I see that the notice was sent to consumers on FEB 22.  Haven’t received mine.  Want to take mine to Mercedes here in Tucson before heading home to the Seattle area.

Jerry K

18J

On Feb 27, 2021, at 2:44 PM, Jimbo 2016 VG Victor,NY via groups.io <rvjimbo=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

 I did not either.

rvjimbo 16VG


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

On Saturday, February 27, 2021, 12:44 AM, stenor via groups.io <stenor=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:

Did anyone get their recall notice this week? I did not.

Steve N

2019 24G

previously 2006 23H

Sent from my Galaxy

Glenn,

Congratulations on your 06H ... we love ours which we bought three years ago with 76K miles on the clock and had a bumper-to-bumper check by the M-B dealer including new brakes and transmission service in conjunction with the 80K service.  I won't bore you or others here will all the fixes/mods we have made since then... Send me a PM if you want a more detailed description.  

Regarding intermittent issues, they are indeed vexing.  When I flew jets in the Air Force, one of the things I hated to see in the aircraft forms before flight was a write-up for a problem and the maintenance folks had signed it off with the dreaded "CND" (could not duplicate)...  

As for not being able to go over 55 mph, we had a similar problem during a trip to two funerals last October.   It turned out to be a failing ABS controller but we didn't know it at the time.   There was a lot of wind and I thought our ability to get over 60 mph was related to that.... In retrospect it wasn't.  About 15 miles from our planned first night's stop the CEL illuminated with no performance degradation or other indications... INITIALLY.   Before I could to a rest area or off ramp to investigate one by one all lights on the dash related to brakes, etc. illuminated... what we pilots call "Christmas Tree"....  First job.. maintain vehicle control... Second, analyze the situation and take corrective action... Third, land as soon as conditions permit.  Another catch-phrase in the aviation world is "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate"...  

I drove carefully into the campground outside Montgomery, AL and immediately got on the internet to see what might be the problem.  I was hoping maybe a fuse had blown or a circuit breaker had popped.  No luck.  Next morning I called one company which advertised they serviced Sprinter fleets but they didn't answer promptly and then said they couldn't help.  Then called Jack Ingram M-B in Montgomery and huge kudos to them for working us into their maintenance schedule.  Huge shout out to them for helping us in our time of need.

The View started and ran normally at idle and moving out of the campground but it would not shift above 2nd gear.  I drove 13 miles to the dealer at 40 mph and high RPM...  not fun on the interstate but I wasn't familiar with the area so had to follow the GPS steering.

Turned out the ABS controller had apparently failed (electronically) because the dealer's cosmic analysis tools showed no communication between the ABS controller and the ECU (engine control unit).  Turns out that without wheel speed inputs through the ABS controller, the transmission control unit (TCU) and ECU revert to survival mode.  

We needed a new ABS controller and the dealer did not have one on hand but found one at the M-B depot in Jacksonville which they ordered for overnight delivery.  We spent an unexpected night in a hotel but next morning the new controller was installed, brakes were bled, and we were on our way.  

This was the only major issue we have had in 25K miles with this View or 25K with our previous RV, 99 Rialta.  We have a very comprehensive roadside assistance program so rest easy that we would be well cared for if we broke down... though that hasn't happened yet.

As an aside, I did find out that the failed ABS controller can be rebuilt for much less than we paid for the new one.  I may choose to do that to have a spare but am leaning toward donating it to a tech who does lots of work and may be able to save a customer some big bucks.  

I'm not a huge fan of preemptive transmission replacement but we are doing a complete motor front-end overhaul (new Bosch alternator, hoses, water pump, turbo resonator, pulleys, serpentine belt, etc) plus transmission/torque converter and differential service in the next couple of weeks.  We just hit 100K miles so this should reset the clock for the next 100K, eh?

Bottom Line:  We have had superb service from our 06 View (don't tow or travel overweight) and expect it to give us many more happy miles down the road. Keeping to the M-B schedule for maintenance rather than waiting till something is broken to fix it is key.... The military and all fleet owners know this very well... 
-----------------------
Paul and Christine
06 View 23H in NW FL

I bought a 2008 model H with 18000 miles 7 years ago.  We spend the winters in Florida in it.  Drive it on a fall trip to the southeast.  Have crossed the Rockys three times. Over 80000 miles now as I write this message from Inverness FL.   The converter is the only item that has failed. My theory is that if these things are not used they will give you especially electrical problems.  -- same as a boat or a car.  If you buy one with extensive storage time - beware.  

Denis

08 View H

Salem WI

Denis

Paddock Lake, WI

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From: discussion@view-naviontech.groups.io <discussion@view-naviontech.groups.io> on behalf of Don Phillipe <donphillipe@...>
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2021 6:25:41 PM
To: discussion@view-naviontech.groups.io <discussion@view-naviontech.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [view-naviontech] Reliability 2006 Navion on 2005 Sprinter Body Drivetrain

 

On Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 03:09 PM, David Harper wrote:

now that I have mine sorted mostly

If I didn't make that clear, I would literally fight someone over mine and if one day it goes over a cliff and I'm still alive to tell it, I'll be scouring the Internet  as soon as I get out of the hospital to find another model just exactly like it.   I wouldn't have a new one if you gave it to me though (DPF, DEF, et. al.) and if you gifted me a new one I'd sell it and if something was wrong with this one, I'd buy another one exactly like I had before.
 
--
Don - 2006 Navion J

Still all the pattern analysis in the world as well as onsite unlimited root cause analysis won't solve an intermittent failure "always".   You have to diagnose those when the function is failing.    That's why on a mainframe computer when it encounters a series of intermittent errors, PD most of the time is resolved by swapping a duplicate board from one section of the machine to another, as that intermittent failure then shows up in the error logs as being in another location if the failing component was properly identified. (If there is no duplicate board in the machine, then the company parts house is hit for a trial of a new board.)   Shot gun and guessing are sometimes all that is available to a service person for intermittent electrical problems.  It's tough for anyone, even with a crystal ball to out-smart random failures.   And just like the computer repairman who has a company parts house at his disposal, it's easiest for the mechanic working at a dealership repairing his own vehicle because he keeps "sapping until he drops" using his parts house as a resource.  Your situation, however is that you must "buy a new component with each new trial until you drop" if you encounter an intermittent.

Otherwise my opinion is that not many are seriously interested in putting forth any real effort when it comes to truly analyzing failures.  They just want it fixed and not to spend too much money in the process. In other social media forums when I've suggesting building a 3 LED test jig to show voltage being present on certain components during an intermittant engine starter failure and suggesting the lamp data will pinpoint the failure area, I get my standard reaction which is dead silence or some snide remark because xyz group boss hog did not think of it.    But I digress.

A side note on transmission condition for you.  During the oil change the filter should be broken open and the amount of metal of each type found should be analyzed for quantity.   Aluminum will collect in the filter fabric and at about a quarter thimbleful for each oil change is normal and up to a full one if frequently pulling a toad through the mountains.   Chips of aluminum get knocked off the  clutch drum of the planetary clutch carrier during the shifting (up or down when under load) of the NAG1 transmission and are a natural part of wear.  After a few hundred thousand miles in an extremely stressful application like our vehicles, the clutches will eventually not be able to easily slide down the drum grooves and thus the transmission can't shift any longer and at that point this clutch drum can be removed and either hand worked to smooth out the tracks or be replaced at around $300 I think, plus labor. Metal shavings of different types generate different concerns and steel and brass shavings come from the bands and other internal parts and are more serious.  The steel particles catch on the magnet and the brass simply pool at the bottom of the pan and inside the filter fabric.   So don't let anyone sell you a transmission rebuild just because you see some aluminum in the pan or filter.   Additionally dip your finger into the oil and even on the dipstick and enough to get a good sniff and from this you determine what a transmission has been through with previous driving conditions since the last oil change.  This also works while shopping for vehicles (aux dipstick tool is needed to be purchased for NAG1 oil level checking).  The oil will smell burned if the transmission has been overheated since the last service.   Otherwise many improvements have been made to after market parts available when rebuilding a NAG1.   That is why I am always shocked when people boast of buying a new one from Mercedes.   The old one didn't work out so well so why would they want another one just like it?   The rebuild techniques over the years are full of improvements and there is also a heavy duty torque converter now available to fix the weakest link in that transmission, per what I have been told by a shop owner.   There are also many other improvements that can be made if you want to invest the money and effort rather than just buy some poorly assembled bargain-one off a re-builder's manufacturing line if you later encounter a breakdown.  Here is an example of a NAG1 with about 75K miles of normal wear (groves have not pronounced to a level of concern yet):



Everything else aside, I think though if you like the vehicle you should keep it.

--
Don - 2006 Navion J