New to the B-Class

[RizeMaster]

Hello all, this is my first post here, hoping to become part of this friendly place.

We will be looking at one of those leftover Hymer Aktivs. I have done a lot of reading here in the last few days, and now I am worried.

The camper has been sitting on the lot since early 2019. It is Sprinter based, comes with the EcoTrek 400, and is sold As-Is. Hmmm.

I understand I will have to test all systems as much as possible in a short time, and adjust my offer down for things that haven't made it well through the year of visitors poking around.

With that said, are there any reasons why I should run the other way? If there is no warranty, and something is/goes wrong with the battery system, I am screwed, right? From reading here, it seems like it is not "if", but "when".

What about extended warranties that will surely be offered? 1) I understand the Chassis is covered by the MB 5yr 100k mi warranty. And 2) some of the appliances by their own warranties, but they may be running out after a year, or do they kick in at the time of sale? And finally 3) with Hymer being out of business there is no chance to get things fixed/replaced, say a broken kitchen counter? So what then would an extended warranty cover?

Haha, this is going to be fun.

 

[RizeMaster]

Weird, got a notification that Booster replied, but I can't see the post on the website.
Anyway, looks like Hymer did a couple of Aktivs on the Sprinter platform, called "Aktiv S".

Here is a little info.

 

[avanti]

What about extended warranties that will surely be offered? 1) I understand the Chassis is covered by the MB 5yr 100k mi warranty. And 2) some of the appliances by their own warranties, but they may be running out after a year, or do they kick in at the time of sale? And finally 3) with Hymer being out of business there is no chance to get things fixed/replaced, say a broken kitchen counter? So what then would an extended warranty cover?

Hi and welcome!

Consumer warranties begin when the original retail purchaser first takes possession, so nothing should be "running out". BUT: Be very careful with the Sprinter warranty. The selling dealer MUST contact Mercedes to reset the warranty. Until they do, it will show as having started when the van was delivered to the upfitter. This should be routine, but often is not. I had trouble with this with both of my B-van purchases. You should first confirm with the dealer that it has been done. They will say "sure, no problem". Don't believe them. Call a Mercedes dealer with your VIN and ask them to check the warranty start date. They can find out immediately, and if your experience is like mine, it won't have been done. You MUST keep at this until the record is correct. Far better to get this straightened out now, rather than 4 years from now.

As for extended warranties: Forget it. Often useless and always a poor value, unless you are getting it for free. Put the money in the bank, and pay for the broken counter top from all the money you will save.

 

[RizeMaster]

Thank you for your helpful response very good info about the warranties! Will make a note to bring that up during the visit.

Any thoughts about an EcoTrek setup which has (I assume) been plugged in for a year? Or maybe they keep them batteries offline, but then they may be totally dead too.

 

[SteveJ-ClassB]

Thank you for your helpful response very good info about the warranties! Will make a note to bring that up during the visit.

Any thoughts about an EcoTrek setup which has (I assume) been plugged in for a year? Or maybe they keep them batteries offline, but then they may be totally dead too.

Me personally, not opposed to a properly set up lithium system, good stuff for extended boondocking.

That said, I would not consider any lithium system put together by Roadtrek, even if it had a warranty.

 

[Bud-ClassB]

"We will be looking at one of those leftover Hymer Aktivs. I have done a lot of reading here in the last few days, and now I am worried."


You did not know when you joined, but this forum conducts an informal, secrete IQ test, you passed.



"The camper has been sitting on the lot since early 2019. It is Sprinter based, comes with the EcoTrek 400, and is sold As-Is. Hmmm.

I understand I will have to test all systems as much as possible in a short time",


Why? It has been sitting there for a year with no one thinking that it was a steal, good value....... If that is the dealer, I would have to have an answer as to why. I can't think of a good reason. If you don't have the time, it might be expensive, might not. You won't know.

With that said, are there any reasons why I should run the other way? If there is no warranty, and something is/goes wrong with the battery system, I am screwed, right? From reading here, it seems like it is not "if", but "when".

The warranty thing is pretty simple. You're buying a B with a few miles from a dealer rather from an individual with a Sprinter warranty and little else. I have purchased used many times, and new, both make sense. avanti could have typed for quite awhile about extended warranties, rare applications for them. Lots of scams, fine print, out of business and on and on.

I used to purchase year old, low mileage fast cars, motorcycles with few miles. If this fit my application, I sure would pursue it depending on dealer behavior, ok so far?

Bud

 

[RizeMaster]

"We will be looking at one of those leftover Hymer Aktivs. I have done a lot of reading here in the last few days, and now I am worried."


You did not know when you joined, but this forum conducts an informal, secrete IQ test, you passed.

Haha, thanks!

"The camper has been sitting on the lot since early 2019. It is Sprinter based, comes with the EcoTrek 400, and is sold As-Is. Hmmm.

I understand I will have to test all systems as much as possible in a short time",


Why? It has been sitting there for a year with no one thinking that it was a steal, good value....... If that is the dealer, I would have to have an answer as to why. I can't think of a good reason. If you don't have the time, it might be expensive, might not. You won't know.

Well ideally I would rent it for a weekend to test it out fully, but I don't think they will go for that. I have time, it is all "relative".
Sitting there for a year instead of flying out the door makes you wonder if there is something terribly wrong with it...

With that said, are there any reasons why I should run the other way? If there is no warranty, and something is/goes wrong with the battery system, I am screwed, right? From reading here, it seems like it is not "if", but "when".

The warranty thing is pretty simple. You're buying a B with a few miles from a dealer rather from an individual with a Sprinter warranty and little else. I have purchased used many times, and new, both make sense. avanti could have typed for quite awhile about extended warranties, rare applications for them. Lots of scams, fine print, out of business and on and on.

I used to purchase year old, low mileage fast cars, motorcycles with few miles. If this fit my application, I sure would pursue it depending on dealer behavior, ok so far?

Bud

Good way to look at it. Used with low miles and little warranty. I guess the worst that is likely to happen is that the batteries are bad, and I would have to put in the cash to replace them, either with a different Li system or AGMs.

 

[LostInWoods]

My main concern with the Aktiv S would be that they likely only built a few of them before they went belly up. It's sort of an orphan among orphans. You're more likely to be completely on your own figuring out issues with the oddball Sprinter version, at least on the parts that differ from the more common Aktiv models.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[RizeMaster]

My main concern with the Aktiv S would be that they likely only built a few of them before they went belly up. It's sort of an orphan among orphans. You're more likely to be completely on your own figuring out issues with the oddball Sprinter version, at least on the parts that differ from the more common Aktiv models.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Thank you, that's one of my main concerns.
Besides battery failure, what other (big) things could you imagine going wrong that are not covered by either chassis or appliance warranty? I guess anything structural kitchen/bathroom would be of concern.

 

[RizeMaster]

My main concern with the Aktiv S would be that they likely only built a few of them before they went belly up. It's sort of an orphan among orphans. You're more likely to be completely on your own figuring out issues with the oddball Sprinter version, at least on the parts that differ from the more common Aktiv models.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

After pondering all your replies a bit more we decided to not go forward with this one. Looking at the Travato 59G instead... more basic in some ways, but maybe also less potential disasters. Thanks for the help...

 

[ponti33602]

“Every” Ecotrek unit according to ex employees and the battery manufacturer claim the units were wired wrong. They were wired to the discharge rather than the charge side. There is an ecotrek FB group with some very knowledgeable folks. Essentially, they allowed an overcharging which ruined the batteries in fairly short order. The good news is it is easy enough to correct. We paid 4 hours of labor.

Next is see what revision batteries you have? H have large BMS draw. The letter is printed on the battery. L2 is the latest and the BMS draw is about one quarter of the H and has more over charge protection. So not horrible overall but Zi would have the wiring corrected to the charge side.

 

[rboegh]

Have a Hymer-Carado-Banff and love it. Great technology with noted above attention to wiring changes. Prices per unit based on Ch-11 of Hymer NA make them very affordable and we did not miss a beat with no warranty as bus has full Ram/Dodge backing and the other components do as well.

I would purchase again if still looking!

Good luck and the FB groups are great support and direction on any issue and repairs!!

 

[RizeMaster]

Thanks Ponti and R, very good info.

Still haven't completely made up my mind. For a basically new Sprinter-based Aktiv with Li batteries, 75k seems an excellent price.

What keeps us from jumping on it...

• Max of 3 passengers - 2 front seats and one more behind the driver, that's it, unless one wants to hang out on the bed. Looking for 4...
• There is a fold out mattress available to turn the front lounge area into a bed, however, its made for the Promaster version, might not fit into the smaller Sprinter.
• The fact that it has been sitting on the lot unsold for a year or more may be an indication that something is terribly wrong with it.
• Along those lines, the Li batteries may be totally shot (plugged in for a year) by now. My understanding is that there may be replacements (?Battleborn for 5-6k? Need new BMS? etc).
• Smaller things - dark in the back since no side windows, no outdoor shower, extremely narrow space between bath and galley, weird folding sink...

Always a tough decision when there is a big wad of cash involved.

 

[ponti33602]

Thanks Ponti and R, very good info.



Still haven't completely made up my mind. For a basically new Sprinter-based Aktiv with Li batteries, 75k seems an excellent price.



What keeps us from jumping on it...

• Max of 3 passengers - 2 front seats and one more behind the driver, that's it, unless one wants to hang out on the bed. Looking for 4...
  
• There is a fold out mattress available to turn the front lounge area into a bed, however, its made for the Promaster version, might not fit into the smaller Sprinter.
  
• The fact that it has been sitting on the lot unsold for a year or more may be an indication that something is terribly wrong with it.
  
• Along those lines, the Li batteries may be totally shot (plugged in for a year) by now. My understanding is that there may be replacements (?Battleborn for 5-6k? Need new BMS? etc).
  
• Smaller things - dark in the back since no side windows, no outdoor shower, extremely narrow space between bath and galley, weird folding sink...
  

Always a tough decision when there is a big wad of cash involved.

That’s a good price. Tell them to confirm the wiring and I wouldn’t blink. FWIW. KS2 who makes the batteries has been a tremendous help, is continuing with Rapido and helped us with generous trade-in pricing for those of us with fried batteries.

 

[stevegoldfield]

I bought a new Carado Banff in July 2018 about 7 or 8 months before Hymer NA went under. It is true that they are all wired incorrectly and that the settings for maximum charge were also not set correctly. I paid two reputable service techs to fix the wiring and the settings. One of them also moved the Balmar, installed a metal protective plate under the engine, and moved and replaced a wire which is frequently pinched and frayed. Depending on your skills, you could do all that yourself for a much lower price, but I wanted to ensure that it was done correctly. I have not had any electrical system problems before or after that work, but I have seen accounts of others who did. If I were doing it over again and knew that Hymer NA would self-destruct, I probably would not have bought it, but, at that time, I did not see any other comparable class Bs in the same price range. Now, there are lots of alternatives, though most that I have seen are significantly more expensive. I don't regret the purchase, though. I got a decent RV at an affordable price, and everything still works. I have made a few other modifications. I replaced the original equipment radio with a Pioneer. I added a rear tire swing (the unit came with no spare tire). And I added a backup cam which displays on the rear view mirror. There was no backup cam on my Banff. I'll probably add a bike rack for my new electric bike which should arrive today, too.

 

[RizeMaster]

Yeah I don't mind putting some work in to improve wiring and stuff, but what I don't want is to constantly worry that something may go wrong and leave me stranded.

Not sure which way RV prices are headed in general. Pretty uncertain times right now, with Viruses looming around each corner, of course that might hose the economy, but the demand for a "get away" vehicle may actually increase,

Winnebago just came out with a lower priced Solis (poptop :supz: and no AC ), on the other hand, dealers here seem to offer pretty basic Travatos for >100k, not sure what's up with that. Regency National Traveler Tour looks good to me, lower price, nice basic layout, not sure about avail.

Interesting times.

 

[Paul Craven]

I just went through the same process!

Hi first post here. I also was going down the Hymer route knowing the history as you have listed. I have never owned a camper but wanted the ability to visit my grandkids whom are about 4 days drive away safely. My son is very safety conscious and the plan was to leave them the van for the summer so the aktiv popup was best for them and their 1 and 3 year old as the seat is right behind them forward facing 3 point belts. Problem is I am brand new to this space and I think there is going to be a run on class b’s however being Canadian and no idea how to navigate the used space I ended up calling local RV dealer and learned that Thor will be making a 20A and I now have one on order!

 

[RizeMaster]

Paul, thank you for sharing your story.

I doubt there will be a "run on Class B" vehicles. These are little luxury items, and with the economy going down the drain many will hold back on purchasing them and save up the cash in case of job loss. Around here most parks are closed and camping reservations cancelled, so...

There may be a few who will see that as an escape vehicle, but that will be the minority. I have put my purchase on hold at least until summer. My gut feel is that prices will go down.

Have my eye on a '19 Travato 59GL for 85k. Tempting, but as I may be joining the masses of jobless folks soon it just doesn't make sense at the moment.