Emma - who am I actually traveling with?

Technical Facts

Emma is a Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI Diesel from the year 2001. She has 336,000 km on the clock. I bought her used from a nice couple who lovingly converted Emma into a camper.

Features that were already included: Solar panel with onboard battery for power supply, sink with water pump, seating area with table, extendable bed, and many cabinets with plenty of storage space.

I also made the following updates: DIY dry separation toilet, charge booster, inverter with 230 V socket, storm separator, felt lining in the interior.

Even though Emma is already a few years old, I fell in love with her the moment I saw her for the first time. The features are so lovingly and sensibly chosen, and for her age, she is in top condition.

And then it all began.

At first, Emma stood still for several weeks in our yard, and I occasionally took care of her a bit. In February, she was supposed to get a new TÜV and customer service at my workshop to ensure she was fresh for the big journey.

Initially, she wouldn’t start at all, and I had to install a new battery first.

The workshop thoroughly checked Emma and prepared her for the TÜV; unfortunately, they couldn’t fix one problem. The ABS light was permanently on, and the ABS wasn’t working either.

Unfortunately, the workshop couldn’t read the error, and I had to take her to a Mercedes workshop to diagnose the issue. Sure enough, Mercedes then informed me that the ABS control unit was defective and sent the error report to my workshop.

At first, they said it was no problem, they would send the part in, and it would be repaired. Because: There is no original spare part anymore, they are no longer manufactured.

So the workshop sent in the defective part. Now it was time to wait.

Unfortunately, a few days later, I received a call that even the company couldn’t restore the control unit.

The shock was great; now I had to see if I could find a used replacement part from a junkyard or online.

I felt a great pressure and uncertainty about whether I could even set off, and I was upset for days. Something inside me was sure a solution would be found. I knew I couldn’t give up now.

I clearly felt that I was going to undertake this journey with this vehicle.

After an unsuccessful inquiry at a junkyard, I decided to order the replacement part from an online platform. From a workshop that deals in spare parts. I checked them for trustworthiness to the best of my judgment and then placed an order after selecting.

Finally, a few days later, and with a small hiccup with the delivery service, my package arrived, and the part was successfully installed in Emma!

Now she runs like a kitten :)

I am proud that I did not lose courage, that I remained steadfast, and did not give up even though many voices inside me tried to steer me off my path.