mweiner

Brett, good idea to check the voltage on the large lug nut on the generator.. I'll tell my mechanic to look their first.. I don't have the tools or expertise to troubleshoot this.

I'll look at the documentation that came with the Roadtrek, thanks. There's not too much information that I received... I have a private RV mechanic and I'll have him take a look. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mercedes Benz dealership just got it wrong on the reconnection.. after all, they don't see modified Sprinters everyday... I don't know, but, I'm pretty sure that a standard cargo van doesn't have two deep cycle batteries in the engine compartment.. and definitely doesn't have any connections to a generator! I was out of town when I got the replacement deep cycle batteries, so, if they screwed up, I'm certainly not driving back to see them.

One more thing, yes, I did check out the fuses, nothing wrong there either. The only thing about fuses is when they do go out, you need to find out what caused it, I don't think you can just rely on replacing one without locating the source of what went wrong Isn't this true?

Everything else works fine. I'm thinking that when the Mercedes Benz dealership installed the two new deep cycle batteries, maybe they didn't connect the right positive wire for the generator? Interesting that everything else works perfectly fine... Or, maybe it is a bad starter solenoid? Right now, I'm on a trip with full hookup and it is not mission critical.. will probably have it checked out for an upcoming trip.. where we'll need it.. generator was running fine before. In answer to the question of the generator starting with the engine running, negative... Complete silence when I push the button on the inside of the coach to start the system.. it's like there's no power to the switch. If I didn't know, I'd think it were dead coach batteries, but, they're brand new...

Recently had all the vehicle and coach batteries replaced. Tried to start generator and hear nothing..dead silence at the control panel... Any ideas... I suppose it could be a loose connection, disconnect switch? Or maybe it's a bad starter, but since I'm not hearing anything... ? I'm thinking something is not connected.. Would appreciate any input. Thanks.

Bill, As a point to information, this is a discussion on diesel motor home MPG... not exclusively Class A's and my rig is a diesel. OH, so, you're saying that I shouldn't contribute to these posts because the FMCA is exclusively a Class A forum only.... I'm just saying that those of us who choose to have smaller rigs for fuel economy don't have to settle for a TENT as Rod rudely pointed out above! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.... where did you get that idea that us Class B's can't have an opinion on this. ---MARK

Rod, when you are driving a vehicle like mine with pretty decent fuel economy and accommodations, you're not really giving up creature comforts... sure, it's much smaller than the larger rigs, but, we spend a lot of time outdoors when we reach a destination.... If I wanted to be super comfortable, I might as well stay home and relax in my own backyard..😁 Not everyone wants to spend a fortune on fuel to go places and there's a big range of options between a tent and a Class A..... Our rig gets 18-19 MPG...and there's a world of difference in savings from 5 MPG... Over time, fuel is the most expensive thing you put in your vehicle...every vehicle depreciates so please don't bring up that as an issue ..... Besides, depreciation is only important if you intend to sell, otherwise, it's meaningless. And, while I'm on the subject of depreciation, which Class A, B, or C do you think depreciates the least? ---MARK

Hi Carl, Well, the Mercedes Benz Sprinter has been in production since 1995 continuously. How many motor homes have come and gone out of business in the same time period? Do you really think Roadtrek would not want to associate with Mercedes if it were a problem product? They have a stellar reputation being in business since 1974. And, the Mercedes Benz Sprinter has been a workhorse vehicle in commercial applications for small buses, delivery vans and motor home conversions including the Class B plus and Class C motor homes... Winnebago Navion, Leisure Travel Unity, etc. See this Wikpedia link below, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Sprinter My van is the 3500 series with the dual wheels and heavier duty suspension vs.the 2500 with the single wheels in the back. The dual wheels provides greater stability. And, it's almost 23 feet long, so, you may have definitely seen smaller models they do make them. As for speed, who's racing or driving at speeds above 82, which is by the way, the top speed of the Mercedes Benz Sprinter in the United States... probably could be faster, but, why would you want to risk that? As for the performance, I recently read in this months FMCA magazine that the 2018 Newmar New Aire takes approximately 38 seconds to reach 60 MPH from a dead stop... That's a really long time.....I hope whomever is driving that plans accordingly when merging onto freeways. The Sprinter can accelerate to 60 MUCH faster. There's been several different engines for these vans over the years...the 2.7 FIVE, the 3.0 V6 which is what is in my vehicle and the 2.1 FOUR.... The main difference between the SIX and the FOUR is the transmission...the FOUR has a seven speed automatic while the SIX has a FIVE speed automatic. The V6 turbo diesel engine has 188 horsepower and 325 foot pounds of torque, plenty of power. I recently came back crossing a mountain pass and it climbed over the grade with no problems at all.... Getting 18 MPG... And, the engine is running DEF, and has passed the EPA and California standards. California has the toughest emissions test in the USA. What state are you from? I'm sure that Joe is a fine mechanic, and he's certainly entitled to his opinion. He see's people who have problems.. that's his job. You can't deny that with an entire fleet of FEDEX delivery trucks all over the United States using the Mercedes Benz Sprinter as their vehicle of choice that these things are ubiqutous. Still, you have not shown any actual evidence of your claims that the engines are bad or prone to failure at 85,000 miles. I suppose that anything could happen? The sky could be falling tomorrow? I'm very careful about vehicle preventative maintenance. My cars typically go 200,000 miles and they're gas engines.. Diesel engines are known for their durability. So, pardon me if I'm going to take your comments with a grain of salt, no offense. ---MARK

Carl, interesting, so an amendment did exclude these types of vehicles, which would also include a minivan with a bed! "The only difference between a Towable and a Coach, is the engine/transmission. Truck slide in campers (regardless of cost), boats, etc was deemed unacceptable in the definition amendment that we passed." My comment about my van was a rethorical question for Chris. I know that my van is a small motor home. I'm afraid that if you open up the floodgates and let anyone in with whatever towables they have, trailer, pop-up tent, 5th wheel, teardrop, then how do you defend excluding boats and truck campers...in other words, where does it end? How about a wagon pulled by a horse? Others have said this and I agree, the main focus of the FMCA has been motor homes, Class A , B and C. Letting all those other groups in will just dilute the club and it's members turning conversations into all sorts of other issues. I hope everyone knows that. You might as well change the name of the club to the Family Coach Club and leave out the motor... These other groups have their exclusive clubs. I have a teardrop trailer and have gone to their rallies, pulling the trailer with my car. They explicitly state that the rally is for teardrop trailers only...they are not kidding...no exceptions. WHY? They want the focus on one particular thing...we should do the same. And, someone else pointed out that even with the many benefits of the FMCA assist and medical emergency , which is a great benefit, the club has done a very poor job of marketing this feature and could lure more paying members if people knew about it... including driving your vehicle back .. would the club offer to tow these trailers back for people as well?? That service alone is worth the $60 or more per year. You can't just offer this to a small segment of the membership..so, if you offer to assist people by driving back their coaches if they're unable to do so, what about their trailers? You either offer it to everyone or you don't offer it at all. You think that will happen, I don't see how that can continue. Now, you have setup an unlevel playing field and people are not going to like that at all. Very complicated. I wonder how many people realize what the implications are for all of these issues.

First, I certainly hope you can see that the vehicle in my picture below is not a "minivan".😁😁😁. Also, towables are not "towed vehicles" aka "toads". Toads are part of the motor home association already. Second, I agree with you that truck campers, tents, SUV'S with a mattress in the back are not appropriate to qualify as a towables..

Time is a valuable asset, don't forget that. If I were you go online and read reviews. Call the shop in advance and listen to their demeanor over the phone. You can tell a lot about a person by just listening to what they say. Good luck.

If you're apathetic about the vote you will have nothing to complain about later". Just think about that once this is all done . You'll have no one to blame EXCEPT yourself. So, if this issue is important to you, vote.

By the way, I've been with AAA for 37 years....do you think for one minute that I would switch if they didn't perform?? That is WHY I'm a longtime member.

Bill, Actually, I know exactly what AAA Premiere will do, thanks. And, I've used them for bringing my car to my mechanic before... It's one tow for 200 miles and up to three or four additional tows of 100 miles each and you can choose. Like I said, AAA is expensive, but, they deliver services tailored to what you want.

I agree completely... prudent advice. Five to six years is the maximum time...

Bill, AAA Premiere will tow 200 miles.. is there a service out there with unlimited to the destination you choose?

Bill, I definitely agree, corrosion is a problem....how many times have you seen corrosion with a sealed battery? Probably not very often.? Sometimes a little at terminals, but nothing compared to a battery with a cap and requiring water.

My only recommendation for whatever tires you buy are that they are as "new as possible". There's a lot of tires sold as "new", BUT have a manufacturing date that is already a year old... check the sidewalls the date is stamped into every tire. Tires last on average 5 to 6 years. It's much more likely that you will run out of time before the tread is run down. On a vehicle as large as an RV and due to its height and center of gravity, it's much safer to replace the tires in terms of time rather than actual wear. Just my opinion.

Do you have any actual evidence to make a claim like that or is this just a guess on your part? What do you think will actually happen to the engine? Do you think it will just stop working or throw a rod or something? Really, I'd like to know your thoughts.

Replace them with sealed AGM 6 volt deep cycle batteries. Check out Centennial or Full River.. I agree with Brocki, batteries should be replaced every five years.. For ease of maintenance skip the ones where you have to monitor the water levels. It's certainly a great idea to check your inverter/charging system at the same time, but, I think it's probably just old batteries.

Bill, I have AAA Premiere RV.... really great plan. ---MARK

I'm not the original owner... and the Mercedes Benz Sprinter is a 2011 ... Even so, I'm less concerned about the Mercedes Benz Sprinter than I am about the conversion features..I would not be surprised at all to see the Mercedes going well past 200,000 miles. Who knows if I'll make it that far or keep the vehicle that long?

Bill, OK, your last message has almost inspired me to cancel my contract... although, I have to ask how much of the work do you do yourself..? I'm not particularly handy when it comes to mechanical items. Please let me know? And, yes, I think you're correct, I'm sure there's a deductible of at least $100 per incident. With only 27,000 miles, I'm starting to wonder how many things could potentially go wrong?

Sorry, I didn't mean "self-insured" for an accident.. I mean self insured for repairs and maintenance...

I'm paying $78 per month for Good Sam... that's $936 per year?..I suppose I could easily be setting aside $1,000 per year...or maybe I'll need to use it... really a roll of the dice?