leaking roof air conditioner

Stanley

New member
I have a 2008 Dodge Sprinter. Earlier this year the roof mounted air conditioning unit began leaking water after major rains. The local Mercedes dealer has made two attempts at resealing the unit, but it still leaks. The shop manager says he has other Sprinters with the same issue and that they have difficulty fixing the leaks.

Is this a problem that anyone is familiar with and does anyone have a solution for stopping the leak.

Thank you,
Stan
 

Stanley

New member
Thanks,

The link showed exactly the problem I am experiencing.

Is there an emoticon for "huge breathe"?

stan
 

kendall69

New member
Join the club Mine was "fixed" twice and a moth lost in vehicle use and that was back in 2007 - STILL LEAKS TODAY. Tell me again about Mercedes quality...Bueller, Bueller, Bueller. :lol:
 
my 2013 experienced the interior waterfall problem as well, 3 trips to the MB dealership and she hasn't leaked in about 3 months but if somebody would like to take a shot at a class suit I would gladly join, I swear every time it starts to rain I get painful flashbacks I can still remember the first drop of water coming in after the second fix.... not acceptable for such an expensive vehicle
 

lopezii

New member
My 2008 had the same problem. Took it to Mercedes of Georgetown in Texas who appear to have fixed it. They said something about a double seal. Somehow, the extended warranty I bought didn't cover it. I think I paid around 1-1.5K to fix it. Hope this helps.
 

Bandago

New member
Hey everyone: the leak involves a couple separate issues. There is no one fix that will solve your problems. We have received a lot of information from Mercedes on the subject, and our laawsuit caused them to investigate and confirm the problem. It is definitely a design flaw. One of the fixes involves installing a new computer chip which I do not think is widely available yet.

If you live in California, own a Sprinter made between 2008 and 2013, and would like to join the class action suit as a class member, please PM me.
 

Bandago

New member
Dr. Ona, great question. I believe it has something to do with condensation from the AC building up in the drain pan, and presumably the chip is an adjustment to how the AC operates in order to better control condensation levels.

I will tell you that we get a lot of complaints in the 2014 models about the AC shutting off for a while if you run it on max for too long. I am not sure if the chip would do something similar on older models but that's certainly one possibility.
 
For those tired of dealing with the dealership approach for roof leak fixes, I have had success with fixing these with a liquid sealant. Their are draw backs to my approach, such as if rooftop ac items need repairs, then it will require extra work and it does void your dealer warranty.
 

Bandago

New member
Another drawback is that you can put all the sealant on the roof you want, but if the water collects in the drainpan from excessive condensation it will eventually spill over like a full tub. No amount of sealant can stop that. We have tried the sealant approach on literally dozens of vehicles, and returned again and again for more leak fixes.

I would not void your warranty with a fix that won't solve the problem.

Still looking for more California Sprinter owners to join our class action lawsuit which has been filed in the 9th disctrict. Please PM me.
 

Bandago

New member
Ironically, other than the chip that I believe controls the condensation, the other fix for the AC roof leak involves drilling two holes (which relieve vacuum during high blower operation in humid enviroments). This is the picture they sent me to show where the holes would be drilled:
 

Stanley

New member
Okay. Since my August 26 post the van was repaired at the Mercedes dealer again. I waited until now to post as there has been no rain to check the leak. Well we took a trip to Evanston, WY the weekend of October 11and it rained and snowed. Result, the roof still leaks and the van is back in the shop. I need the added a/c because of my health, so I do not plan on buying a new Sprinter anytime soon.

Thanks for the replies all.
 
We have a 2008 and solved the leak problem. MB used a simple gasket to seal the unit to the surface metal. It wears out. I first checked the drip pan and drains, they were all good. Then I took the attachment hardware loose from the inside. I left the screws in loose and worked the unit loose from the roof. After removing the screws and BEING VERY CAREFUL, I lifted the unit up on the passengers side @ 3". This allowed me to work at removing the gasket and cleaning the surfaces with razorblades, then scotchbright and a paint surface prep similar to lacqur thinner. The KEY is to be very careful of the AC connections on the drivers side. The next step is to get a good sealant. There are many choices. I was on the road and used a calk tube of windshield adhesive. Then set the unit down in the sealant, and let cure a bit. Hours later, I reinstalled the hardware and interior ducts, covers. Tested with hose, all good. Never a leak again. Good Luck. Bud
 

petery

New member
We just had a major rain in Los Angeles yesterday and guess what happened to my brand new Mercedes? I called the dealer to make an appointment and got a quote of $530 for them to look at the issue, WTF? It will be waived if it's under warranty, they need to find out if it's factory installed or dealer installed. :idunno:
 

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petery

New member
I ended up going to 2 different dealers. First one gave me the runaround, saying something like it's dealer installed even though it is listed on the options list. They refuse to put me on a loaner because it's a commercial vehicle, I left and went to another dealer. The second dealer knew exactly what's going on and told me to leave the sprinter with them. They put me on a sprinter loaner so I can use it for delivery. The scary thing the SA told me was that they received 3 including mine with the water leak issue today and scheduled to receive 3 more tomorrow with the same issue. :idunno: It takes 2 days to get the parts to fix the issue so I will have my sprinter sometime next week. Will report back once I get my sprinter back.
 

bryan11

New member
I ended up going to 2 different dealers. First one gave me the runaround, saying something like it's dealer installed even though it is listed on the options list. They refuse to put me on a loaner because it's a commercial vehicle, I left and went to another dealer. The second dealer knew exactly what's going on and told me to leave the sprinter with them. They put me on a sprinter loaner so I can use it for delivery. The scary thing the SA told me was that they received 3 including mine with the water leak issue today and scheduled to receive 3 more tomorrow with the same issue. :idunno: It takes 2 days to get the parts to fix the issue so I will have my sprinter sometime next week. Will report back once I get my sprinter back.
Took five days for mine to get fixed. 2 days for parts (just like you) and three days to fix. I had a loaner GLK350 so at least I wasn't without transportation but I really needed a sprinter so it was a pain.

Good news, lots of rain here up in Northern CA and no more leak. Please please let this be a permanent fix.
 

petery

New member
Took five days for mine to get fixed. 2 days for parts (just like you) and three days to fix. I had a loaner GLK350 so at least I wasn't without transportation but I really needed a sprinter so it was a pain.

Good news, lots of rain here up in Northern CA and no more leak. Please please let this be a permanent fix.
Thanks for the info, I am going to expect mine to be fixed in 5 days. It's nice to be on a sprinter loaner but I want my sprinter back, mine is so much nicer :laughing:

Aside from fixing the issue, what did you do with the smell? Mine smells like dirty socks and I don't know how to get rid of it. Maybe I will leave all the doors and windows open after the rain stops.
 

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