Community Forums

Travelino · 12-01-2019, 10:14 AM

I have a 2020 Tiffin Wayfarer on a 2019 Sprinter 3500 chassis.
I have about 10,000 miles on it, since I bought it new at the end of May of this year.

On our first major trip, on the last leg of that trip, the driver's side bolt that attaches the rear sway bar to the chassis frame vertical support came out when we used our leveling jacks. When we got home, we had our local Mercedes dealer replace the nut and bolt. The passenger side nut and bolt were checked by both myself and the dealer and were snug. This all happened around 5,000 miles. I decided this was a fluke at the time.

This past week, we had the passenger's side nut and bolt come out. I don't know exactly where it happened, so I don't have either the nut or the bolt. Now, I don't think this is just a one-up incident, but perhaps a design problem.

We find our Wayfarer has a lot of side to side sway anyway, but I can tell you if one side of the sway bar detaches, it is down-right dangerous, with excessive sway in wind, or even on a surface that has some dips.

I noticed that the 2019 Sprinter sway bar attachment is different than previous year models. The prior models have a "U" shaped vertical leg that attaches to the frame and the end of the sway bar. I attached a picture of a prior 2019 model I found on the web. In this case, the sway bar rides on the "shaft" of the bolt. The 2019 models, eliminated the "U" in the attachment leg and now the two components, the end of the sway bar, and the end of the support piece are simply bolted together. The fasteners are a flange bolt and a flange locking nut. In reading about the locking flange nut, I learned that its the torque force of the nut against the surface that is primary in keeping it from detaching. I am concerned that these two pieces being attached this way, are in constant motion and may be a cause for the nut to come loose.

I am hoping that those of you that have a 2019 model Sprinter, can take a look at your rear sway bar and see if they are still snug. Also, mine were attached so the nut is to the outside, that is facing the wheel and the bolt is on the interior side. Please let me know if your setup is the same way.

I do plan to make additional inquires about this and will let you know what I find out. I'm also considering a Helwig sway bar for better control, but for the 2019 model, the new Helwig sway bar uses the same attachments provided by Sprinter, so if this is a problem it would also effect the Helwig.

Picture 1 is a pre-2019 Sprinter showing how the support arm is attached (gotten off the web). Picture 2 is my driver's side with the replacement bolt that Mercedes installed. Picture 3 is my passenger side after I found this side also lost its bolt last week. I temporarily installed a bolt and nut till I can get the proper nut and bolt from Mercedes.

Good To Go · 12-01-2019, 12:42 PM

Thanks for the report and heads up. I will check mine out.
Did MB service say why the bolt loosened or came off.
Did Tiffin remove the sway bar to install any equipment under the chassis?
I did read somewhere that it is recommended to retorque those sway bar bolts.
Looks like your rods are a lot longer then the one from the internet picture.
I thought that MB used an upgraded sway bar on the 2019, anybody know anything about that.
I would use lock tite on those sway bar bolts
Looks like you installed sumo springs, have they helped.
I have a 2019 LTV FX and I do get a lot of rocking when doing the driveway approach.

Steve

fcbbob15 · 12-01-2019, 01:07 PM

I know its not the same but Ford F-53 chassis class A had similar issues with rear sway bar bolts. Mine were loose and one missing at 2,400 miles. Used blue lock tight thread locker on all bolts. 17,000 miles now and no more issues.

chkwgn · 12-01-2019, 05:37 PM

I had the exact same issue on my 2019 Sprinter Cab Chassis at about 5,000 miles. I noticed an unusual squeaking coming from the rear of my chassis while walking in the RV while parked at a campground. A look under the rear revealed that the bolt and nut were gone on the passenger side. My local MB dealer said there were issues with the design of the new bolt. They only had one new bolt in stock so they replaced the missing bolt and nut and ordered another which was then replaced under warranty. Worth a quick look at the suspension just inside of the rear tires!

Travelino · 12-01-2019, 06:35 PM

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I'm not alone on this problem. I suspect the main problem is that there are two moveing pieces connected together with this nut/bolt combo and because of that, they work there way off.

In the case of the Wayfarer, Tiffin installs the Sumo springs. What I don't know if if they take that bolt off to make installation of the springs easier. If so, that might contribute to the problem. From what I've read, locking flange nuts can be re-used a few times, but it might have been enough so they didn't hold in this application. From the comments so far, it sounds like this happened anyway without Sumo springs. The Mercedes dealer replaced the first one, as at that time, it appeared to be a one up problem. Now with my secxond one gone missing, it seems like a bigger problem. I intend to call Tiffin tomorrow to get more questions answered. Again, after the first one fell out, Mercedes retorqued the passenger side, but now at 10K miles, that one too fell out.

I want to buy the new Helwig sway bar for the 2019 chassis to improve sway, but since that new bar is also redesigned to fit the new Sprinter shakles, it is likely that the bolts might still fall out. Plus in the end, if Mercedes finds this 2019 change to be a problem and reverts back to the older style supports, then the new Helwig bar won't work, and my money would have been wasted. I'm hoping we can get to the bottom of this soon and find a resolution, assuming it is a systemic problem.

Please continue to post your input and observations. It's sounding like other have the same problem.

Good To Go · 12-05-2019, 03:02 PM

Yes, I would hate to have replaced my sway bar with the Helwig and then Mercedes comes back with them being the problem.
Steve

jrcorvette · 01-16-2020, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Good To Go

Thanks for the report and heads up. I will check mine out.
Did MB service say why the bolt loosened or came off.
Did Tiffin remove the sway bar to install any equipment under the chassis?
I did read somewhere that it is recommended to retorque those sway bar bolts.
Looks like your rods are a lot longer then the one from the internet picture.
I thought that MB used an upgraded sway bar on the 2019, anybody know anything about that.
I would use lock tite on those sway bar bolts
Looks like you installed sumo springs, have they helped.
I have a 2019 LTV FX and I do get a lot of rocking when doing the driveway approach.

Steve

Tiffin comes standard with Sumo springs. They make a huge difference.

Travelino · 01-17-2020, 02:41 PM

I decided to go ahead and order a Hellwig sway bar to replace the one that comes with the Sprinter. Once I get it, I'll post my observation of how it compared to the original swaybar. Hellwig advised that I use locktite on all the bolts.

FYI, since the 2019 Sprinter 3500 cutaway chassis, dually, has the attachment to the chassis different than prior models, Hellwig has a new swaybar for this model, which is model # 7777

Check with Hellwig to make sure you get the right swaybar if you are planning to do this.

KanzKran · 01-17-2020, 02:43 PM

I'm looking forward to your report. Driveway entry and exit especially is real interesting with the factory sway bar.

Travelino · 01-24-2020, 08:04 PM

The Hellwig 7777 swaybar for my 2019 Sprinter (Tiffin Wayfarer) arrived today. Will try and install in sometime this coming week. It took two weeks from order to get it. The dealer I ordered it from didn't have it in stock, so it was shipped direct from Hellwig. This seems to be a typical process when dealer doesn't have it in stock. It is thicker than original and is suppose to be 1.5 inches in diameter.

KanzKran · 01-25-2020, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travelino

The Hellwig 7777 swaybar for my 2019 Sprinter (Tiffin Wayfarer) arrived today. Will try and install in sometime this coming week. It took two weeks from order to get it. The dealer I ordered it from didn't have it in stock, so it was shipped direct from Hellwig. This seems to be a typical process when dealer doesn't have it in stock. It is thicker than original and is suppose to be 1.5 inches in diameter.

You’ve motivated me to take the next step, and while window shopping I discovered that Amazon Prime has them for the 08-18 Sprinter 3500 dually for $38 less than direct from Hellwig. Don’t know about shipping from the manufacturer or distributors, but it looks like it’s free (well, included) with Prime.

I have to take it on a road trip soon, and don’t want to install it in the snow, but I’ll have to think about doing the work in the warm area I’ll be in since installation seems to be pretty easy. Except for the weight, of course.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LFDSHS...v_ov_lig_dp_it

rosspam · 01-28-2020, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travelino

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I'm not alone on this problem. I suspect the main problem is that there are two moveing pieces connected together with this nut/bolt combo and because of that, they work there way off.

In the case of the Wayfarer, Tiffin installs the Sumo springs. What I don't know if if they take that bolt off to make installation of the springs easier. If so, that might contribute to the problem. From what I've read, locking flange nuts can be re-used a few times, but it might have been enough so they didn't hold in this application. From the comments so far, it sounds like this happened anyway without Sumo springs. The Mercedes dealer replaced the first one, as at that time, it appeared to be a one up problem. Now with my secxond one gone missing, it seems like a bigger problem. I intend to call Tiffin tomorrow to get more questions answered. Again, after the first one fell out, Mercedes retorqued the passenger side, but now at 10K miles, that one too fell out.

I want to buy the new Helwig sway bar for the 2019 chassis to improve sway, but since that new bar is also redesigned to fit the new Sprinter shakles, it is likely that the bolts might still fall out. Plus in the end, if Mercedes finds this 2019 change to be a problem and reverts back to the older style supports, then the new Helwig bar won't work, and my money would have been wasted. I'm hoping we can get to the bottom of this soon and find a resolution, assuming it is a systemic problem.

Please continue to post your input and observations. It's sounding like other have the same problem.

What did Tiffin say?

Travelino · 01-31-2020, 03:11 PM

RossPam,
I'm assuming you're asking me what Tiffin said about the Mercedes sway bar bolts. I had suggested they monitor units coming in for service to see if any of them are loose or missing. When I called the tech at Tiffin a few weeks ago, he said as far as he knew they hadn't seen any loose or missing, but he would remind them to keep looking.

I've decided to go ahead and put on a Hellwig sway bar using the current Mercedes attachment points and use lock tite as suggested by Helwig. I will monitor the bolts/nuts on a regular basis to see if they start to come loose, as I want to move forward and don't expect Mercedes to do anything different any time soon. Hoping to put the new sway bar on tomorrow.

maasthor · 01-31-2020, 03:28 PM

in my own UNprofessional opinion, the bolts on these appear a smidge short. only a thread or two showing. why is that? I ordered some high strength bolts in same size as factory (M12 x 1.5) but 70mm long instead of 65mm. there appears to be no reason a few more threads cant be showing. or am I mistaken? Thinking they will hold better...?