Interstate Delivery Questions

[wayneskid]

I'm about to take delivery of a new 2010 Interstate 3500 on a 2008 Sprinter chassis. After a 500 mi. shakedown drive in OR, WA, and ID I will head north back to Alaska. The AS production date for the unit was late July 09 so it's been sitting at the dealer for 8 months or so. I was trucked to the Oregon dealer, not driven. So, two questions:

• Some have suggested that all kinds of serious Sprinter service work needs to be done prior to delivery; drain engine oil, flush, and refill with fresh oil and break-in additive; drain & flush the fuel tank and refill with fresh fuel with upper cyl. lubricant; replace oil and fuel filters; thorough testing of main and aux batts, etc. How much of this is really necessary? This dealer doesn't service Sprinters so it would involve driving the vehicle to a distant Sprinter service facility.
• When I look at the standard and optional features of this van, I realize that there will be a whole bunch of things that I need to check out at delivery time. I'm thinking about all the loose items that could be subject to loss or pilferage while the unit was sitting around the dealer's lot. Such things as tools, and documentation for all the options. Has anyone managed to create a generic delivery check list for me to use as a foundation for one specific to my unit? How have your delivery experiences gone for you?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,
WS in AK

[ben322]

Your dealer should be going through the unit for delivery. It's important for the them to have a high satisfaction rating from their customers for AS. You'll be having an orientation which could take several hours which will help out a lot. A good dealer will have a checklist so I wouldn't worry missing items, (You'll have your list as well).

I doubt you'll need all those services although the Sprinter manual states oil change at 10K or 2 years whichever comes first. I'm almost at 7K but getting ready for the first oil change due to time.

I purchased mine from a dealer in AZ and drove it home to MD and I'm pretty sure it spent the better part of half a year on the lot. I would say the one thing sitting on the lot does is shorten the house battery life, (unless the batteries were maintained - One thing you should ask the dealer about). Mine came with two flooded deep cycle batteries of which one now has a dead cell. I could save the second battery but it doesn't make sense to place a new battery with an old one. So next week I'm installing 2 Lifeline AGM batteries, (making sure the charger is properly configured for AGM's), which will give us much longer battery time then the original Discover batteries.

[wayneskid]

Thanks Ben,

What maintenance should the dealer have done to the 2 AGM batts in my while it was sitting on his lot from Aug '09 to April '10? This would include through the winter in Eugene Oregon.

From your experience with the 09 Interstate, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with the unit? Is there any particular thing I should pay special attention to during delivery?

Thanks again,
WS in AK

[Lily&Me]

WS,

If this is your first RV, might make some notes as your dealer tech does your orientation, goes through all the systems, where everything is and what to do/how to do it. It is amazing how many little things you need to know but can quickly forget.

You will love it.

Maggie

[ben322]

The batteries in mine were not AGM's but flooded deep cycle batteries. There's a ton of information on the maintenance of storage batteries and the general rule of thumb is not to let the batteries sit below 50% or risk not having them come all the way back. I would say check & verify the type of battery, (so you can check the charger settings - AGM vs flooded cell), but the access requires the rear sofa to come out, (or one of the twins if that's you're configuration), which only takes 10 minutes but looks hard.

I taped down some wiring to the tank heating elements and did a few touch up spots on some of the seams, (Sikaflex 221 for the soft joints and a touch-up paint capsule for the finish). The MB factory paint finish is not nearly as good as their cars, (I have an '06 E-Class), and seems thinner and more brittle. Tire pressure is important so carry a good gauge. If I were to drive on un-paved roads I would consider a 3M clear bra although a thick saran wrap works surprisingly well for bugs on the hood. You would know better than I about oncoming vehicles and associated stone chips.

Though nothing is perfect & flawless, overall, I think the AS is a higher quality product, (I looked at all of the major manufactures and drove most of the Sprinter based RV's), and truly the best in class.

[xrvr]

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