50,000 Mile Update And Thoughts Since 2013’s Initial Acquisition
First off, this is really a 49,000 Mile update, but since it is near the end of the year, and I just had the 50,000 service done a bit early, here goes …
I took delivery of the van in February, 2013, and started the build process. I called the build process done in the spring of 2015, but we used the van extensively in 2014 and 2015 traveling and testing out ideas / prototypes.
MB Service Performed — all at dealer except one fuel filter off-cycle change
June, 2014 3,500 miles - Check engine light - Turbo sensor replaced - warranty
June, 2016 27,000 — New fuel filter done by independent MB shop in Golden — changed due to rough running and starting difficulty. I suspected a tank of bad fuel which I purchased in a small station in the back-woods of Arkansas a couple weeks before. I knew better. The new filter fixed all the issues.
June, 2017 40,000 service and new tires (note — I could have gone another 10,000 miles, but the OEM tires were getting annoyingly noisy. The new Michelins drive much quieter and reminded me how smooth driving this van is.)
Nov, 2017 49,000 service. In addition to the routine oil service, the shop tech noticed signs of a small fluid drip while doing an under-van inspection on the lift. They changed the left charge hose to cooler under warranty.
All services were limited to only those items specified in the official MB factory maintenance schedule for the van.
The van still drives like a dream, and has never let us down. So far, it has been as reliable as the Ford trucks that have been my daily drivers for many years, and more reliable than my MB SL500 toy car. The big difference is that a 10,000 service typically costs about $500 while a Ford Truck 5,000 mile service typically costs about $100. Since I’ve become incredibly lazy, all my routine maintenance on all my rides is now done at the appropriate local dealership. All of you more industrious types can likely whittle-down the routine operating costs by doing it in your own shops.
Almost all miles have been driven at highway speeds 70-75+ MPH usually driving during windy conditions. After tracking fuel usage, we typically see 16-17 MPG without towing. If the winds are calm, we get 18 MPG. The time’s I’ve driven slower at 60-65 MPH, we’ve seen higher. But I seldom drive this slow. Towing milage is highly dependent on wind, weight of the trailer, speed, and road-grade. We see 13 MPG in the mountains with our Rzr on an Aluminum trailer.
This year’s usage is typical — a couple of multi-week trips to the east coast with many stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Nebraska for fishing / family visits; a west coast trip for hitting a few wineries, and trips to Arizona.
This year, we bought a fifth-wheel which provided a home base this summer in Southern Colorado, and will be our home base this winter in the greater Phoenix area.
We view the van as a method of travel eliminating the need for hotel rooms, airplanes, and most rent cars. (I did way too much of that during my 40 years of constant traveling with work.) And, a nice place to sleep when fishing in Colorado’s high lakes / streams.
As far as systems and rework items go, here are my impressions:
Heavy maple interior cabinets — I really like how these turned-out, and the final look is better than I think i could have achieved using other methods (given my minimal cabinet making skills). I was able to reduce the weight by selectively removing some panels, and did not use any particle board — only hardwood plywood or solid maple. They have demonstrated durability, and utility.
Electrical system — Going with big AGM batteries, high-quality Lifeline, Blue Sea, Morningstar and Magnum components has been a home-run. Going with three charging sources: solar, second alternator, and shore has worked-out great. We only plug-in if we need the AC during the summer at night to sleep, or while the van is parked in the shop. During summer usage, solar provides all necessary power. When traveling during the winter, solar is supplemented with the second alternator during cloudy days while driving. We use a home-style espresso machine and foamer every day (heavy 115v loads), and the induction stove or microwave just about every day (For odoriferous foods, we use a cheap single-burner butane stove outside on the picnic table). Having multiple LED lighting zones controlled by 5 BlueSea digital dimmers has also worked out well.
Heating / Hot Water — in-floor hydronic heat was the best design decision I made. Nothing is better than a warm floor on bare feet on cold mornings! While it takes a while to warm-up a cool van, the system keeps the van warm with little trouble. We use engine waste heat to insure the hydronic coolant is hot so there is no lag in getting a hot shower after driving all day. In retrospect, adding a 4 or 5 gallon insulated hot water holding tank would have been nice to keep hot water readily available during the summer months when the Espar is seldom used for heat. Since the initial install in 2013, the fluid has not been changed. I recently added about a pint of fluid to bring the level in the coolant tank back up to the maximum level. I also tested the Ph, Total Alkalinity, and Freeze protection with coolant test strips, and all items were nominal. The Rixen system is more expensive than alternatives, but it has performed flawlessly.
Water System — I made it complicated, but it works exactly the way I want. The only change I would make would be to utilize a complex valve which came on the new DRV Mobile Suite we bought. Check-out an Anderson Brass Water Service Panel. It makes switching from shore, tank use, tank fill, and winterizing simple with the multi-year-position single rotary valve. I have four valves to do the same job. And, I would have likely used flex braided pipe instead of PEX. The PEX has worked fine, but I’m dreading the future if I need to fix any of the lines due to close quarters and the large crimping tool I would need to use. Putting the fresh and black tanks inside the van with hydronic heating pipe for freeze protection has worked well. Having a trap-less gray water system has also worked well during the cold months — I just dump some antifreeze down the sink as we use it during winter.
Bathroom / Shower — has worked well for us. We take long, hot showers when connected to shore water (heated by the Espar and flat-plate heat exchanger), and shorter Navy showers when boon docking. Our ~35 gallon tank is more than adequate. I usually only put in about 20 gallons at a time. We use bottled water for drinking / coffee, but the tank water is potable, and has no odors after nearly five years. I flush / sanitize the water system once a year. I went to the trouble of installing a fancy macerator dump system as part of the initial build with electric gate valves. After two pump failures, I fixed it, and added an easy way to dump using conventional 3 inch flexible hoses. My advise: Skip the macerator. But, the electrical gate valves are the bomb.
Electronics and Internet — I’ve been extremely happy with the system I designed and installed. My initial choice in routers was not great, but a Pepwave AC class router put in last year is awesome. A LTE jetpack is used 24x7. Rarely, I’ll switch the Pepwave to campground Wifi (a few campgrounds have exceptional service). Putting in a second house stereo with separate speakers, bluetooth audio, and the like freed us from the poor factory radio. I used a marine-grade radio from Fusion which enabled controls at the driver’s position as well as at the rear entertainment system. Having two sets of controls is great for relaxing in the evening in the rear living section, and while driving up front. I almost never use the built-in van system except for the bluetooth speaker phone capabilities of the factory radio while driving and talking on the phone. The AC powered Samsung TV has worked great. I found a model with an AC brick output of 15 volts, and run the TV without the brick wired directly into the Van’s house DC system. The TV works well as long as the house DC stays above 12v (almost all the time). We’ve used a Dish satellite TV to catch special sporting events and the morning news, but usually use streaming services through my phone displayed on the TV via a Lightning to HDMI connection, or local over-the-air channels though a $30 mylar antenna mounted behind the refrigerator.
Seating and Bed — my initial bed / couch approach was a major / expensive disappointment. A couple of years ago, I removed it, and built a “sectional” style bed / seating arrangement with 8020 and thick leather-covered foam cushions. We now sleep very comfortably, and enjoy watching TV using various configurations of wedge and bolster pillows. We’ve enjoyed using the center section (after removing the small bolster cushions) table for meals and cocktail hour. We have a floor mounted table, but we seldom use it.
Storage — The wall cabinets create a large amount of storage space. I built a large cabinet over the sleeping area at the rear which holds our bedding during the day. And, the two golf-club cabinets at the very rear have been invaluable.
Insulation — I’m happy with the performance of the sprayed insulation, but I would use Hein’s approach if I were to build another van (small chance).
Bottom line — we spent a little less (ignoring the value of my time) than a premium commercial class B, and have exactly the van we want. It was a lot of work, but we’re happy to date.
