Brand new sprinter penthouse loud rattles. - Page 2

**daveb** · 09-07-2014, 02:12 PM

Have you tried to fully lower the top and then just press the up button very slightly. I had just the opposite. While fully up, any movement in the van created a loud popping noise. I found if I raised the top, then just hit the down button every so slightly the noise went away. Took me a year of bad sleeping before I found how to get rid of the sound.

Onefin · 10-27-2014, 10:20 PM

Sportsmobile had van for 6 weeks.
They said it is fine.
Still rattles like no tomorrow.
They supposedly replaced lift motors, bed is now warped enough that you can't rust your head on "pillow" section.
Parts falling off, screws backed out......
Omg how they suck.
A rattlely, warped rusty POS.
What should I expect from a brand new van with less than 8,000 miles on it?
Hilarious how bad they are.
The worst purchase I have EVER made in my life.
Beware!

tonyvoudy · 10-28-2014, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onefin

...

Van made empty cargo van noise before penthouse conversion, but not this kind of noise.
Any feedback from owners is greatly appreciated.
If we would have been able to test drive a van before purchase, and that van made this much noise, we would have gone a different direction.

I remember test driving two empty cargo based sprinter vans before sportsmobile started my conversion. (I ended up with a high roof) Although there were no rattles, any bump, noise, or just speaking to one another echo'd off the metal walls. I would imagine an empty van with a rattle that you have described would be magnified dramatically.

Hope you eventually get to the source of the problem.

tv

**daveb** · 11-11-2014, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onefin

Sportsmobile had van for 6 weeks.
They said it is fine.
Still rattles like no tomorrow.
They supposedly replaced lift motors, bed is now warped enough that you can't rust your head on "pillow" section.
Parts falling off, screws backed out......
Omg how they suck.
A rattlely, warped rusty POS.
What should I expect from a brand new van with less than 8,000 miles on it?
Hilarious how bad they are.
The worst purchase I have EVER made in my life.
Beware!

Sorry you got the lemon. Guess there is always one in the fleet that somehow gets away. It's definitely an exception but I wonder why it's happening? Did the bars get bent by the shop? I did that myself and had to take it back to be fixed. It was easy to see because the tops sides weren't taut and the rear drooped when it was up. As already posted, I thought the noise I was hearing (while the top was up) was do to that but like I posted, taking the stress off the top by backing it off made the noise stop. I do the same while stowed and let the motors fully pull it closed then let off the strain a bit. To tell the truth I thought it would let things rattle more but I can't hear any noise other than the normal rattling of stuff packed away. As far as the screws, yeah that happens and members have found ways to deal with that issue. Nothing has come apart in my van yet but too bad SMB can't find some way to keep them tight although I'd always want to be able to disassemble stuff if necessary.

Believe me you can drive for a short period of time w/o the top latched to see if it makes a difference provided the top is sitting on the roof.

I'd also try what I posted about when stowing the top and see if there is a problem.

It might be an inconvenience but why can't you take it back to SMB, stick one of the employees in it and let them hear it? You can use a auto stethoscope to help track it down. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the top.

My doors make a racket from time to time if not adjusted correctly. I also had a body stress crack that made noise until it was welded up. Not SMB's fault... mine from off roading but started because of a set of lousy body spot welds done by Ford at the factory.

Onefin · 11-13-2014, 02:24 PM

Driving this van drives me insane! I have never owned any vehicle that made as much noise around town as this one.
I put over 1,000 pounds of securely strapped down cargo in the rear to see if it would quiet it down. No luck. The noises only come from the top, the springs banging around and other clunking and thuds.
Various bits and pieces continue to fall off the van.
SMB west said that the van was 100% perfect sportsmobile when I picked it up, so no point in taking it back to them.
Everywhere I ask, people say theirs do not rattle, or don't rattle as much as mine.
Really no options on what to do with the van.
Past the point of ever enjoying owning it, it isn't repairable by SMB west, and I hate looking at it or driving it all.
I have been new vehicle shopping, but it is so hard to stomach the >$15,000 hit I am going to take on this thing in less than 5 months of ownership.

86Scotty · 11-13-2014, 04:44 PM

Have you ridden in any other Sprinter pop tops to see if they make the same noise?

Onefin · 11-13-2014, 05:21 PM

I have Never been in a sprinter PH top van.
I have ridden in and driven several of the ford 4x4 penthouse tops when we were interesting in buying a second-hand one. All the van we drove had less than 20,000 miles on them.
Only one had a noticiable clunking sound, but it sounded like it was coming from the front end, and could feel lots of feedback through the steering wheel. This is was oldest, most off-roaded van we drove.
Before we bought our new sprinter and had SMB install the top, I was unable to find one to drive, and I didn't have the time to go to fresno and drive one.
If I drove one and it made the noises I wouldn't have bought one.
After my complaints about the noises to SMB staff, and the 6 weeks van was back in fresno, they never once offered to give me a ride in one of the vans at the factory for comparison, they just said my van didn't make any noises when they drove it.
We do not live in an area with super beat up streets, and I have only taken it off pavement once for a photo op in utah, total of less than 100 feet on a dirt road, not rocks, and it was pretty loud then.
My van has lots of other problems, so it wouldn't surprise me if other SMB sprinters don't make noises, just mine.
I can't imagine taking someone on a test drive to sell this van and having the noise not be an issues for the prospective buyer?
I am open to suggestion for repair shops in Southern California that have had success fixing sportsmobiles.
I'd rather spend the money on a repair attempt than the time and gas to go back to fresno yet again for no positive result.

REF · 11-13-2014, 06:48 PM

That's a bummer that SMB was either unable to or unwilling to fix their shoddy work, in these situations I ride along with the tech to make sure we're both hearing the same thing, 6 weeks and nothing fixed or noted?!? I would do a little investigating, don't be intimidated by backing out some screws that hold the fabric down over the springs, I would start there. It sounds like you either have some loose links in the chain or you need to add padding under the lift springs, or a combo of the two. pick up some heavy felt and a can of spray adhesive, cut some strips to fit under the springs and glue them down. Zip tie or remove any extra links in your chain.

**daveb** · 11-14-2014, 08:05 PM

Nothing would keep me from going back to Fresno and taking them for a ride. I'd drive a long way to get it fixed.

dbCooper · 11-28-2014, 11:33 AM

I, too had a PH installed on my Sprinter recently and also had a noise that wasn't supposed to be there.
It would only do it on city streets when I hit a rough spot. I describe the noise as a sharp rap w/recoil
right above and behind the drivers seat.
I raised the top, pulled a couple of small screws, looked in with a flashlight and guess what I found?
Someone had left a set of pliers wedged far underneath the big metal spring. It wasn't exactly easy
to remove them but I managed. You can see the pliers in my gallery. They were almost out when I snapped the photo.
Onefin, have you gone in there and taken a look?