Fans of Airstream Interstate

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Skater

No problem; you're just giving me advice for a problem I no longer have. I really just wanted to comment that it's fine to run the generator on the road; there are reasons to do it, and reasons not to. (One more point on that - in my case, the 12 volt fridge mode was weak - you guys have a compressor fridge, I think, but the B190 doesn't, so running the generator meant I could also run the fridge on 120 volt mode on the road, which worked much better.)

Having gotten all preachy and risked offending people, I prefer to justify it in my mind as giving advice to pet owners who have an Interstate, not advice to you personally. Hopefully someone will find my diatribe useful.

I do take your point that it's possible to run the generator while driving. It's not illegal anywhere that I know of, and there may be valid reasons to do it. I just got tunnel-vision on the mention of pet safety and completely overlooked the other issues.

Originally Posted by Skater

I don't really want to invade the thread too much since I don't own a Sprinter-based camper.

The thread is "Fans of Airstream Interstate" not "Owners of Airstream Interstate" so it's no invasion. You don't have to own one to be a fan.

[Teamaron]

Thank you Protagonist

I can't tell you how helpful your information is.

It's so much easier to ask someone who's familiar than to go through trial and error and pray not to get the ERROR. I also don't have an airstream dealer nearby to fix anything so have to go it alone.

How about the fridge? How can you turn it off between trips or not have it running if you don't need it? I was told only by the knob in the fridge but that doesn't seem right.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Teamaron

How about the fridge? How can you turn it off between trips or not have it running if you don't need it? I was told only by the knob in the fridge but that doesn't seem right.

Actually, that's about right. If you want to shut off power to the fridge and keep power to other devices (like the interior lights) you must shut off the refirgerator at the temperature control dial.

[73shark]

Originally Posted by Teamaron

Thank you Protagonist

I can't tell you how helpful your information is.

It's so much easier to ask someone who's familiar than to go through trial and error and pray not to get the ERROR. I also don't have an airstream dealer nearby to fix anything so have to go it alone.

How about the fridge? How can you turn it off between trips or not have it running if you don't need it? I was told only by the knob in the fridge but that doesn't seem right.

I think you said earlier that you didn't want to wade thru all of the manuals but you might want to at least scan the indexes cuz speaking from experience it will prove beneficial down the road. Good luck w/ your RV and enjoy it.

[Teamaron]

Well I'm getting through the manuals and a few weekends of toiling around.

We leave in a week for the 1st outing !!

One other question. This is my first RV mini coach and it seems there's a lot that rattles in the back while driving.

Is this normal or is this a sign that the previous owner wasn't very tender with it?

It seems I need to tighten up some of the cabinets and even missing some if the small rivets in the metal ceiling.

I know it is rising on a truck chassis and it's not supposed to be a 'Cadillac' ride but it seems a bit harsh.

Has anybody seen the cabinet area between coffee maker and cabinet next to it towards driver side start to 'Sag'? Also need to resecure this.


Oh well, it's certainly better than a boat.

[Lily&Me]

Things make noise when we drive, they just do.

It's not the cabinets, but what's in them. Initially drove Doug mad, but he's gotten used to it.

We don't' want to pad every single little thing, just breakables, so rattles have just become the background music to which we travel.


Maggie

[Skater]

Yeah, the B190 was a cacophony of stuff rattling around. That included things like the stove top squeaking a bit, too. As a motorhome-owning friend told me before I bought mine: "You have no idea how much your plates rattle until you drive a motorhome." I grew up with trailers and had no idea.

Mostly, though, it was the STUFF rattling, not the furniture or cabinets themselves, so if that's what you're hearing, I'd make sure everything is tight.

[73shark]

As far as the ride goes, I figured for a 1 ton chassis, it really wasn't all that bad. It is a little harsh on sharp bumps like RR tracks but on good roads I felt like it's relatively smooth.

On rattles, I've heard them in back when the RV is empty but never ride back there so don't know what it is. On trips w/ the grandkids, I can't seem to hear the rattles.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by 73shark

As far as the ride goes, I figured for a 1 ton chassis, it really wasn't all that bad. It is a little harsh on sharp bumps like RR tracks but on good roads I felt like it's relatively smooth.

Yeah, that's kind of how I felt about the B190. Part of what helps the ride is that it's a 1 ton chassis with a decent load on it, as opposed to driving an empty 1 ton pickup.

On rattles, I've heard them in back when the RV is empty but never ride back there so don't know what it is. On trips w/ the grandkids, I can't seem to hear the rattles.

Yeah, that helps. I use music too.

[Protagonist]

Not much in the way of rattles on mine. An occasional squeak from the sliding side door, that's about it. Even the gear that I load up for a trip doesn't rattle much, and that's without the benefit of padding on anything but pots and pans. I don't carry a whole lot in the way of pots and pans, anyway, given that my cooking skills are barely adequate to feed myself.

I find the ride in my Interstate to be smoother than my Dodge Durango. However, there is a reason it's called the Interstate and not the Backroads. When I took Scenic Byway 7 in Arkansas a couple of weeks ago, all the way from the Louisiana/Arkansas line to Lake Dardanelle, there were a few spots where the road turned sharper than my Interstate really wanted to turn. You can't fudge the advisory speed posted for a turn; when it says 25mph for a hairpin turn, you shouldn't try it a 26mph or higher if you want to keep it in your lane.

In addition, there was one long and steep downhill grade on Scenic Byway 7 that was worrisome. It really does make a difference that the gearshift only has P-R-N-D and not P-R-N-D-2-1. Without any way to select a lower gear ratio (or the hydraulic equivalent) I had to rely solely upon my brakes to control my speed; you don't get a lot of compression braking with a turbo. Still, when I had a chance to stop and let people pass me, I got out and checked the tires, and they were cooler to the touch than the pavement they were resting on, even after the heavy braking.

It was well worth driving Scenic Byway 7, even though I was so busy looking at the road that I couldn't admire the scenery. With that experience under my (seat) belt, I'm much more confident of my ability to drive my Interstate anywhere I want to go.

[jm2]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

.
It really does make a difference that the gearshift only has P-R-N-D and not P-R-N-D-2-1. Without any way to select a lower gear ratio (or the hydraulic equivalent) I had to rely solely upon my brakes to control my speed; you don't get a lot of compression braking with a turbo.

icocbw, having driven a 2006 Interstate just once, the gearshift selector moves left and right when in "D", allowing you to downshift & upshift.

in fact, check pages 113 to 115 of the Sprinters Owners manual for the details about speed, selection, and engine braking....

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by jm2

icocbw, having driven a 2006 Interstate just once, the gearshift selector moves left and right when in "D", allowing you to downshift & upshift.

in fact, check pages 113 to 115 of the Sprinters Owners manual for the details about speed, selection, and engine braking....

Looks like I need to re-read the Sprinter manual. I somehow completely missed that. Manual downshifting isn't something I need often, so it's not something I retained after my first reading. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

[Teamaron]

Does anyone know how to turn off daytime driving lights?

[xrvr]

On the 06 yrs you ad to pull a fuse on the left of the drivers seat. Do not remember which one. Research the Sprinter Forums for the info. Hope this helps, jim

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Teamaron

Does anyone know how to turn off daytime driving lights?

I am perfectly happy to leave mine on. Experience has taught me that big vehicles are surprisingly hard for other drivers to see. Or at least they drive as if they don't see you, which is the same thing.

[Lily&Me]

We leave ours on at all times, for general visibility and safety.



Maggie

[Teamaron]

I usually would leave them on, I just want the option to turn them off while idling.

[Protagonist]

Hving recntly been reminded in this very thread of the need to re-read the Sprinter Operating Manual, I looked it up. The 2011 Sprinter manual says on page 74:

Setting daytime running lamp mode

If you have switched daytime running lamp mode on and the light switch is in the (0) position, the following light up automatically when the engine is running: the parking lamps, the low-beam headlamps, the tail lamps and the license plate lamps.


For safety reasons, it is only possible to change this setting when the vehicle is stationary. The factory setting is ON in countries in which daytime running lamp mode is mandatory.

X Turn the key to position 2 in the ignition lock.

X Press the (M) menu button repeatedly until the (Low Beam) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster flashes and the message ON or OFF appears in the display.

X Press (+) or (-) to activate or deactivate daytime running lamp mode.

USA only:

If you turn the light switch to (Parking Lights) or (Low Beam), the corresponding light is switched on. Daytime running lamp mode remains
activated if the light switch is turned to (Auto).

Canada only:

If you turn the light switch to (Low Beam), the lowbeam headlamps are switched on. Daytime running lamp mode remains activated if the light switch is turned to (Parking Lights) or (Auto).

Don't know if this will apply to older models marketed by Dodge or Freightliner, but it should apply to all Sprinters marketed by Mercedes Benz, at least.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Hving recntly been reminded in this very thread of the need to re-read the Sprinter Operating Manual, I looked it up.

You know, I did suggest the operating manual to someone recently, don't know if it was on this thread, but want to just say that I meant no disregard for the needs of the person asking the question. . As I recall, it was about a button or switch. If anyone was offended, my apologies.

We relied heavily on our owner's manual initially, and I still think this is the best and fastest resource with new/newer vehicles.

That said, not everything is in the owner's manual, and I for one am not adept at thread searches specific enough to answer a question---so generally just post it.

And, we are always very happy to share any information we have with fellow travelers--whatever vehicle they may be in.

Travel safe,


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

You know, I did suggest the operating manual to someone recently, don't know if it was on this thread, but want to just say that I meant no disregard for the needs of the person asking the question. . As I recall, it was about a button or switch. If anyone was offended, my apologies.

No offense taken. It was jm2 that pointed out something I missed in the manual, and he was right to do so.