Diesel emissions regulations continue to be a sensitive topic in the luxury RV marketplace. In recent years, the EPA has tightened its diesel exhaust standards for diesel-powered motorhomes and other diesel vehicles. This has meant changes to their exhaust systems to comply with new regulations.
Stuart Crawford, an MSP marketing professional with Ulistic and full-time YouTuber called 3 Dogs and an RV, said, “DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) failures are a big concern as an owner of a 2017 motorcoach. There is a sense of anxiety every time we start our coach and dread what would happen if I was next on the list of the dreaded DEF head failure.”
Bradley Twait at The Motorcoach Store in Bradenton, Florida, shares many of the same concerns as Crawford. “These sensors showed up mainly in the 2017 model year coaches. The sensor was originally designed to sense the level of DEF in the tank, but in 2016, the EPA mandated that new sensor designs were required that also detected the concentration level of DEF to ensure that owners weren’t diluting their DEF with water and rendering the emissions system ineffective.”
Sensors began to fail rapidly, and DEF sensors mounted on Spartan chassis had the most failures. Upon inspection, it was determined that the cause was heat related. The sensors were located near the engine’s exhaust system, and hot engine coolant constantly circulated through the DEF head.
Read the full story in Yahoo Finance here.