Everything Winnebago Via - Page 4

bigb · 01-15-2021, 07:49 PM

Do you have a map light? I have this map light rocker switch that only lights up when I am plugged in or when the house battery switch is on. The switch itself does nothing that I can see. The spot light over the driver's shoulder only works on house power and by the switch on the light itself, the dash rocker has no effect on it.

dsruth · 01-15-2021, 08:52 PM

On mine, if the map light switch is on it will turn it on and off. But you have to have the map light switch in the on position or nothing happens.

misteracng · 02-06-2021, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigb

There was a member here by the name of Old Crows that had a lot of good info if you can find some of his posts. Unfortunately you won't be able to ask him any questions as he passed away a couple of weeks ago. He was also active on the Sprintersource forum. Here is a thread I started with some questions, Old Crows and Calibiker are very knowledgeable on suspension upgrades for the Sprinter based motorhomes. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/i...s/91575/page-2
Keep in mind everything you do has a trade off. Some like the bigger sway bar because they mainly drive the highway and it helps eliminate sway, but at the same time it will make certain situations worse for instance washboard roads and entering/exiting driveways. I have been researching this for a while and I have decided to start with Fox 2.5 tuned rear shocks and Koni Struts up front and see where that gets me first as I know my factory shocks and struts have seen better days. Look at Sumo Solos while you're at it, sort of a poor man's air bag, they replace the bump stops with bigger, chambered ones. Some love em and some hate em. Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it works.

I have also looked through a bunch of suspension posts about the sprinter as well. It seems sway or more specifically the swaying left and right, particularly going over a driveway entrance and the bounciness particularly in the front are mainly dampening issues. My shocks are stock, and these are just not cutting it for a heavy motorhome build. General consensus from those threads is koni red adjusted to max dampening in the front and agile offroad koni 2.5 in the rear. This will reduce the bobbing in the front and the left right wobble in the back. I am going to do this first. Adding sumosprings and/or sway bar seems to increase ride harshness more and does not fix the dampening issue. When I go around corners I don't really feel that the RV is swaying alot, but I have a 2020 sprinter chassis so it apparently has a slightly larger stock rear sway bar than before. I also will do the superspring helper leaf spring in the rear, it is more linear than sumosprings. I think the rear needs just a bit more help in handling the heavy motorhome load. Only other issue is the agile koni 2.5 are on backorder for like 5-6 months now apparently, so I might just go with koni red in the back as well same adjustment for max dampening. It might not be quite as good, but at least you can get it in a reasonable timeframe and are cheaper. This are all specifically sprinter mods, I dont know how bad this issue is with other chassis.

bigb · 02-07-2021, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misteracng

I have also looked through a bunch of suspension posts about the sprinter as well. It seems sway or more specifically the swaying left and right, particularly going over a driveway entrance and the bounciness particularly in the front are mainly dampening issues. My shocks are stock, and these are just not cutting it for a heavy motorhome build. General consensus from those threads is koni red adjusted to max dampening in the front and agile offroad koni 2.5 in the rear. This will reduce the bobbing in the front and the left right wobble in the back. I am going to do this first. Adding sumosprings and/or sway bar seems to increase ride harshness more and does not fix the dampening issue. When I go around corners I don't really feel that the RV is swaying alot, but I have a 2020 sprinter chassis so it apparently has a slightly larger stock rear sway bar than before. I also will do the superspring helper leaf spring in the rear, it is more linear than sumosprings. I think the rear needs just a bit more help in handling the heavy motorhome load. Only other issue is the agile koni 2.5 are on backorder for like 5-6 months now apparently, so I might just go with koni red in the back as well same adjustment for max dampening. It might not be quite as good, but at least you can get it in a reasonable timeframe and are cheaper. This are all specifically sprinter mods, I dont know how bad this issue is with other chassis.

I decided to wait for the Fox 2.5s. Plus I want to take a few trips to be sure we really like this rig before I keep spending money on it.

bigb · 02-07-2021, 05:48 PM

Cleaned up the faded/yellowed headlights. Did NOT use one of the kits, was less than impressed with those, sanded and polished and applied paint protection film.

dsruth · 02-07-2021, 09:50 PM

I did order the Hellwig anti roll bar. Ordered Jan 18th. When I install it I will advise how it affected things. I would like to make the Via a little more stable. I am not building a formula 1 racer here. So I am taking it one step at a time. There is just no limit on the amount of money you can spend on these things. I have noted that the coach does lean slightly to the right. I will try the bar first and then maybe shocks if this doesn’t really work.

dsruth · 02-23-2021, 08:26 PM

as far as the VIA goes........There is always something faster, cooler, bigger, slicker, more macho, whatever. It does what I need it to do and if properly taken care of will give years of service. It is not with out flaws but it is affordable. Some have better luck than others just like any piece of equipment.

bigb · 03-27-2021, 08:03 PM

Latest improvement, a real cupholder with room for snacks or sunglasses

dsruth · 03-28-2021, 07:46 AM

Very nice touch. Put them into production. Just got my Hellwig anti roll installed. Seems to be a lot less roll. Heading out next week so I should be able to give a better report.’

bigb · 03-28-2021, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsruth

Very nice touch. Put them into production. Just got my Hellwig anti roll installed. Seems to be a lot less roll. Heading out next week so I should be able to give a better report.’

Will look forward to your review of the differences both in highway and in entering/exiting driveways where I hear it may be worse. If not too bad entering/exiting the trade-off should be worth it for the added highway stability.

Indotwin · 03-19-2023, 01:18 PM

We have a 2018 Via. New to us. What mod have you made on your rigs? Do you use it in the snow? Do you use a RV cover on it?

Thank you

bigb · 03-20-2023, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indotwin

We have a 2018 Via. New to us. What mod have you made on your rigs? Do you use it in the snow? Do you use a RV cover on it?

Thank you

No snow here but we do have tank heaters, never used them though. We got a brand new cover from the seller but since the Via fits in our garage we've never used that either. Looks like it'd be a lot of work to put it on, which probably explains why it is still brand new!

Indotwin · 03-20-2023, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigb

No snow here but we do have tank heaters, never used them though. We got a brand new cover from the seller but since the Via fits in our garage we've never used that either. Looks like it'd be a lot of work to put it on, which probably explains why it is still brand new!

I never heard of tank heaters. I will look into it. Thanks!

bigb · 03-22-2023, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indotwin

I never heard of tank heaters. I will look into it. Thanks!

I've done so many mods I can't remember them all. Among the most important was the fridge, it was poorly installed from the factory and I re-installed it and fixed a dozen things on it, I can now actually cool the food into the low 30s and don't even need to keep it set on "max" all the time. The mods were very extensive but the biggest improvement of all came from installing a set of evaporator fans.
Right now I am working on a bypass oil filter setup that includes an oil cooler, oil temps get pretty high on these climbing grades in the Southwest.
Best thing you can do for your engine is ignore the 20,000 mile oil change interval and go to 10,000, or even 7,500. It is very easy to change the oil on these and you can do it for a fraction of what Mercedes will charge, just be sure to use the approved oil.
Some may get away with 20,000 mi OCI but hauling at max GVWR is not exactly ideal conditions.

Indotwin · 03-22-2023, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigb

I've done so many mods I can't remember them all. Among the most important was the fridge, it was poorly installed from the factory and I re-installed it and fixed a dozen things on it, I can now actually cool the food into the low 30s and don't even need to keep it set on "max" all the time. The mods were very extensive but the biggest improvement of all came from installing a set of evaporator fans.
Right now I am working on a bypass oil filter setup that includes an oil cooler, oil temps get pretty high on these climbing grades in the Southwest.
Best thing you can do for your engine is ignore the 20,000 mile oil change interval and go to 10,000, or even 7,500. It is very easy to change the oil on these and you can do it for a fraction of what Mercedes will charge, just be sure to use the approved oil.
Some may get away with 20,000 mi OCI but hauling at max GVWR is not exactly ideal conditions.

Thank you for sharing your modifications! We are in the PNW and we will take your advice and do oil changes more often.

bigb · 09-21-2023, 02:04 PM

Doing a little more work on the Via. Mercedes wanted $1,000 to replace the serpentine belt and tensioner and the fan belt so I ordered genuine parts plus the two idler pullies that Mercedes wasn't even going to replace for the $1,000, it's tore down and parts arriving Wednesday, around $200. It's a bit tricky to get the fan and shroud out since Winnebago didn't leave quite enough room when they made our hood opening but it's doable if you remove both the top radiator hose and the recovery bottle hose, then you can barely squeeze it by by carefully working it back and forth and very slightly bending it.

The other thing I did was to remove the driver's door panel and refinish it as it was sun faded on the top part by the window. I had done the dash when I first bought the rig but didn't get to the door panel and it was bugging me so yesterday off it came.

I had also ordered a door pocket from The Bus Depot since as you Via owners know there is nowhere to put anything except in that small dash pocket, so now was the time to finish that to match the door panel and bolt it into place. It's not huge but it fits the door nicely and now I have a convenient place to hide my Scangauge and my TPMS monitor when we park somewhere to help prevent a smash and grab. (yes I tightened that one screw a little too much but loosened it up after I took the pic, the hardware is 1/4-20 screws with nylocks)

Also did an oil change with Petosin 5W/30 high performance oil and thinking about changing the axle lube and cooling system drain and refill. I'm at 67,000 miles.

dsruth · 09-21-2023, 10:22 PM

I like the door pocket idea. In Nebraska right now returning from our Alaska trip this summer.. wife opened main cabin door and broke the door snubber rod and the attachment horde are on the top of the door.. when I get home Iam gonna have to figure out how to either bolt it or or re-riveted it. More to pass on when I get home. Also have to replace wineguard cable as it broke right at the roof level. Have 61000 miles on it.

TravatoJohn · 09-22-2023, 08:34 AM

Ray, if it was me I would try and find a highly rated Mobil mechanic that could address your issues. You may have to drive a bit if you don’t have one in your area. There are guys out there just need to research. It will make life easier for you. Good luck, Travato John

bigb · 09-22-2023, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravatoJohn

Ray, if it was me I would try and find a highly rated Mobil mechanic that could address your issues. You may have to drive a bit if you don’t have one in your area. There are guys out there just need to research. It will make life easier for you. Good luck, Travato John

John,
Ray started this thread over 4 years ago then disappeared. It has sort of become a thread for fellow Via owners to compare notes and ideas in lieu of a separate forum. This way everything is in one place and Via owners can read through it, it may be a bit convoluted but it's all we have.
Maybe we should change the title to something that would explain it better.

Ray,IN · 09-22-2023, 12:24 PM

Ray Agrellas last post was on winnieowers.com 1-24-2019. So much for his interest..

A guy on irv2.com did this for W Journey MH's, it became like 13 pages long and no-one reads through them. They merely re-post their problem, further lengthening the thread.
Today it's useless.
I think it's better to start a new thread for each persons particular issue, that way it gets properly addressed without any of this clutter.
There is always the excellent Google search( at page top) feature to find past threads and problems.