We are going to chance not fixing it spend £'s travelling instead (1 Viewer)

[chaser]

Mercedes say

The turbo waste gate valve is stuck open

There is delamination inside the manifold (a flap has broken off) resulting in constant back pressure

Possible issues with catalytic convertor and or DPF

Parts not including new cat or DPF £1950 + VAT

Fitting they cant quote till they do it due non standard access issues, however on a slightly positive twist on that, they think it can be finished this week, so no more than 4 days labour at least

It's not so many years ago , I would have expected to buy a motorhome for that
In fact the one we did buy before our latest only cost £500 more and took us around France , Spain and Italy without a fault, progress eh.

 

[DavidG58]

@chaser the Thanks were not meant sarcastically but a like seemed wrong, although on reflection.....

 

[chaser]

@chaser the Thanks were not meant sarcastically but a like seemed wrong, although on reflection.....

No didn't mean anything derogatory or trying to be funny , as I said before I feel for you mate, I know what it's like with these modern things, why can't they just leave things alone, instead of mending things that aren't broke

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[DavidG58]

Bev has just been in for a consoling chat (I am at work just to make things worse, staff off sick)

We bought the motorhome for much less than we probably should (could) have paid, somewhere close to half list price at three years old with just over 2000 miles, somewhere in the system we have saved this kind of money in the bank, we don't of course

We also had a tax bill for less than expected this year, so more money in the system that we don't actually have

But if we don't mend it we cant use it, if we try and trade it in faulty (declaring the fault) I would expect to have more than the cost of the repairs knocked off any offer price, I wont try to sell it on without telling someone

So we are just going to get on with the repairs and smile our way through, we are luckier than some, not as lucky as others, but at least we can afford to have it done

But god help everybody if the bloody thing goes into limp on the way to the tunnel in February

 

[chaser]

Bev has just been in for a consoling chat (I am at work just to make things worse, staff off sick)

We bought the motorhome for much less than we probably should (could) have paid, somewhere close to half list price at three years old with just over 2000 miles, somewhere in the system we have saved this kind of money in the bank, we don't of course

We also had a tax bill for around £10K less than expected this year, so more money in the system that we don't actually have

But if we don't mend it we cant use it, if we try and trade it in faulty (declaring the fault) I would expect to have more than the cost of the repairs knocked off any offer price, I wont try to sell it on without telling someone

So we are just going to get on with the repairs it and smile our way through, we are luckier than some, not as lucky as others, but at least we can afford to have it done

But god help everybody if the bloody thing goes into limp on the way to the tunnel in February

Well that puts a compleatly different stance on it, you will still be in pocket then and not have to worry about the thing suddenly stopping in some foreign traffic

 

[DavidG58]

Now heres a thought, maybe my poor mpg has been down to the turbo issues all the while we have had it?

How many miles will I need to do to cover the repair

Just for fun did some sums on this, I will need to do 100,000 more miles in it, and that presumes we get an improvement of 5mpg

I will need to find some other way to console myself

G + T here I come but only because we still have some in stock, cant afford as much next month , but theres a few bottles of stuff we have had for years that will have to do then

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[gus-lopez]

Not wanting to depress you but you really want to know before they start whether it is going to need a dpf. 'cause that could double the bill depending on type of dpf.

Personally I'd want the dpf removed & the regen programme in the ecu deleted so that rubbish was never going to cost money again. The cataliser , remove, knock out the guts & replace. As long as it looks like one it cannot fail the MOT as there is no test.

 

[DavidG58]

Not wanting to depress you but you really want to know before they start whether it is going to need a dpf. 'cause that could double the bill depending on type of dpf.

Personally I'd want the dpf removed & the regen programme in the ecu deleted so that rubbish was never going to cost money again. The cataliser , remove, knock out the guts & replace. As long as it looks like one it cannot fail the MOT as there is no test.

A DPF is apparently £900 and £500 for the Cat, (plus fitting and P+P) whilst I would totally agree with you on the proposal to opt out of both, that is now probably not an option, since it got booked into a Mercedes workshop I cant see them doing that

 

[DavidG58]

A DPF is apparently £900 and £500 for the Cat, (plus fitting and P+P) whilst I would totally agree with you on the proposal to opt out of both, that is now probably not an option, since it got booked into a Mercedes workshop I cant see them doing that

not sure why I wrote P+P, think the auto correct gods did that for me, meant VAT of course

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[Terry]

P and p would have been cheaper 

 

[canopus]

Have Mertrux got your van sorted yet David?

 

[DavidG58]

Have Mertrux got your van sorted yet David?

Still in there Ken, they hope we can get it back tomorrow or Saturday morning

They are asking Mercedes to contribute to the parts, but only because I asked them to, my logic being that neither the turbo nor the inlet manifold are serviceable parts and really should have gone further than 20K miles albeit 7 years since registered and nearly 10 years since built by Mercedes, which Mertrux think is the real issue. Both unusual faults at any mileage, but they feel lack of use has possibly done the damage

Last report was they were having to take the gearbox off to get access, then sending in their smallest fitter

Had it been a standard Sprinter the work was booked at 8 hours, they are saying they will do it whatever it takes but charge me no more than 16 hours which is decent, but at £75 + VAT / hour, they can afford to

Then we need to see if the cat and DPF need to be swapped as well

I must say I am really looking forward to getting it back but dreading it going into limp on first journey, although it didn't going down to them, which was the furthest it had gone for months without, so we should find out quite quickly. But last time we had a serious attempted repair it went to Wrenbury and back with no issues, thought it was fixed then

Only time will tell

I will report back when driven home and bill paid

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[PORKSTER]

Fingers crossed for you I had same kind of issue with with a Golf gtdi but fixed it easily by chopping it in for a Honda

 

[gus-lopez]

There wasn't a "crying" rating available.

 

[chaser]

Any news?

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[DavidG58]

Any news?

leaving it till after lunch to call them

hoping the rain will stop, the sun will come out and all will be lovely for ever more

 

[Taran_Las]

Fingers crossed David.

 

[funflair]

leaving it till after lunch to call them

hoping the rain will stop, the sun will come out and all will be lovely for ever more

Good to see you are still an optimist David

Martin

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[JockandRita]

Although I've not posted before now David, I have been reading the thread with great interest. I hope Mertrux are able to sort it all out for you, and that the job works out cheaper than anticipated.

Good luck for a good result this afternoon.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[DavidG58]

All finished, rebuilt road tested, no issues that they can see, bill just being done so don't know that yet but just about to leave to collect it

Decided I would call Barclaycard, it is a long time since I have spent anything like this much on a single transaction, thought they might be able to make a note on my account that I was about to do use it to avoid any embarrassing issues at the workshops

They can't , will not even make a note of who I am about to pay

But don't worry Mr Godfrey, if it is refused just ring us back on this number

Hopefully will not be refused, think credit limit is high enough to cover even my worst possible estimate of the final bill

 

[JockandRita]

Decided I would call Barclaycard, it is a long time since I have spent anything like this much on a single transaction, thought they might be able to make a note on my account that I was about to do use it to avoid any embarrassing issues at the workshops

That is strange David.
Before going to Germany, I informed The Nationwide CC department, that I would be making a substantial payment to Goldschmitt techmobil Gbmh, and the date of the appointment. They made notes on my account so as not to deny the payment.

Cheers,

Jock.

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[DavidG58]

But the sun has come out so phase one of my future predictions have come true

 

[laird of Dunstan]

But the sun has come out so phase one of my future predictions have come true

dont forget that bottle of gin to help with reading the quote

 

[DavidG58]

I feel like a dog with 2 tails, I am so happy (not only is it fixed but they actually found something broken, read on), emotional (even had a little weep driving home), a little cross (read on), raring to go

So

Mertrux are great and so are you Ken @canopus for encouraging me to go there, I owe you one my independent (read further down) family friend or not is history

By electronic interpretation, feel, knowledge and skill, Mertrux had deduced (same as my independent in fairness) that the turbo was the problem, they had identified delamination of the inside of the inlet manifold?? some of which had got stuck blocking the 'hole?' some ended up inside the turbo spinny bit (some of these are my words not Mertrux ) and the turbo survived but with damage, hence the intermittent bit. They thought the exhaust gate valve was also faulty as it was loose, but it is part of the turbo anyway so was going to be changed

The gearbox had to be removed to get the access they needed, better than engine out apparently and so much better than going down through from the inside, well that bit is my opinion anyway

When the turbo had been removed completely they found the loose waste gate valve was just that, my independent had removed it blind (literally by feel) but on replacing it had got one bolt cross threaded and stuck, another left out altogether and there are only 2, hence it being loose, not actually the cause of the problem but it would have become one at some point and hence why they will not be used again, awaiting a call back from him to discuss further

No further damage to the cat or DPF, so drove home, must say it feels really lively, maybe we will see a change in performance, hopefully mpg, still not bothered about 70+mph anyway the wheels wobble around 65 and I cant afford a wheel balance now , so we will see

Bill so much better than I feared, they had done a £400 service, then advised me about parts totalling best bit of £2K plus fitting (unknown) so to get the bill above was a 'pleasant' surprise, maybe not compared to my original thought and title of the thread 'not fix it and spend the money travelling', but it is such a relief to have it back, but so much more that they actually found a 'real' fault

I now intend to spend the weekend booking places to go, Tunnel first, we can now spend our Anniversary in France (35 years on 14th Feb, yes I was that soft back then as well ), Stratford, Lincoln etc we can go now and not need to look at swapping (but we still might look )

Thank you all for being so supportive, persuasive, maybe a few of you a little blunt but it helped me through

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[JockandRita]

I'm really pleased that you are finally sorted David, and are happy with the outcome.

See you at Stratford, if not before. Enjoy France.

Cheers for now,

Jock.

 

[chaser]

What happened to the merc instalment , thought they were going to reimburse you so much

 

[chaser]

Must admit , I just couldn't afford a bill like that, it would of had to go. 8 months pension

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[DavidG58]

What happened to the merc instalment , thought they were going to reimburse you so much

they tried, but Mercedes wouldn't play, Mertrux have more than made that good, £1200 labour for the work over and above the service is about half what it actually took them to do

It is disappointing though, the main culprit seems to be these manifolds letting go of their linings, but if it fixed it I am fairly happy to pay for that result

In my own mind adding up all the bits I had expected to be asked for £5K, so enough for our trip to France next month

 

[hilldweller]

We need to salute the master race and their engineering excellence.

 

[DavidG58]

Must admit , I just couldn't afford a bill like that, it would of had to go. 8 months pension

I still have my own business, so we are lucky to be able to recover the VAT and offset the whole bill against tax due for this year, in real terms I have only got to pay about half of it

I would rather have had it in the bank though, but think had I tried to sell it on with a fault I would have lost a much bigger chunk of its value than the repairs, it is still hopefully worth between £40-50K

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