Sorry to piggyback on here, but I am in the process of switching over to the TRD gauges on my 05 Malibu LXi.  They were very helpful with ordering the new speedometer and proper 4 in 1 multigauge.  I also need to add the engine temp sensor and oil pressure monitor to the engine.  Shipping was quick.  I'm just not sure how I will be able to run these two wires to the helm.  No help from them on this.  Any suggestions?

Also, my speedometer has  an LCD screen which gives me information like water temp and engine hours.  I will lose this information once I upgrade to the TRD GPS speedometer.  This is good information and will be missed.

I'm thinking, maybe stop buying if the quality is so low that warranty work is even a consideration.

5 minutes ago, dizzygti said:

Do Malibu dealers lose money on warranty work?   

I mentioned something about this earlier in the thread. They can....   

And I'm not saying that anyone would refuse the work, but they will definitely prioritize their customers first. And if I'm a dealer, I'd be making sure every ounce of warranty work was preapproved by Malibu before I turned the first bolt. That could take some time. This industry is not like the car industry at all. 

These are not everyday necessity items. These are luxury and high performance items. We just have to be sensitive of the implications of something like what is going on. Having been on both sides of this, I completely feel for the dealers that are going to bear the burden of the outcomes here. Many of those dealers have worked lots of hard, honest hours for many years to get to where they are. Again, this just isn't good for anyone.

19 minutes ago, JeffK said:

I agree with this. I'd also caution everyone to think long and hard about buying a boat at fire sale prices. It is going to hurt your local dealers and Malibu, which in turn hurts you too. I'd like to suggest in advance to the Admin's that we lock and trash all of the future threads bashing dealers and Malibu for lack of service and warranty support if you bought one this way. You knew what you were getting into. It has been said lots on here. This mess is just going to hurt everyone. 

Do Malibu dealers lose money on warranty work?   I don't understand this mentality that a dealership is going to deny warranty work because a boat wasn't bought there.   I get not prioritizing shop work that wasn't purchased there over existing/local customers, but can they just deny warranty work even though Malibu would authorize it?    What if you move after buying the boat to a different dealer's territory?   You're out of luck?   Why is purchasing considered a requirement to getting warranty work done at the same dealer?  I genuinely don't understand this line of thinking.   Sure, they don't want you buying from a different dealer to undercut them and then they are expected them to bend over backwards for you on the service side, but if they make money on warranty work, why do they care where you bought the boat?  

2 hours ago, ElleW said:

That said, if I had a boat at Tommy’s,  I would pull it.  Immediately.

I agree with this. I'd also caution everyone to think long and hard about buying a boat at fire sale prices. It is going to hurt your local dealers and Malibu, which in turn hurts you too. I'd like to suggest in advance to the Admin's that we lock and trash all of the future threads bashing dealers and Malibu for lack of service and warranty support if you bought one this way. You knew what you were getting into. It has been said lots on here. This mess is just going to hurt everyone. 

3 hours ago, COOP said:

I cant imagine Malibu would buy the boats back.

Coop - Many of the floor plan agreements have buy-back clauses in them just for this reason. So I do know that Malibu does in some cases buy them back. With this being more of a local bank situation, who knows if this one had that in there. 

At the end of the day, floor planning is pretty simple. Dealer orders the boat--> Floor plan is locked in for slot and approved-->boat is built-->floor plan company pays for the boat--> boat leaves the factory and is delivered-->Dealer pays interest on the boat until sold--> Buyer pays dealership-->Dealership pays floor plan provider-->Buyer has clear title

Many floor plan companies send reps to check on inventory on the regular. This bank should have been keeping a closer eye on the lots and a dealer never should have been holding back or spending money that was paid on a customer boat and intended to pay the floor plan off.