Sprinter Technician in S CA

We're attempting to have two minor recall issues dealt with on our 2006 Winnebago View (Sprinter body, Mercedes engine). So far, all the Dodge dealerships as well as Mercedes places we've contacted give us a sad story about not being able to handle the recall work because they no longer have a qualified Sprinter technician, which is apparently required.

We live in La Mesa, a San Diego suburb, and would appreciate any help locating a place that can accommodate these recalls. The local paper has an employment ad for a Sprinter technician offering a $10,000 signing bonus!

Wow. Call Winnebago Owner Relations, maybe they can help find a shop. Mercedes-Benz charges an annual fortune for their diagnostic software - maybe that's one reason why there aren't more service dealers.

The recalls will have to be done by a Dodge dealer for the vehicle to get credit for the recall. Freightliner and MB dealers can do the work, but the vehicle will not get "credit" for the recall as far as the government is concerned until a Fiat-Chrysler dealer reports it being done. I just remembered, In Calif you are, well, I cannot use that word, anyhow, the state requires the recalls to be done to get your emissions, if I recall............. emissions test, whats that? I don't have such things where I live.

One of the recalls is non-sense, it activates a light that tells you the brake fluid reservoir is low, its an activating of the existing software that was never turned "on".

The second is more problematic, you might want to read on the Sprinter forum before having it done. Currently the computer uses all of the sensors correctly to operate the engine, but one sensor, and I don't recall which one, will not set a code if it fails. It seems minor but some people were without their Sprinters for MONTHS while MB worked out the problems after having preformed the recall programming. In many cases the instrument cluster has to be replaced after the software update is done.

It is a complete reprogramming of the computer and cannot be undone. This all came about due to the VW debacle. MB decided to do a line by line examination of the computer code for all diesel models and have turned up some minor issues that NHTSA requires that they correct.

Read this thread before doing anything (and read the threads linked to in it)

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57401

The problem is that Dodge dealers no longer have the proper STAR module to program or read the computers on Sprinters, MB took all of them away in 2010 when they divested themselves of Chrysler. The dealer has to schedule you in and then order in the STAR module and do the upgrade, then it requires a rather lengthy drive cycle to re-acclimate the computer to the vehicle when done, but they don't get paid much (warranty/recall) for doing this, and many do not.

Its a crap shoot and I am not going to get mine done until I find a dealer who has successfully done a number of them.

Charles

Great info Charles! Are their particular model years involved? I'll make a link to this in the resources sticky at the top of this board.

"I just remembered, In Calif you are, well, I cannot use that word, anyhow, the state requires the recalls to be done to get your emissions, if I recall............. emissions test, whats that? I don't have such things where I live."

Thanks for all the information, Charles. Fortunately, the part about CA requiring the recalls to be done in order to certify the emissions isn't accurate. I just had the rig smogged, showing them the two pending recalls. They said the recalls would have to be done by a Sprinter technician, but had no problem with the smogging.

I have finally located a local dealer with a Sprinter tech, but it's not going to be an easy process. They say I have to leave the rig with them, and they get to it when they can. Apparently, as you point out, they're not getting paid much to do it and don't consider it a priority.