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Old 07-27-2018, 01:07 PM   #1
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2015 Solera needs new rearend and axle

Took our 2014 Sprinter up to dealer for airbag recall and a rear wheel sensor. The mechanic came out and advised me not to drive it home because the pinion gear or bearing was shot and the housing was full of metal shavings. Dealer is 2 hrs from home so rented a car from Enterprise, that is another nightmare. This is under warranty and he did not know how Mercedes-Benz would handle this, he wasn’t even sure if they could do it, wasn’t sure how to lift the motorhome. They think it may be weeks, whatever that means. Has anyone else had this problem and how was it handled. In the meantime we have canceled the rest of our summer plans.
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Old 07-27-2018, 01:23 PM   #2
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Did the mechanic know the cause of the issue? Glad it was under warranty.
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Old 07-27-2018, 01:32 PM   #3
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He said he really had not seen this before. Said it doesn’t do them any good to set for months on end in the same position.
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Old 07-27-2018, 01:49 PM   #4
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Make sure they are a certified Sprinter MB dealership. Not all MB dealerships are. Any real Sprinter dealer should be able to lift a Sprinter MBS motor home. Good luck.
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Old 07-27-2018, 05:49 PM   #5
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Wow that stinks . How many miles on the sprinter?
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Old 07-27-2018, 07:20 PM   #6
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17,000 miles on sprinter. Usually they lift under the axle. That needs to come out so I think he is concerned about how to support the weight of the motorhome
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Old 07-28-2018, 02:47 PM   #7
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MB paid to have mine towed to an authorized MB shop. . .130 miles. Have you contacted them?
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Old 07-28-2018, 02:48 PM   #8
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Meant to add it was transported on a flat bed.
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Old 07-28-2018, 05:06 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lwalkplumb View Post
17,000 miles on sprinter. Usually they lift under the axle. That needs to come out so I think he is concerned about how to support the weight of the motorhome
Wait...what? In my 2010(2011 Solera) Sprinter manual it sez that there are only FOUR(4) lift points that should be used on the FRAME alone. They are gussets welded to the frame and are either in front or aft of each wheel set. I think they say NOT to use the axle considering the weight of the entire unit involved. Please clarify this...
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Old 07-28-2018, 08:47 PM   #10
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Quick question: Neither the air bag nor the wheel sensor requires cracking open the rear-end. So, how did he know the rear-end was full of metal shavings? And how would he know to look in the first place? Sounds kinda fishy to me.
We had a Solera that the rear-end whined from day one. We were told by MB that Forest River overloaded the chassis which changed the pinion angle thus making it whine. Funny thing, after picking up our Solera for the air bag recall and replacement of a rear wheel sensor (I'm seeing a pattern here) I went directly and fueled it up and went to the Co-op and had the propane tank filled. The only difference in the weight would be our food, clothes and my wife in the motor home. I went to our local cotton gin and had it weighed. Guess what? It weighed about 500 lbs. below the GVWR of the unit. I think MB is trying to pass the buck on that deal. Just my $0.02.
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Old 07-29-2018, 06:37 AM   #11
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I think maybe the computer may have told him about the problem. I’m not a mechanic so I’ll let the experts handle this. This is A Mercedes Benz dealer in Fayetteville, N.Y. He also test drove the unit and heard the noise, seemed very knowledgeable. I don’t know where they jack these units up, I’m sure removing the the whole rearend is not going to be easy, probably need lots of room.
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Old 08-11-2018, 02:07 PM   #12
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Just got the Solera back from the MB dealer. They were ahead of schedule and did a fantastic job. Parts for Airbag, wheel sensor, and new rearend and parts were 9000.00 dollars, thankfully all covered under warranty. Seems like the motorhome shifts smoother and definitely has less noise. Now for the bad news, 5 miles from home the engine light comes on, seems the nox sensor has failed, back to Fayetteville. We will be going by on our next trip anyway. Hope this isn’t going to be a trend.
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