Opinion on Mercades diesel engines in Class C RV

just curious · 10-31-2023, 05:48 PM

Would like to know what fellow RVer's think about the diesel engines in the Class C RV's.
Thinking about down sizing from my 2019 Winnebago Vista 29 footer.
Power, Fuel mileage, Maintence, etc

powercat_ras · 10-31-2023, 06:23 PM

I have had a few friends who went with Mercedes Sprinter Chassis based RVs, all have had very high cost of ownership for service compared to what those of us who have Ford or Chevy gasoline They also have had major issues with getting Sprinter Chassis service when they need, it can be several weeks before they are able to get an appointment.

They drive nice and get great fuel mileage, it's maintenance that has been their problem. You should get other opinions on a specific forum for Mercedes Sprinter owners, it may be that newer ones are better than the ones that are older.

Sparky19053 · 10-31-2023, 06:51 PM

We have the 2021 WB Navion 24V model, if you are up for it the service work is easy and there are several youtube videos that will walk you thru the work. As for the fuel usage on flat roads I'm getting 14-15 MPG when not towing or running hard. Right off the showroom floor you will need some minor chassis modifications to reduce the sway. Easy work if you have some experience under the hood. The ride is comfortable an quite. 20,000 miles and very happy with the performance.

bigb · 10-31-2023, 07:55 PM

If you're buying new you will probably end up with the 2.0l 4 cyl as the V-6 went away in 2022. The 2.0l 4 cyl is not a new engine, it has been in production for a while and the HP & Torque numbers are a bit better than the 3.0l V-6 and fuel economy is supposed to be better.
I am pretty happy with the fuel mileage of my V-6 and the ride albeit it's not exactly big on power but fine for us, will gladly trade big power for the 14.7 MPG we average (not towing). Those 26 gallon fillups leave a lot of cash left over for steak dinners!

Everyone talked about suspension mods and I went back and forth with it for a long time fully expecting I'd need to do some and finally did nothing. There are a hundred differing opinions on what to do and some swear by what they did while others that did the exact same thing curse the results. We don't have any sway issues from passing trucks or side winds and the ride is as good as any 1 ton truck chassis. The only thing that is annoying to me is the rocking when exiting a driveway or driving over raised tank fill humps at a gas station, but that is manageable, I did it for years on my 1 ton work van so not a biggie, just go very slow. I thought about Sumo Springs or a bigger rear sway bar but it seems that every suspension mod is a trade off and if I can manage what I have now I don't want to risk making something else worse.
The only thing I will probably do is replace my rear shocks with Fox 2.5 Tuned shocks once my factory ones wear out. That will most likely help with the rocking while not compromising other aspects IMO.

Maintenance can be high at some dealers but I do all my own so no issue there. Depending on where you are located there are huge Sprinter facilities in most major cities due to Amazon and DHL using them, ours is first rate with no backlog, I had then do the emissions recall and they really hit it out of the park, I'd go there anytime I needed something I couldn't do myself. If you are on any RV forum you will know that even a Ford chassis MH can be difficult to get service on depending on where you are, seems I've heard that complaint plenty the last few years.

If you don't do DIY there are plenty of independent Sprinter repair facilities as well, and a good support network over at the Sprintersource.com
Oil changes on the Sprinter are extremely easy.

Hope this helps

**creativepart** · 10-31-2023, 09:57 PM

There are pluses and minuses for every chassis. We have friends with a Sprinter Class B and love it, even after 7-years and 60,000 miles.

Service is always more expensive for a diesel motorhome, but fuel mileage is much better. Reliability is very good and everything is well made. The View/Navion have been the best selling Class C motorhomes in the entire industry, for a decade or more.

As they say, “you pay your money and you make your choice.” There is no one right or wrong answer.

FT RV · 11-03-2023, 09:05 PM

I worked for MB corp and retail for years. Dealerships that wanted to sell sprinters had to make the door opening bigger and the ceiling bigger in the shop so they could be raised on the lift. Only a few did this, so your options for service will be very limited. The biggest issue with those is the limited cargo carrying capacity. You can shrug it off, sure, but with only 600lbs and if something breaks and you take out a bus full of nuns - be aware that your insurance company is going to hang up when you call for help.

Ontario Don · 11-04-2023, 03:27 PM

Hi - We are on our second Sprinter, this one under a '21 View.

Our first Sprinter fit into the year bracket of all the NOx sensor issues, so initially it was pretty disappointing. The issues settled down after a while, and it turned out to be a pretty reliable chassis. Our current Sprinter has had one NOx sensor failure, but I've been told that has been an exception, rather than what is common place for the VS30 fleet. We are approaching 40,000 miles, and are quite happy, all in all.

We are averaging a little bit more than 15 mpg.

Maintenance. Well, it is a Mercedes, and based on what I have seen at the dealer for both our Sprinters, there is always a bit of pomp, pageantry, and marketeering associated with appointments. This time around I am just going to the dealer for warranty and recall work, and am taking it to our local truck shop to get the basics done. I can talk to them there, and get straight answers.

Maintenance on a Mercedes, at the dealer, is generally more expensive.

We upgraded the rear suspension, and it has been a game changer. Previously, during trips in strong crosswinds, we would get numerous daily activations of the Crosswind Assist and Electronic Stability Program - leading to distraction and a lot of annoyance. I installed Fox 2.5 rear shocks and a Hellwig 7777 sway bar - the change was amazing. Since doing that about 15,000 miles ago, we have had ONE activation of those systems. At low speed, going over diagonal speed bumps, the reduction in lateral sway and slow to damp wallow is phenomenal compared to what is was. I can't say enough good about what those two changes made to our particular coach.

At the recommendation of our shop, we bumped up the tire pressures from the factory number a bit, and have seen a quieter ride, with better fuel consumption and tracking.

We've got about 1300 lbs of cargo carrying capacity. When you throw on some water, a passenger or two, and all your stuff, that number drops pretty quickly. We trip with what we need, not with "nice to have" stuff on board. It would be great not to have to worry about the CCC like we did on our Class B Sprinter, but we make out Ok. However, I must admit I do envy what I see being pulled out of non-Sprinter Class Cs - but then I remind myself about our fuel consumption and all is good.

Currently, our View is a very nice ride. Short trips, long trips - all are extremely comfortable and fun. The onboard tech is about the right amount, for this old guy. The sound quality out of the factory was atrocious, but I disconnected the middle speaker as per the online hack and that improved things considerably. Sirius channel 311 sounds good.

I'm always looking forward to getting in and going for a drive.

Cheers,

Fanrgs · 11-05-2023, 05:32 PM

We have a 2020 Navion 24V M-B Sprinter Class C. We have had 7 recalls, all of which have been handled by the M-B dealer 9 miles from our house. We have called for appointments each time (4 were done in one visit) and have never had to wait more than 3 days to get it in. The most time any repair has taken was a day.

For other service, we take it to an M-B specialty shop with a German shop manager and office manager. Yes, it is expensive because it's a Mercedes and a diesel. But I just spent $1000 for the 60,000-mile maintenance on my 2015 Ram 2500 diesel truck, so the cost is relative. All diesel maintenance is expensive--the Ram takes 12 quarts of Rotella diesel oil and has two fuel filters. But I have never had a single issue with DEF in either diesel and no repairs not covered by warranty with the Navion.

We have an aftermarket Helwig sway bar on the Navion. We just returned from a 1900-mile RV trip to KS, OK, and the TX Panhandle with 40 mph crosswinds and only one cross-wind alert.

bigb · 11-05-2023, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ontario Don

Hi - We are on our second Sprinter, this one under a '21 View.

Our first Sprinter fit into the year bracket of all the NOx sensor issues, so initially it was pretty disappointing. The issues settled down after a while, and it turned out to be a pretty reliable chassis. Our current Sprinter has had one NOx sensor failure, but I've been told that has been an exception, rather than what is common place for the VS30 fleet. We are approaching 40,000 miles, and are quite happy, all in all.

We are averaging a little bit more than 15 mpg.

Maintenance. Well, it is a Mercedes, and based on what I have seen at the dealer for both our Sprinters, there is always a bit of pomp, pageantry, and marketeering associated with appointments. This time around I am just going to the dealer for warranty and recall work, and am taking it to our local truck shop to get the basics done. I can talk to them there, and get straight answers.

Maintenance on a Mercedes, at the dealer, is generally more expensive.

We upgraded the rear suspension, and it has been a game changer. Previously, during trips in strong crosswinds, we would get numerous daily activations of the Crosswind Assist and Electronic Stability Program - leading to distraction and a lot of annoyance. I installed Fox 2.5 rear shocks and a Hellwig 7777 sway bar - the change was amazing. Since doing that about 15,000 miles ago, we have had ONE activation of those systems. At low speed, going over diagonal speed bumps, the reduction in lateral sway and slow to damp wallow is phenomenal compared to what is was. I can't say enough good about what those two changes made to our particular coach.

At the recommendation of our shop, we bumped up the tire pressures from the factory number a bit, and have seen a quieter ride, with better fuel consumption and tracking.

We've got about 1300 lbs of cargo carrying capacity. When you throw on some water, a passenger or two, and all your stuff, that number drops pretty quickly. We trip with what we need, not with "nice to have" stuff on board. It would be great not to have to worry about the CCC like we did on our Class B Sprinter, but we make out Ok. However, I must admit I do envy what I see being pulled out of non-Sprinter Class Cs - but then I remind myself about our fuel consumption and all is good.

Currently, our View is a very nice ride. Short trips, long trips - all are extremely comfortable and fun. The onboard tech is about the right amount, for this old guy. The sound quality out of the factory was atrocious, but I disconnected the middle speaker as per the online hack and that improved things considerably. Sirius channel 311 sounds good.

I'm always looking forward to getting in and going for a drive.

Cheers,

Don,
Did you do the Fox shocks and the Helwig sway bar at the same time or did you try one mod first?

Ontario Don · 11-05-2023, 07:16 PM

Brian - I did them both at the same time, based on what others had ultimately ended up with.

The ride is a bit firm when we are in town and lightweight, but when loaded for a trip the tuning of the Fox shocks seems about right. Other than that observation, I don't have any experience with running the mods independently.

Cheers,

cthiggy · 11-06-2023, 12:46 AM

We are into our second year with a 2020 Winnebago Navion which I like very much. As others have noted, many Mercedes Dealers refuse to service Sprinters. We found one in North Palm Beach Florida who did a fantastic job on recalls. transmission service and fuel pump replacement. Expensive....but much more knowledgeable than run of the mill RV dealers who appear to hire third grade drop outs for their Service Department.

Plus a Mother Mercedes service facility will usually have access to all the MB software and applications which is very important.

Mercedes guards their software like Fort Knox which is why many OBD Readers will not interface well.

We get 14-15 MPG not towing and we have a Roadmaster sway bar on the rear axle. The machine drives like a Mercedes. Smooth and quiet.

My biggest complaint is the lack of sufficient storage and size of the compartments below the floor.

Also, like others, I do my own oil/filter changes (AMSOIL) once a year (May) so I know what goes in, how much, and when. Must be careful because removing the oil drain plug will splash oil out two or three feet. I just installed a small valve in place of the drain plug which will solve that issue.

Not my first diesel.

I do like them for reliability and the lack of electrical ignition systems.

c thiggy

gomango · 11-06-2023, 05:02 AM

Thx for your input and sharing. How much did you increase your tire pressure to?
2011 View.

gomango · 11-06-2023, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigb

Don,
Did you do the Fox shocks and the Helwig sway bar at the same time or did you try one mod first?

How much did you increase the tire pressure to? Thx

Ontario Don · 11-06-2023, 06:51 AM

After a mid-life tire rotation and some concern about wear on the fronts, the truck shop I take the View to for routine inspections and routine maintenance recommended we bump the fronts up to 70, and the rears to 65. We noticed a difference right away in tracking and steering stability; I guess the sidewalls are a bit stiffer. In addition, we were getting a bit of a front tire hum that went away immediately with the extra pressure.

I had them look at the tires after 10,000 miles following those changes, and they were very happy with the way the fronts were wearing. Those pressures are standard ops for us now.

We made the final decision on Fox shocks and an upgraded Hellwig sway bar based on this great info from a site you might be familiar with:

https://www.viewnavion.com/mods/suspension

Prior to finding this info, I had not been able to find a better testimonial for this combination installed on a View / Navion.

Shedboy · 11-06-2023, 11:59 AM

Have 2012 22M bought used have logged 12k miles/year owned 11 years. Agree and have completed most of the modifications others have mentioned. Biggest improvement came from suspension upgrades, Helwig sway bar, OL springs and bump stops (Timbrens in my case).
3L diesel mileage has remained consistent at approximately 15 mpg which I am happy with, considering I regularly travel over 12K foot elevations to sea level on winding highways. No engine issues since I have owned it. There are many comments regarding the build-up of scale on the turbo blades and injectors and I have noticed an increase in engine power with little affect on mileage from occasionally using diesel injector cleaner additive. RV climbs hills and passes other vehicles much easier.I think that it removes the scum on the turbo blades.

Biggest annoyance for my use is the relatively small fuel tank. While traveling in remote areas, the 20 gal tank gives about 300 mile range. If in rural Mexico, North Alaska, Yukon or NW Territories the low capacity governs where and when you can travel. To remedy, I carried two 5 gal plastic fuel jugs that diminished my cargo capacity. Recently I purchased a Harbor Freight hitch mounted cargo carrier, a diesel transfer pump, hose and nozzle and found a 35 gal diesel transfer tank at Home Depot on-line that fits perfectly into the cargo carrier. The cargo carrier mounted fuel tank fits nicely under the rear mounted spare tire. Haven’t tried it out yet but I calculate the Navion range should be around 800 miles and/or have better space heating flexibility if equipped with a diesel heater. The added weight is about 200 pounds with a full tank.
I have the LP space heater; there are several comments on upgrading the heater to an increased BTU unit or a diesel powered heater (not sure what a diesel additive would do to a space heater). I currently carry a spare 3 gal propane tank and use the kitchen stove as little as possible. The Navion engine heater is a last resort, it only heats the driver area.

The Navion is a good fit for traveling in remote areas where maneuverability is important. Additionally, its smaller size fits nicely in my relative’s driveways. (When are they going to leave????????)
I updated the driver and navigator seats to a more comfortable model with heaters. Also upgraded the radio, cd player and TV to allow satellite streaming from a Winegard Travl’er Dish antenna on the roof with HughesNet WEB capability. Have upgraded to LIPO4 batteries w portable solar panels stored in cargo bins.
If it was possible, I would have made the same choices 10 years earlier.The 3L turbo diesel has performed very well at different altitudes, temperatures and loads

cgflyer · 12-06-2023, 08:27 AM

I have a 2020 Vita 24F which has the 3.0 Mercedes Diesel and no frills throughout. I previously owned a 2008 Vista 32H which I sold because the V10 gets terrible mileage and the sway on the interstate drives was leaving me white knuckled. The Mercedes 3500 Sprinter chassis to me is completely stable out of the factory and the engine is bullet proof. I tow a Jeep Wrangler and get 10-11 mpg. I do my own maintenance; oil and filter changes are a breeze. The Sprinters have a known problem with speed sensors going bad and throwing the ABS and ESP lights. The sensors are easy to change (I've had to replace 3 out of 4 so far) but they must be OEM parts, I originally tried two from Oreilly's and neither worked. There's a website, "FCP Euro" that has all the Mercedes parts cheaper and with a lifetime guarantee.
Probably more information than what you wanted but good luck

SeeTheUSA · 12-06-2023, 10:32 AM

We have owned four motorhomes, three of them on Sprinter chassis, all diesel, all Winnebago. First Sprinter was a 5 cylinder, the other two 6 cylinder … all purchased new. We typically put on about 5,000 miles per year, all of those with a toad. All have been relatively trouble free.

Service on the first one was at a Dodge dealer, that was easy and not expensive. The second and third ones have been serviced at a Mercedes dealership … that proved to be a bit of an issue, but not anymore. Where we live, DFW area in Texas, there are several dealership options. Two dealerships (Plano and McKinney) for sure treated us like unwashed transients since we didn’t stroll up in some sort of high dollar AMG, but sure wanted to take LOTS of our money for very long lists of unnecessary maintenance tasks, like charges for simple things I do myself (DEF, windshield washer fluid, air intake filter, tire psi, etc.). You know, the “full package!” One such dealership refused to reset my dash maintenance reminder because not every single little item was done by them. The write up guy was pretty rude.

Fortunately, I’ve since found a Mercedes dealership that does what you want done. No big list, nothing you don’t specify, but solid technical advice … it’s the Grapevine dealership, has a dedicated Sprinter shop and mechanics. Prices are fairly high loke most any manufacturer dealership, but not exorbitant. They have serviced our current rig twice, both times without any complaints. Thorough, clean, and they’ll do it while you wait. Nice waiting area, too