A summary…
This is all dedicated to those less picky than I am. The wife is on a business trip so I had some time before I went out and worked on the motorcycle but I didn’t know I would spend so much time on this. Still, it’s as much for me as anyone else. I have it more clear in my mind now and am more convinced than ever that I was reasonable. I also think this may be the longest post in the history of posting so get something to drink and go to the bathroom first, or just skip it entirely running away as quickly as possible.
Week 4 of Build:
I visit SMB for the first time during the build. I am impressed but notice the backup light had already been installed and it was a round one, not the square one we had been discussing. I was still waiting for a cost to make a decision. I had been told that the “Rigid” light they would like to use was tough and waterproof (and square). I researched it, liked it, and wanted it. We just had to come to agreement on price first. But I got something else until I complained and they changed it. Thank you SMB but it seems like extra unnecessary work.
Stiff piled on dash but told it would be okay. This is part of an overall problem now being addressed by SMB West. Commitment made by SMB to fix it or replace it if necessary.
Noticed that the floor base was cut short at the sliding door and a cabinet edge was just hanging there. This would need to be fixed somehow but no plans for design were offered for a long time, then became moot.
Week 5 of Build:
Notified that the rear upper cabinet (option) that was identified to be 24” is going to be 18” due to ac unit location. It is good to be informed but still wrong, it ended up being 16” wide in the end.
Did not understand why the microwave shelf was not attached to and level with the front storage compartment (like it is now). Told that the microwave needed venting and that they don’t think it would look right to have the shelf level with front storage (like it is now).
Also, see that blue tape in the background? It is there to show where the plumbing lines are run.
Week 6 of Build:
We discussed the dash switches and I asked to have something other than the standard switches cut into the knee panel of the dash. I was presented an option to have a custom plastic plate made and to have switches installed on it. I didn’t like appearance of plastic and quality of fabrication. We would wait until there is confirmation that there is nothing on the aftermarket available and then go with the normal SMB style install if nothing is found.
In general some of the vagueness of the design is starting to appear. Backsplash details, countertop extension details, drawer instead of cabinet door, etc… Nothing really wrong, just surprising and I thought I had been thorough.
We find the glove box door has a big gouge in it. It will be replaced. It has the lock.
Cabinets are complete but notice that the upper cabinet that was supposed to extend over the sink is missing. Confirmed it was on the plan so it will be added.
Week 7 of Build:
Confirm that the microwave shelf is out by ¼” across 20”. One quick search on the internet has provided this set of specs. The type of cabinets used by SMB are called European frameless with “blum” hinges. (
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/O ... eness.html )
Besides dimensions you should use your eye to work with spaces where reference lines may make things look distorted, like the inside of a van with curved roof and walls. The noted dimension I observed represents ¾” across 5’-0” which would be very noticeable to the eye if there was a reference edge nearby. Note: for the SMB build the team uses the floor as its “reference level” since the vans have a typical rake (sloping down towards the front in this case) when empty.
The big one happens. I sent an e-mail the previous Thursday night since things didn’t appear to be adding up and something just looked wrong. Monday we find out that the bed is 3” short and will initially all come out of the shower stall which is 39” not 36”. Ultimately it will turn into 4 ½” to 5” short before we are done and we will have to take another 1 ½” out of the microwave shelf and cabinet below (the one with the heater). This takes care of the microwave shelf issue. Entire van gets gutted at this point. This will fix most issues including the floor that was cut short. I am promised that this will not take any longer than planned. They will throw all the men at it they need and will be back on track. I tell them I would rather have it right than “on time”. It takes a couple weeks before I find out when it will really be done. Prediction is 3 weeks later than the most recent promised completion date but only 2 weeks later than originally planned.
We have all lighting in at this point and I discover that the LED puck lights planned for over the driver’s and passenger’s seats are missing. SMB will now add those in.
The spice rack is not installed as designed. It is supposed to be the full 24” width of the shower stall wall it is attached to. It is instead just the width of the microwave cabinet shelf and has finish trim so that you can barely get anything in. I knew nothing about its design until it was completed and installed. This will be fixed and ultimately moved to a new location up against the exterior wall under the microwave shelf. We will move the LED light from under the spice shelf to the underside of the microwave shelf in redo now. Thank you SMB.
The missing cabinet section over the over the sink is being installed and it looks terrible to me. It looks like an add on and even the edging is trimmed crooked . Good thing we are rebuilding. We discuss lighting and we will have a LED puck light over the sink and a light that swivels over the stove that can also point outside and with an LED lamp will be very effective. Good options.
They are out of the black countertop material and have changed suppliers. We will have to change to another color. We have selected a darker brown top and are okay with it now.
We will get the full backsplash that we expected and wanted. I provide a design and reviewed it with the carpentry foreman and field foreman since this is not normally done. Backsplash will be installed at the edge of a square cut countertop so it is flush vertical surface from top to bottom – for a reason of mine.
Cabinet was possibly made too small for the refrigerator so a “narrow flange" kit is ordered I am told. During the rebuild they get the cabinet size right and don’t need the narrow flange kit anymore.
This is what it looks like now:
Week 8 of Build:
I ask how all of the holes in the floor will be patched and demand that they be per Mercedes requirements. I am told they will be and am shown how it looks when I crawl under the van which looks like nice patches. I see many holes not plugged but am told that they will be reused (this comes back).
SMB finds after-market switches that will fit in the factory dash switch locations. I think it is good but apparently they had again gotten ahead of themselves and installed the blank plastic plate. They had to perform the patch and paint work. Everyone knew it took place but they thought that it was a good and reliable patch. I am told nothing about the patching work (this comes back).
This will come back too.
Week 9 of Build:
I am told that the microwave will be installed without venting by foreman. “They do it all of the time”. (
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplPr ... ES0736SPSS )
Click on link and go to “Q&A” and see the question about venting. The reason this is a big deal is because I told them that if we needed we should talk this out. I was thinking that if necessary we could relocate the microwave but was always assured that the venting that my Sales/PM Guys told me was required would be installed.
The window film is installed poorly on one rear window and it will be replaced. It did not extend to the edge of the window so you could see daylight.
Week 10 of Build:
Nothing to report!
Week 11 of Build:
Not previously posted. SMB folks are unhappy that I am unhappy with recent developments. My wife had finally apparently called while I drove there because she knew I was getting pissed about the unapproved changes and told them I was unhappy and that I was tired of surprises and just wanted the truth. I was "offered" a check made out to us if wanted and it kind of made me feel good to know that if things fell apart I could bail on the build because my confidence was at a low (FYI: the deposit credit check was made out for the incorrect amount). I was told that the microwave shelf was not going to be vented as promised so we burst into a “spirited conversation”, Alan F., Sales/PM Guy, Foreman and myself. While we are arguing we walk to the van and they pull out a microwave and put it in place. It is now fine because it is a different microwave unit and the venting is all in the rear! I guess I kind of smile and the SMB office guys don’t, they didn’t know about the change either. The entire conversation is moot.
The installation of the new microwave and shelf is fine! The shelf now lines up with the front storage cabinet and it all looks nice (I was previously told that this would not appear right, why?).
The countertop was not installed with the backsplash flush against the edge as agreed earlier. Instead the countertop edge was radiused and the backsplash set on top just inside the curve on top. I just accepted it at this point but it negates my previous plan to have a stainless steel band laminated to the edge to strengthen it against accidental holds. Foreman changed it because he “thought the other way looked boring”. No one asked me. They did do a custom flip up top and it fits flush against the main countertop. They can do good work.
The foreman also changed the agreed upon design for the window of the shower stall. It was supposed to be all FRP. The foreman had decided that he would install a vinyl “shroud” like all of the other windows at the window opening. When I told him that the design would now allow water to get past the edge of this screwed on padded and vinyl covered piece of wood he said it wouldn’t leak. He thought it looked nicer even though it would not perform its function well. I temporarily said okay if he would caulk it in on the sides and top. I called back and told the Sales/PM Guy to make him do it the way we had originally agreed. He did.
Week 12 of Build:
We go on Thursday before Friday orientation and pickup.
Thursday:
Audio and visual guy goes well. Done well.
We are signing paperwork. Numbers don’t match at first but it is okay since it represents the $300 deducted for deletion of the safe from the build, I forgot. I ask about the paperwork for the extended warranty. Finance lady looks lost. She talks to Sales/PM Guy after we show her our final build estimate which is the basis for paperwork. This has not been addressed or included. Finance did not have any more long contract forms. She will get correct paperwork to us next week along with the extended warranty.
Inspection of interior includes the recently referenced refer not sitting properly in cabinet. I ascertain that likely a leveling foot at the left rear corner is low since the whole unit is now twisted. I measure 1/8” across the 17” of door width but it’s not the dimension (which they measure as 1/16”) but the obvious alignment issue with so many nearby straight lines like the countertop.
There is a warped panel on the side of the cabinet with the heater. They say I am ridiculous so I say “okay, you don’t mind if I post pictures of it then?”. They found it and fixed it.
The dash is scratched on top of the instrument cluster. There is also the “Armorall” on parts when I had been assured it would be removed to see if it might be hiding scratches. A plastic repair guy will come in tomorrow before orientation.
It is difficult to open and close the blind behind the shower stall. I had asked if we should make this a short blind and have a snap on window cover for the window above the heater cabinet. I was told that this would not be a problem but now it is not working properly. A couple guys start working on it and take off the spice shelf and the window shroud to get to it. They take the window shroud somewhere and drop it and damage it so make a new one (this is likely the source of the future leak problem). They remove a guide on the end for the blinds and it works fine now (I think it also removes a guide string to be seen later).
Friday:
We look over the work required from yesterday’s inspection. Refer is not twisted anymore and the cabinet side panel is acceptable. Dash looks okay but there is a funny black material flaking off like wax or something. SMB will look into what it is (never received a response to this day).
Orientation moves along and we both seem to relax again.
The upholsterer is working while we are in there. He is just now making the window covers that had been in the plans from about the 2nd week. They will measure and come back after the orientation with the completed covers. We have been done with orientation for a while and I am just waiting for the covers while my wife waits at the motel with the dogs and we need to check out in 20 minutes (already late checkout). They come back and the window covers are made of a cloth fabric and not the vinyl. Sales/PM Guy asks if they will be okay and I say no I want vinyl as we agreed. He quickly agrees. I need the covers this weekend so they will make new ones after I use them for the planned overnighter. I will mail them the old ones to use as a template and they will mail back new vinyl ones the same week. Original window covers end up not fitting well on one side and were missing one snap at a corner so I mark them and the replacements fit well.
Items to mention:
I had asked to have the van outside so it could be inspected in the sun but we never did do that. I think it is imperative to see it in the bright sun because unless you drive only inside of a building you should see it in its native environment. As well as the gouged glove box door SMB also replaced the passenger side “B” pillar since it had become gouged. I accepted the scuffing that was going on but was hoping it would have ended. I got sick that weekend so we never went anywhere but McDonald’s one night and the van sat until the next Thursday when I went to the upholsterer.
Week 1 after the build:
I see a hole in the refer near door. We never checked inside after the refer was leveled and there is a hole now.
Thursday I go to the upholsterer for the cover that SMB did not want to do. He tells me that the ottoman that are supposed to be leather are vinyl and shows me how to tell for sure. On top of that issue I had originally asked SMB if we could upholster the rear area in microfiber because of the dogs. They say that they can only use material approved for use in automobiles and know of nothing else but tell me who their supplier is, who has no good selections. My upholsterer says that materials are typically approved for home and auto use and they use the same standards. Someone might want to fact check him on this, I haven’t.
I see that the microwave has a series of scratches on the door open push button and the plastic frame.
Friday I am getting ready to go to the Eastern Sierras and just a little after 5:00 PM I pull off the seating warning label and paint comes off of the dash and I see the holes and sanded dash. I will admit I kind of lost it here for a few moments but realized I would demand and get a new dash for sure now. I also saw some fine scratches on other parts of the dash but they are insignificant now.
Saturday I was driving on HWY 80 when water started coming out of the refer. Trip in Sportsmobile ended and it became a trip in the Sprinter van and a motel room. Trip cut short.
Week 2 after the build:
Thursday to be big day of repair work.
Started with mild dispute with foreman about small cut in seat. Did not expect them to replace it just want them to know that it had happened. They did replace it, thank you.
The untreated holes in the floor that I found turned out to be one of the most important issues. “Curt” found several holes and they decided that they would put it on the lift to get access to all of them. There were over 20. Many had sealant coming through from the inside but the bare metal edges were supposed to have been covered by the undercoating/sealant. This surprised everyone and was critical. Good catch by Curt.
The shrouds would be replaced on both sides. The blinds are short but since they are a standard size it turns out that the shrouds were made too big. They said that they make the shrouds big because people want more window area. I understand but ask them if they can block out the view outside (and in from out) when closed for me. Because they had to make new shrouds they also had to make new window covers. The last set (3rd) fit very well and they make such a difference in insulating the windows they may show up as an option some day. The problem is that behind the shrouds is a 1/2 “ thick piece of plywood that they use for backing (called blocking here) that I saw was easily split (and was split) so any screws installed nearby probably won’t have the same holding power. The new screws were installed close to the old ones in many places.
We looked at the blinds above the heater cabinet because the cord was missing and there were funny looking empty holes. They agreed it was wrong but to replace them they would have to really pull some stuff apart so I just accepted it. This probably happened when they worked on it that Thursday before orientation. There is another cord in the bathroom missing.
We went for a test drive to isolate the rattles and creaks and they found them pretty quickly. One of them was the sliding door cover that did not have a screw in the corner so it flopped around and rattled. They added in a screw and covered it with a button. No one knows why they didn’t before.
Replacing the dash was quite effortless and less of an ordeal than I thought it might be. I should mention that the guy that did the work, Randy of IA, is really on top of things. We saw how the sawdust got inside the instrument cluster and how scratched up the instrument lens was when it was removed. This is an area where SMB policy has changed so no more scratched dashes or instruments. Good for the next guy but I still have some small scratches on mine I guess I can live with.
The replaced glove box door did not include the correct lock so it is found on another van just before it is shipped to the Pomona RV show and is installed in my van.
The water leak was likley from the screw holes for the shroud that was replaced in a hurry that day of inspection. Too bad the blue tape was removed showing plumbing routing.
They repaired the leak but then I asked them where all of the water went that I saw gushing down the wall. It does not appear that they had thought about it but then said that the weep holes would let it drain. There was also a lot of insulation that might have gotten wet. I walked around the van and never saw any water on the floor the rest of the day. Only time will tell if it was an issue. The piece of plywood wall paneling behind the patch area is now patched instead of being one big piece. There may be some stuff flexing around now that wouldn’t have before so it may just be another thing that may pop up later but for now I can’t see it. They ran a 1 plus hour pressure test and it passed.
I was worried that we might run out of time and told them that I would accept them putting me up in a nice motel. It was already 5:00. I said that I did not want to perform the final inspection in the dark and said that 7:00 would be my cutoff for completion. I did not realize how dark the overcast skies would make it so early…
They were about ready to go at 6:00 and were filling the water tanks, cleaning the windshield, etc… I went in and sat down while they finished and then saw the van being slowly backed into the shop. A piece behind the “B” pillar on the driver’s side (which had been removed to access the leak) that holds the cover for the seat belt adjuster was broken now. Two men were frantically working on the area and were going to another van and pulling it apart. I said that I think we ought to call it a day but they wanted to continue. Okay. “Curt” asked if we could perform the final inspection while they worked since they were only in the one area. Sure, so we went through everything. We checked and everything we could see was fine but the guys were still in the way until the very end and it was pretty dark inside by then. The dash swap appeared to have gone fine. The guys finally finished the repair but I fear in their rush they left something in there that slightly rattles from time to time. I’ll probably pull it apart myself and look at it since I saw some wires in the area that are likely the cause.
We looked at the shower and ran it. I ran all systems which we had not done at the orientation. I noticed that water collected on this little shelf that extends to fill the space between the smaller shower pan and wall. I thought that I had brought this to the foeman’s attention earlier when I asked him about the grey plug in there. I was told by Curt that he probably misunderstood me since he did too (I am not sure how many ledges there are next to the grey thing but…). Well this ledge appears to slope away from the shower pan and not towards it to drain. I was told it drained this way with a wave of the foreman’s hand. Well, it does hold water and does not drain as we found out after the shower test. They will make a filler panel out of the same FRP as the enclosure walls and send it with a tube of silicone sealant for me to install. Oh well.
They were finishing cleaning as we were getting ready to leave and it was about 7:00.
After I left the appointment I was initially incredibly happy because it is amazing the difference in quality you feel when the annoying major rattles and creaks are gone. I didn’t realize how much the remaining noises were bothering me. The van felt so much more solid.
I looked over the van the next day and realized that I wish we could have finished earlier because it really was a mess of fine sawdust in places. I guess cutting out the plywood wall panel sent a shower of sawdust all over the place. I noticed a few more scuffs but I won’t blame SMB for those. If it was a production model sitting on the showroom floor it would have scuffs. I don’t like gouges though. Speaking of gouges here is a grab handle that got chewed up (assume when the pillar cover got replaced) that I just noticed.
Overall I am feeling better but need some more miles and smiles to push me into the complete SMB fan column. I think I can get there, I just can’t have any more silly problems.
Hey, if you think that all of the stuff here is silly for me to have been worried about then I guess I am a perfectionist. My concern would be that if what I have displayed is truly a demand for perfection, and did not let up until it was received each time, then there is no expectation for anything to ever be better than what I received and I have a hard time believing that. There is a very long list of items accepted that were less than what was in a van in the showroom. I understand that SMB would welcome me back to let them sort out more issues right now but I can’t keep going back. When does it really all end?
I really like the van the way it is. I love the overall layout. My wife and I can move about and pass each other at the kitchenette, we can dine easily in the cab seats, see the TV from the front seats as well as the rear seating, it is just very comfortable for us. And it feels solid now. I am still unsure about how everything will work since we haven’t had a chance to actually use it but if it does work as we expect we are going to be very very happy. I took my wife to her office in Palo Alto Friday to get some stuff for her business trip and we ate gourmet empanadas from a food truck while sitting in back with the dogs. She looked around and said she felt like it was becoming our van. I have had to do a heck of a selling job SMB, please don’t let me down. I don’t know why this was all such a struggle but hopefully it is over. Someone said earlier that I will have a very strong bond with this and it seems to ring true. I actually feel pretty confident that I can take a good part of this van apart myself now, I have seen it done enough times myself and if I carry the right tools I am in good shape.
I am not going to say thanks to SMB West just yet because I am gun shy right now. But maybe soon.
Thanks all, I am done with the yin now.
Chumley
My analysis of the product: A $100K van is really a $42-45K commercial van built to better than average standards with a great handling and maneuverability, but not to Mercedes passenger car standards and fit and a $55K investment with SMB in labor (about 30-60%) and quality components (40%-70% based on needs and desires) to build a unique one of a kind solution. Don't leave out of the equation paying overhead costs (employee bennys, taxes, utilities, liability insurance, workman's comp) and making a profit in high tax CA.
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