectors for safety purposes.

Just one phone call would have prevented this.

We are totally disgusted with this situation.

ArmandV · 07-13-2017, 12:21 PM

Ouch! Itemize everything lost and add them to your list.

chuckster52 · 07-13-2017, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosierrun

This just gets worst..
We just checked on the RV because my wife thought that some of the items in the refrigerator might be going bad. When we opened the outside door, the inside of the RV smelled like a 10 day dead horse. The refrigerator was dead, the LP panel blank and the entire inside of the RV would almost make you vomit.

My wife, in tears, crying and screaming, just spend the last hour scrubbing the fridge down, taking every shelf, clamp, and virtually anything attached to the inside out while I bagged everything that had rotted up and got it in a dumpster. The fridge door is now Bunge corded open and off.

So I spent a few minutes trying to figure out what happened. When I last checked on Saturday, we had 40% propane left which should have kept the fridge running.

Apparently, one of the unknowledgeable techs at the dealership thought he would do us a favor and shut off the 12 volt main switch. That killed everything. These refrigerators do not run on pilots like the old units. It lights electronically and has electronic leak detectors for safety purposes.

Just one phone call would have prevented this.

We are totally disgusted with this situation.

Hoosierrun,
If you can get some newspaper,black and white print....make a double sheet into a loose bal and put on each shelf in the refrig...the carbon in the print will absorb the odor...Chuck

Spk64 · 07-13-2017, 12:30 PM

This is what the pros use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001S...dor+eliminator

hoosierrun · 07-13-2017, 12:34 PM

Thanks everyone.

hoosierrun · 07-13-2017, 05:04 PM

Just saw a copy of the tow bill. $2250.00. My original guess was $500 to $800. If I ever own this vehicle out of warranty, I will definitely be getting tow insurance.

I actually saved Mercedes a 2nd tow. We drove this thing partially in limp (off and on) from quite a bit east of Butte (near Lewis and Clark State Park) to the Missoula dealer the first time it acted up. That was a somewhat dangerous situation and I probably should have been towed. I'm guessing that would have been a $4000 to $5000 tow.

RV'ers take note: Breakdown and towing could wipe out your life savings!! Be sure to have towing insurance as a minimum.... and consider some type of Mechanical breakdown coverage. I'm learning... but glad we have warranty coverage up to this point. I can see how the other gent on this board suffered $20,000 out of pocket for a breakdown.

smlranger · 07-13-2017, 07:20 PM

Anyone traveling in one of these things should likely have some sort of RV-specific emergency road service plan like Coachnet.

So sorry you folks continue to have issues. I would sit down with the general manager of the dealership and see if he can arrange for your coach to be kept somewhere they can plug it in to shore power. Surely they have a 20 amp receptacle somewhere on site that would at least give you power for your fridge and your on board battery charger.

brucenem · 07-14-2017, 07:04 AM

I really feel sorry for you. It could happen to anyone of us- broke down a long way from home. Btw, Good Sam has insurance for this. At this point, the best thing to do may be to abandon the rv and drive home in the toad. When the MB dealership finally fixes the problem and assures that it won't happen again, go back and pick it up, if you want. I think this well qualifies for a lemon or a voluntary repossession, if you are making payments. You would loose whatever you have in the vehicle, but your peace of mind is worth something. At this point, I doubt that you would ever trust this vehicle again.

aether_one · 07-14-2017, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmandV

Ouch! Itemize everything lost and add them to your list.

No, this expense is strictly the repair facility's fault and they should reimburse you now.

Superslif · 07-14-2017, 07:09 PM

Especially with not completing knowing what the issue is, they better be covering your lodging 100%. If MB sends you down the road and it happens again, it looks like someone is buying back a coach.

Keeping good records will be helpful if needed later. Let's hope for the best.

hoosierrun · 07-14-2017, 07:52 PM

So I am told that the engine wiring harness, fuel return line, and fuel rail with pressure sensor all came in today. They are supposed to work on it starting Monday.

No one is admitting to turning off the main power to the coach at the dealership. So it appears that they are not taking responsibility. They are even suggesting that the tow driver did it which I know is not true since we checked the fridge more than a week after the tow and everything was fine with 40% LP left.

Thinking about this, I have 3 possible theories.
1. A tech working under the hood may have thought that there might be 12 volts back feeding into the engine compartment and he was working under the hood and wanted no batteries anywhere connected. (my comment...there should be diode isolation to prevent this).
2. As I originally thought, a tech may have thought he was doing us a favor, trying to save the batteries.
3. Since the RV was in the service bay, out of the sun (no solar charge), the battery voltage may have dropped far enough to trigger the co monitor alarm (we have had this happen at 10.8 volts)..... or there may have been enough co from starting and moving vehicles around that the alarm was going off. I know that alarm is annoying with the ear piercing sound. So, if that was the case, someone in the area entered the coach and turned off the 12 volt main switch which is right by step and fire extinguisher inside the coach.

In any case, a phone call would have prevented all this aggravation.

If I ever have to get service again, I am going to tape a piece of paper to that switch with my cell number on it .

hoosierrun · 07-14-2017, 08:12 PM

I have been so focused on the Mercedes issues, believe it or not, the terrible vacation ending story continues.

We most certainly have pissed off the gods somehow

-2 days ago my wife was flossing her teeth and popped off a crown.

- A week ago the toad upper radiator hose cracked and broke at a plastic Y junction. Repaired by quick oil change place next to Holiday Inn.

- This morning we walked out to the toad to find a 14" stress crack in the windshield. Fixed by Glass Doctor of Missoula this afternoon. It was free because FL law does not allow insurance to charge a deductible.

I'm really ready to leave this lovely town.

For stress relief, I have been looking at all the pictures from the GOOD part of the vacation.

. Yellowstone and Tetons were stunningly beautiful.

jondrew55 · 07-14-2017, 08:38 PM

Hopefully you've gotten a lifetime of RV horror fit into this trip and your future travels should be relatively trouble free.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosierrun

I have been so focused on the Mercedes issues, believe it or not, the terrible vacation ending story continues.

We most certainly have pissed off the gods somehow

-2 days ago my wife was flossing her teeth and popped off a crown.

- A week ago the toad upper radiator hose cracked and broke at a plastic Y junction. Repaired by quick oil change place next to Holiday Inn.

- This morning we walked out to the toad to find a 14" stress crack in the windshield. Fixed by Glass Doctor of Missoula this afternoon. It was free because FL law does not allow insurance to charge a deductible.

I'm really ready to leave this lovely town.

For stress relief, I have been looking at all the pictures from the GOOD part of the vacation.

. Yellowstone and Tetons were stunningly beautiful.

hoosierrun · 07-19-2017, 11:56 AM

Dealer is looking at possibly Friday now to have the engine fixed on the RV.
We made a list of the spoiled items from the fridge and the dealer service manager and GM at dealership says they will reimburse us about $70. That is a good gesture and I also hope Mercedes comes through on the approximate $3000 in lodging and meals. We have been very conservative, often only eating 2 meals a day and microwaving left overs in the room. They should have no qualms about our expenses.