Horror story

[Gfmucci]

A friend bought a 2 year old Sprinter conversion with ~50k miles for ~$100k. Before purchase she spent several hundred dollars on an inspection. All was good, or so she was led to believe.

She drove it out west from the east coast and lived in it for several months during the late summer/early fall. Good so far.

On the way back east, the engine made all sorts of noises until it quit on the interstate. She had recently had it fully serviced at an authorized dealer. She had it towed to a dealer luckily a mile away. Verdict: Needs a new engine, $22,000. Fortunately it was covered under warranty.

A month or so later, she discovered moisture. Taking it to a nearby recommended repair location, they discovered black mold, several leaks, one at the water pump and one at an improperly installed shower drain. They told her the leak likely occurred well before her purchase based on the nature of the damage. The bill? Around $15k. She has Roamly/Progressive, but damage not covered. Repair duration 3 weeks. Total interior tear down.

So, to help all future purchasers of a used van conversion, what could an individual have done differently to avoid all this expense and aggrevation? She seems to have done the right things.

 

[WanderingRose]

Well, I sold my 07 Sprinter conversion van last year at 128,000 miles.

I prided myself on the excellent maintenance of its very excellent diesel engine, and sent with it all service records.

If I were to recommend one thing for a used vehicle, it would be to get the service records.

If the seller doesn’t want to provide them, they have something to hide.

 

[Gfmucci]

Well, I sold my 07 Sprinter conversion van last year at 128,000 miles.

I prided myself on the excellent maintenance of its very excellent diesel engine, and sent with it all service records.

If I were to recommend one thing for a used vehicle, it would be to get the service records.

If the seller doesn’t want to provide them, they have something to hide.

Yeah, she had all that. I guess the best advice is to be able to either insure or be in a position to personally fund any adverse situation that arises no matter how much "due diligence" is applied to purchase and maintenance of an RV or anything else. Be prepared for the unexpected, for both the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns.

Not all "very excellent" Mercedes diesel engines are very excellent. There are numerous online reports about poor cylinder tolerances accumulating debris that break loose and destroy the block, or something along those lines. I don't know which specific engine she had but here is one example of a class action and potentially why Mercedes replaced hers for free:
https://www.classaction.org/news/me...ces a,often requires total engine replacement.

Search "Mercedes diesel engine failures" for many more.

 

[Gfmucci]

Well, I sold my 07 Sprinter conversion van last year at 128,000 miles.

I prided myself on the excellent maintenance of its very excellent diesel engine, and sent with it all service records.

If I were to recommend one thing for a used vehicle, it would be to get the service records.

If the seller doesn’t want to provide them, they have something to hide.

Related question: What type of pre-purchase inspection should have caught the under shower pan leak that was otherwise not visible from a simple look? Might there have been an odor? Aren't there moisture sensing tools? My expectation is the inspector should have reported something amiss down there.

 

[Gfmucci]

Related question: What type of pre-purchase inspection should have caught the under shower pan leak that was otherwise not visible from a simple look? Might there have been an odor? Aren't there moisture sensing tools? My expectation is the inspector should have reported something amiss down there.

She should have and I will ask if the inspector uses all the tools discussed in the linked article, below: rvinspector.pro/what-you-need-to-perform-your-own-rv-inspection/

 

[rruff]

So, to help all future purchasers of a used van conversion, what could an individual have done differently to avoid all this expense and aggrevation? She seems to have done the right things.

Was the Sprinter also 2 years old, 2022 or 2023?

Her "inspector" was likely not reliable.

The engine thing is weird, but I wouldn't get a Sprinter or anything with a diesel post 2007, due to common and serious issues with emissions. Leaks in plumbing and penetrations are common. Find them early and fix them.

I built my own camper, and it has no wood, so at least water won't make it rot. No plumbing either. And I bought a truck that is least likely to have one of the major mechanical components take a

 

[rruff]

I should clarify... the shell of my camper doesn't have wood, but the inside does... just ply for shelves and platforms, and some sparse 1x2 and 2x2 framing. Most of my "furniture" is plastic crates and some modified plastic heavy duty drawers. Nothing is buried behind or inside of "walls" where I can't see what is going on.

 

[Gfmucci]

Was the Sprinter also 2 years old, 2022 or 2023?

Her "inspector" was likely not reliable.

The engine thing is weird, but I wouldn't get a Sprinter or anything with a diesel post 2007, due to common and serious issues with emissions. Leaks in plumbing and penetrations are common. Find them early and fix them.

I built my own camper, and it has no wood, so at least water won't make it rot. No plumbing either. And I bought a truck that is least likely to have one of the major mechanical components take a

"The inspector was not reliable". That would be my first guess. My second guess is the repair people might be doing more work than necessary. But I understand that repairing/replacing black mold flooring in an RV can be pricey.
After hearing about this, I would up my game on RV inspector vetting and assure they don't get off the hook with their oft quoted caveat "We don't inspect and we are not responsible for hidden damage". Well, if it wasn't "hidden" we wouldn't need your sorry azz.

 

[LargeMarge]

...prepare..for the unexpected, for both...known unknowns and...unknown unknowns.

Not all "very excellent" Mercedes diesel engines are...are numerous online reports about poor cylinder tolerances accumulating debris that break loose and destroy the block, or something...

.
a)
Are all sprinter components made in chinesium or just most?
Theoretically, that could destroy the block, or something.
.
b)
"...poor cylinder tolerances..."?
Too tight, and the engine seizes.
Too loose, and it cannot operate.
Either or both could happen simultaneously.
And 'yes', theoretically, that could destroy the block, or something.
.
For today's discussion, we are going to be looking at 'sloppy cylinders accumulating debris'.
How sloppy?
Let's go with almost zero compression.
[Edtior's note : the formula allegedly also works on negative compression...]
.
.
..

 

[rruff]

So, to help all future purchasers of a used van conversion, what could an individual have done differently to avoid all this expense and aggrevation? She seems to have done the right things.

I'll add that it is often better to buy something old with a good rep that is easy to fix and that has been well loved... or buy a new empty van, truck, whatever... and outfit it yourself. And make that a simple build. I do not understand the desire to have "all the comforts of home"... in other words haul around all the complex crap that exists in a typical house. If you want it and can afford it and don't mind dealing with the tradeoffs, that's cool. But so many people buy RVs that have all sorts of gadgets and amenities, and they expect it to last forever or something, but they are really a POS. RVs typically have a 1 year warranty when new that really doesn't cover anything, and the dealer is hoping you will use it maybe twice in that year, and then he is done with you. If you are the second buyer, then you should expect that if it hasn't fallen apart yet, it soon will.

 

[Dirtrider]

DEF systems are total crap for diesels and you probably won't see long life's like the older engines. Having the burnt exhaust get stuffed back into the intake clogs the intake system, plugs injectors, carbon build up on the valves causing less lubrication on the cylinder walls or injectors to wash them clean burning the tops of the pistons.
There are many production flaws like crank gear pins, plugged oil sprayer, etc in today's engines.
High preventive maintenance is needed more now than ever, along with good luck & Karma

 

[Gfmucci]

DEF systems are total crap for diesels and you probably won't see long life's like the older engines. Having the burnt exhaust get stuffed back into the intake clogs the intake system, plugs injectors, carbon build up on the valves causing less lubrication on the cylinder walls or injectors to wash them clean burning the tops of the pistons.
There are many production flaws like crank gear pins, plugged oil sprayer, etc in today's engines.
High preventive maintenance is needed more now than ever, along with good luck & Karma

She had a choice of a RAM van with a 2 year warranty remaining or this Sprinter. She chose the Sprinter because it had more windows and the expectation the diesel engine would last long. She was aware of the greater maintenance obligations.