Modding the Hymer ML-t 580 4x4

Abgs said:
First Repair .....

My heating fan blower had developed a strange deep rumbling sound. Almost as though the bearings in the motor had failed, which seemed unlikely on a new vehicle.

I did wonder whether whilst, wiring the dash cam I'd knocked one of the vent tubes causing it to vibrate.

So…. I pulled the lower dashboard apart to get at the heating blower, but all seemed fine there.

Lifted the bonnet and inspected the air intake, I couldn’t feel anything down inside so I put the camera in to see if that would show anything.

I spotted something orange.

So vent off, and removed the offending article. One small leaf which must have dropped in one day when the bonnet was open.

Fired up the blower and all sounded normal again. I couldn’t see how one small leaf could have created such a noise.

To prevent it happening again I made a leaf guard grill using some leftover gutter guards.

Glad I didn’t drop it into Mercedes to look at, as pretty sure it wouldn’t have been covered under the warranty!

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Great idea. I had the exact same noise, although it was actually quite bad but didn’t have a clue as to why, so had booked it in at the service centre for the fault. Almost couldn’t believe what the cause was when they told me, and how common the issue is.
 
I measured again this afternoon. I've got three spaces left:
Abgs said:
  • RHS Rear adjacent skylight 100 x 56 cm
  • LHS Rear adjacent skylight 130 x 56 cm
  • Mid section between rear skylight and Maxxfan 55 x 120 cm
The brackets for the roof rails impede on the width available, as does the cable entry gland on the LHS for the awning light.
Click to expand...

Here is my MLT 570 (2018) roof
A single panel: Approx 1m x 0.3m
Fitted, with a Battery Master, between the two roof vents by VanBitz in March 2020

It does what we need it to do, which is keep the batteries topped up, even mid winter in the shade.

The Roof.webp
 
Platelet said:
Apologies for being alarmist but is there damage to the bottom of the transfer case or is it just reflections?
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I think it must be a reflection - all looks fine with it in real life!
 
Today was finally warm enough to get up on the roof and fit the draught seal to the MaxxFan.

A nice simple job…
  • Purchase seal for about £15.
  • Open the fan from inside.
  • Use the Hymer rear wall ladder to climb up top.
  • Undo two screws on the MaxxFan unit.
IMG_7108.webp

  • Push the two support legs out of the hinge to open the fan hood.
IMG_7110.webp

  • Remove two small rubber pieces.
IMG_7111.webp

  • Then fit the seal.
IMG_7112.webp

  • Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.
IMG_7109.webp


Then .... stand inside the motorhome revel in the reduced road noise and lack of draught from the fan!

Tomorrow I think I’ill be up there again giving the roof a good clean. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice I have white roof on a silver motorhome.

The white section is a Hymer optional GRP hail protection panel. However, there are so many openings up there; vents, roof windows, fan, satellite dish and (shortly) solar panels, that the chance of hail finding an uncovered section of roof would be pretty slim!

IMG_7108.webp

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Last edited:
Covered some ground today !

Av 25 mpg … would have been much better but Mrs ‘Leadfoot’ ABGS was at the wheel for half the time.

Seriously impressed with it, it’s the first time I’ve pushed on the miles in one hit. Was very a very smooth, quiet and comfortable ride.

At Algeciras tonight, boat over the water in the morning.

IMG_7283.webp
 
Foglights … now here’s a thing I found out yesterday.

If you have the front fog lights on then you can’t select high beam as well.

If you select high beam it turns the fog lights off and leaves you with just dipped headlights.

Actually quite neat.
 
Abgs said:
Today was finally warm enough to get up on the roof and fit the draught seal to the MaxxFan.

A nice simple job…
  • Purchase seal for about £15.
  • Open the fan from inside.
  • Use the Hymer rear wall ladder to climb up top.
  • Undo two screws on the MaxxFan unit.
View attachment 1000724
  • Push the two support legs out of the hinge to open the fan hood.
View attachment 1000725
  • Remove two small rubber pieces.
View attachment 1000726
  • Then fit the seal.
View attachment 1000727
  • Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.
View attachment 1000738

Then .... stand inside the motorhome revel in the reduced road noise and lack of draught from the fan!

Tomorrow I think I’ill be up there again giving the roof a good clean. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice I have white roof on a silver motorhome.

The white section is a Hymer optional GRP hail protection panel. However, there are so many openings up there; vents, roof windows, fan, satellite dish and (shortly) solar panels, that the chance of hail finding an uncovered section of roof would be pretty slim!

View attachment 1000728
Click to expand...
I noticed you did a good job of cleaning the roof before taking the photos. 🤣

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Hardly get any draught through out Maxxfan even in a howling Gale, but the Hiki over the bed is horrendous Carthago's way of doing perminant ventilation. I prefer Hymer's way of separate vents.
 
Lenny HB said:
Hardly get any draught through out Maxxfan even in a howling Gale, but the Hiki over the bed is horrendous Carthago's way of doing perminant ventilation. I prefer Hymer's way of separate vents.
Click to expand...
Draught excluder, 2 layers works a treat!
 
OK, so it’s not a mod as such … more a repair.

You know that feeling when you are 2500 miles from home and your skylight opens but won’t close. The handle just spins without engaging to wind the back window down…..

So, this morning … up on the roof to have a look.

The interior handle to rod gearbox - the small grey box in the picture seemed jammed with no obvious way of opening it to look inside.

A quick google seemed to suggest £300 odd for a replacement winder mechanism!!

I liberally applied lithium spray grease to every moving part and then used a socket to free the rod piece where it enters the gearboxes in the centre, and at each end.

After a few minutes all was working smoothly and the window opens and closes again on the winder handle ....Phew!

Having the fancy off road style rear ladder has proved to be doubly useful on this trip!

IMG_8020.webp


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IMG_8016.webp

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IMG_8021.webp




IMG_8028.webp

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great post
Debating whether to switch out my 550 White Line for the ML-T 580.
When I was originally looking I wanted the Crossover but the only ones available had all been given massively inflated retail prices because of demand and I just couldn't stomach paying way over the odds.
Opted for the 550 in the end because I wanted the bigger garage.
But the 4x4 itch hasn't gone away so I'm sorely tempted by the 580 4x4.

What's the 'third' berth like - have you used it?
 
silverfish said:
great post
Debating whether to switch out my 550 White Line for the ML-T 580.
When I was originally looking I wanted the Crossover but the only ones available had all been given massively inflated retail prices because of demand and I just couldn't stomach paying way over the odds.
Opted for the 550 in the end because I wanted the bigger garage.
But the 4x4 itch hasn't gone away so I'm sorely tempted by the 580 4x4.

What's the 'third' berth like - have you used it?
Click to expand...
We have a 2018 MLT 570 (2x4)
We tried to make up the 'third berth' once, just to see what it looked like.
We gave up as its not really an option.

In reality the 'third berth' might do for a child for a couple of nights, but it's not suitable for an adult.
It would probably make a good bed for a large dog.

The rear twin beds have a fill in section which makes it into a very large kingsize bed, easily big enough for three, especially if the person in the middle slept the other way.
 
Abgs said:
OK, so it’s not a mod as such … more a repair.

You know that feeling when you are 2500 miles from home and your skylight opens but won’t close. The handle just spins without engaging to wind the back window down…..

So, this morning … up on the roof to have a look.

The interior handle to rod gearbox - the small grey box in the picture seemed jammed with no obvious way of opening it to look inside.

A quick google seemed to suggest £300 odd for a replacement winder mechanism!!

I liberally applied lithium spray grease to every moving part and then used a socket to free the rod piece where it enters the gearboxes in the centre, and at each end.

After a few minutes all was working smoothly and the window opens and closes again on the winder handle ....Phew!

Having the fancy off road style rear ladder has proved to be doubly useful on this trip!

View attachment 1012312

View attachment 1012313

View attachment 1012314
View attachment 1012315

View attachment 1012317



View attachment 1012320
Click to expand...
You could have cleaned the roof while you were up there. :rofl:
 
silverfish said:
great post
Debating whether to switch out my 550 White Line for the ML-T 580.
When I was originally looking I wanted the Crossover but the only ones available had all been given massively inflated retail prices because of demand and I just couldn't stomach paying way over the odds.
Opted for the 550 in the end because I wanted the bigger garage.
But the 4x4 itch hasn't gone away so I'm sorely tempted by the 580 4x4.

What's the 'third' berth like - have you used it?
Click to expand...
Mine hasn’t got the third birth option.

I looked at a Whiteline 550 about 18 months ago as I found, like you, that MLt prices were silly and had limited availability.

I bought a Cathargo 138 instead which was actually a superb, well put together compact A Class. However the hankering for the 4x4 didn’t go away so when I saw this on sale, with a tidy discount off rrp in a German dealership I had to go for it.

As it was a stock vehicle I didn’t get to spec it. I wouldn’t have bothered with useless oven with no grill or the dual lnb satellite system but apart from that spec was pretty much bang on.
 
Abgs said:
Mine hasn’t got the third birth option.

As it was a stock vehicle I didn’t get to spec it. I wouldn’t have bothered with useless oven with no grill or the dual lnb satellite system but apart from that spec was pretty much bang on.
Click to expand...
I think you'll find they all have the "third berth" option, however no doubt after a number of complains that the third berth was a short term kids bed at best they dropped the wording from the sales blurb.

Put the table on the lowest setting, level with the seat base, and put a table shaped block of foam on top of it and you have a bed suitable for a large dog.

As for the oven, I thought that was UK spec only.
Our oven has a grill, and we have found both work quite well.
So you could look to upgrade it to UK spec.

The grill will do toast when we don't have EHU for the toaster.
The oven does a good pizza, last year we did about 6 pizzas in shifts for a family party with garlic bread etc.

As for the sat dish - seems to work in the UK. I need another drop in visit to OysterSatTech near Leicester to get it resolved, but I'm sure I can pick up the BBC as far as northern Spain
 

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