Mercedes diesel recall

RVJayhawk-JAY

Advanced Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Posts
43
Location
CLINTON
Last Friday I received a package of documents regarding the Mercedes Bluedef TEC settlement from the JND Legal Administration. It was a bit overwhelming . I called the closest Mercedes Sprinter service, Mercedes of Northwest Arkansas, to obtain a little clarification and guidance. The service advisor suggested I bring in our Melbourne 24L and leave it with them to have it checked out. He said he has customers' Sprinters "stacked up" waiting for the recall to be performed. I asked how long that might take and he said it could be as simple as a software update or as complicated as having to replace most if not all of the emissions system. It could take just a day or as much as two weeks. And this recall has no provision for a loaner vehicle.


It is a 3 1/2 hour drive from our home to that dealer. I drove over Sunday, left the Melbourne parked in front of the service door, and dropped the keys in the key drop. Fortunately my neighbor picked me up and gave me a lift home.

The parking lot adjacent to the dealer has approximately 30 Sprinters parked, I assume all waiting for the recall.

When I spoke with the service advisor I told him my wife and I have been waiting all winter to travel in our Melbourne and we have an extensive trip planned for April 20. He indicated they could have the recall finished by them but after seeing all the Sprinters in the lot I am a bit worried.

I am also worried about the security of the units waiting in the open parking lot. Class C motorhomes are not the most well designed when it comes to security and I am surprised a dealer would leave then in an insecure lot.

So now I am wondering if I did the right thing. I do all my own routine maintenance and I have not noticed anything that would indicate a problem with the emission system. In fact I have been impressed that I can let the diesel engine run in an enclosed hangar for a few minutes without even a hint of typical stinky diesel exhaust. Apparently this whole recall started in California where the emission standards are overly strict. And we have no plans to travel to California so maybe the entire recall is not necessary?

I would love to hear from others who own a motorhome powered by the Mercedes diesel.
 
Unless there is something in writing I would go and pick it up and wait till after your trip to get it checked out. if they check it in and decide you need the new system it won't be done before you leave. If you are just going to get an assessment of what is needed then do that...
Unless it is something that will blow up or fail and ruin your trip you should be go to go and get it done after or even over the winter time... if you are number 20 you are a long way from getting fixed...

Good luck...
 
My Sprinter was scheduled for Wednesday of this week. The dealer called me this morning and cancelled the appointment and rescheduled it for May 5th. They stated that there was a parts shortage, but wouldn't tell me what part was unavailable. I was also going to have the airbag recall done at the same time. So, I don't know if the unavailable part was for the AEM or the airbag recall.

If I read everything correctly, the AEM doesn't need to be completed until Oct of 2022. I would retrieve your unit, travel with it, and reschedule it for a more convenient time.
 
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I called the service manager this afternoon. He assured me they have the necessary parts to complete the recall and he managed to get our unit worked into their schedule for this Wednesday. I will provide an update later this week. Keeping fingers crossed!
 
What years are affected? Ours is a '19 Melbourne on an '18 chassis. We had a recall for power steering lines and had that fixed already.
 
Recall update: Wednesday I was surprised to get a call from the service manager at Mercedes-Benz of Northwest Arkansas saying our Melbourne was ready. Apparently all our unit needed was a NOx sensor and a software update. When he inquired if I wanted any other service performed I explained I do all my own routine maintenance and I had just performed an oil change. He then offered to reset the maintenance reminder as a courtesy. We picked up the motor home yesterday, spent an enjoyable night camping at Withrow Springs State park, and drove on home today. I could tell no difference in performance and fuel economy still seems good, about 15-16 mpg.

Overall the experience at that dealership was good. And they said to tell all my friends who own Sprinters that they have plenty of the recall parts in stock and gladly perform the repairs.
 
The paperwork that accompanied the recall, class-action lawsuit material said the service work would take 1.5 hours.
We had the work done last week, then filled out the paperwork for the class-action lawsuit, mailed it to a law firm in Seattle. It sounds like affected Sprinter diesel owners stand to collect an award of about $3,500.
I would not park our RV in an unsecured lot near a dealer.
 
The paperwork that accompanied the recall, class-action lawsuit material said the service work would take 1.5 hours.
We had the work done last week, then filled out the paperwork for the class-action lawsuit, mailed it to a law firm in Seattle. It sounds like affected Sprinter diesel owners stand to collect an award of about $3,500.
I would not park our RV in an unsecured lot near a dealer.

I will be very interested to hear how long it takes for you to receive payment. Please let us know when that comes through.
 

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