Greetings Wonderful Community,
I crawled under my 2014 Sprinter 2500 conversion van last night to take a look at something, and noticed an alarming, large, two to three foot gash/tear/cut along a section of the van’s metal frame right above the fuel tank. It starts at one of the pre-cut holes in the van frame's metal beam, goes down near a bolt connecting the fuel tank to the frame, then goes all the way back near the final bolt connecting the fuel tank to the frame in the rear. I am attaching a couple pictures.
There is no other visible damage around that area or anywhere else under the vehicle or on the outside.
Does anyone have an idea what could have caused this? Is there any kind of modification that would necessitate this type of cut? Honest mistake? Sabotage? Freak accident?
I had some routine service done last week at a Mercedes dealer, (airbag replacement, fluids, tire pressure, etc.), and I had all four tires replaced a couple days ago at Costco. I had the oil changed at a truck mechanic last summer. Other than that and some driving, the vehicle has been parked on the street outside my home or at an RV storage place. I am friends with the previous owner, and he had the vehicle towed on a flatbed once about three years ago, but he has no idea how this would have happened.
Does anyone have some idea at how this could have happened, whether by good intention, bad intention or accident? I am quite concerned about the structural integrity of the van’s frame. Ugh.
Thanks y’all!
I crawled under my 2014 Sprinter 2500 conversion van last night to take a look at something, and noticed an alarming, large, two to three foot gash/tear/cut along a section of the van’s metal frame right above the fuel tank. It starts at one of the pre-cut holes in the van frame's metal beam, goes down near a bolt connecting the fuel tank to the frame, then goes all the way back near the final bolt connecting the fuel tank to the frame in the rear. I am attaching a couple pictures.
There is no other visible damage around that area or anywhere else under the vehicle or on the outside.
Does anyone have an idea what could have caused this? Is there any kind of modification that would necessitate this type of cut? Honest mistake? Sabotage? Freak accident?
I had some routine service done last week at a Mercedes dealer, (airbag replacement, fluids, tire pressure, etc.), and I had all four tires replaced a couple days ago at Costco. I had the oil changed at a truck mechanic last summer. Other than that and some driving, the vehicle has been parked on the street outside my home or at an RV storage place. I am friends with the previous owner, and he had the vehicle towed on a flatbed once about three years ago, but he has no idea how this would have happened.
Does anyone have some idea at how this could have happened, whether by good intention, bad intention or accident? I am quite concerned about the structural integrity of the van’s frame. Ugh.
Thanks y’all!