Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

my VTX is here, need advise


joshturbo

Recommended Posts

i got the call that my VTX has arrived. so after a 3 to 4 week wait i pull up at the dealership. my salesmen takes me to the boat and then he is called away, that was a good thing cause it gave me lots of time to go through the boat. i found a few items that have turned me off for moving forward with buying the boat.

the windshield was not closing properly , it was about 1/4" inch out at the bottom

where the cup holders are middle of the boat, the interior padding directly behind the cup holds was out at least 3/8 to 1/2 inch from the other side, i thought that it was supposed to be a mirrored image

there was rust on the tower where it folds down

the dash peice above the key was loose ,

i have heard nothing but the best about the fit and finish, but now that i have seen this it has really worried me , enough for me to cancel the boat

i am worried that the rest of the boat was built to the 3/8 of a inch tolance

did i just get a real bad example of a malibu

what are peoples thoughts

Link to comment

Well...one must remember these boats are made by hand, so if one expects perfection, then they probably will be dissapointed. HOWEVER, malibu does have a pretty nice warranty and most dealerships shouldn't give you any hassle to fix stuff. Unless, however, the items that need fixing can't be properly fixed unless they were originally crafted correctly, then you probably have an argument to cancel your order and rightfully so. But most things they can fix and even when buying a new boat, there are always a few things that need tweeking, but as said earlier, most dealerships will take care of it without any complaining. You are, after all, spending a lot of money. Just my opinion.

Link to comment
i got the call that my VTX has arrived. so after a 3 to 4 week wait i pull up at the dealership. my salesmen takes me to the boat and then he is called away, that was a good thing cause it gave me lots of time to go through the boat. i found a few items that have turned me off for moving forward with buying the boat.

the windshield was not closing properly , it was about 1/4" inch out at the bottom

where the cup holders are middle of the boat, the interior padding directly behind the cup holds was out at least 3/8 to 1/2 inch from the other side, i thought that it was supposed to be a mirrored image

there was rust on the tower where it folds down

the dash peice above the key was loose ,

i have heard nothing but the best about the fit and finish, but now that i have seen this it has really worried me , enough for me to cancel the boat

i am worried that the rest of the boat was built to the 3/8 of a inch tolance

did i just get a real bad example of a malibu

what are peoples thoughts

Wow that sucks and definetely not acceptable, and not the norm with malibu. The good news is they can fix all of them or get you a new boat. Whatever you do don't take delivery of it until they are fixed, unless you are eager to get out on the water and get something in writing they will make it up to you when you have time to leave it with them.

Edited by 06vlx
Link to comment

yeah we did talk about them fixing all issues with the boat. my other issue is that i caught this all after it was PDIed, maybe it was the dealers fault for not checking it out after it traveled a few hundred miles ?

Link to comment

I would think that the windshield issue and dash piece being loose are from shipping. I could easily see some things being a little out of alignment from the crane at the factory to shipping trailer then shipping down our horrible roads to the dealers crane to the new trailer. Your dealer should go over the boat with a fine tooth comb to find little issues that may have come up due to shipping...IMO

I would talk to your dealer and I am sure they will have no problem fixing you up. You should be 100% happy with your VTX before you pull out of the driveway of the dealer.

FWIW...This is my second Malibu and there quality it top notch. I agree with bdjohnson, these boats are hand made and there may be spots that are not perfect.

Link to comment
Wow that sucks and definetely not acceptable, and not the norm with malibu. The good news is they can fix all of them or get you a new boat. Whatever you do don't take delivery of it until they are fixed, unless you are eager to get out on the water and get something in writing they will make it up to you when you have time to leave it with them.

Make sure they fix it before you sign the paper work, this helps them get on the ball to fix the problems ASAP. This is not a normal problem and as others have stated. The dealer will be more then happy to work with you on any items that need to be fixed. Also make sure you take a test drive to make sure all switches, tanks, lights and what not are working.

Buying a boat link.

Link to comment

I had the same problem with the dealership salesman that I dealt with in Nor-Cal. Way too much buddy-buddy and when the problems were addessed I got pissed and let him know that it was business first. I finally stop dealing with him and dealt with a dealer much closer to where I live and everything is so much better. To think I got referred to him by a family member and the salesman said he would take care of me. He didn't really check the boat out and when we got on the water I pointed things out and he said they were fine. Like the above person said make sure you check every option you get works during the water test before you take it home. All that behind me, we love our Bu!!!!!

Link to comment

In all of your paperwork, I'm sure there was a list of issues. I didn't get a good look at my boat until after I filled out all the paperwork. My issues that were on the list were taken care of pronto. The issues I found after the paper work where my dealer was all buddy buddy, don't worry, we will take care of those...HAH! If I was doing it over again, I would have marched back into the closing office and redone that page. I have now had my boat for six months...most of which are winter, they can't be that busy...and I'm still waiting.

Link to comment
I would think that the windshield issue and dash piece being loose are from shipping. I could easily see some things being a little out of alignment from the crane at the factory to shipping trailer then shipping down our horrible roads to the dealers crane to the new trailer.

If it comes loose from shipping as you suggest, it won't stand a chance on the water! Crazy.gif

Edited by CTSunsetter
Link to comment

Get your dealer to take care of it. I've noticed stuff like this more and more each year at the shows. The fit and finish just doesn't seem to be what it was a few years ago on these things. Maybe '08 is better. I didn't make it to the show this year, but in the past I've documented a lot of things I've noticed that disappointed me from shows.

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
Get your dealer to take care of it. I've noticed stuff like this more and more each year at the shows. The fit and finish just doesn't seem to be what it was a few years ago on these things. Maybe '08 is better. I didn't make it to the show this year, but in the past I've documented a lot of things I've noticed that disappointed me from shows.

mine was an 08, i still cant decide what to do, i have really been lookin a round at different boats and still havnt found one that i real like , like the vtx

Link to comment

If you are dealing with a reputable dealer all these things should go away at the time of delivery. We have owned 4 MB Sports and just took delivery of a new 23LSV, as mentioned before these things are not always perfect but they can be fixed without much trouble. After 3 days my dealer called me and asked if I could bring the boat back in so Malibu could see it, as you could imagine in was woundering why. They had found that they were having some color issuse and wanted to inspect the boat for any color problems, turns out it has some and I did not even notice, it will go back this fall to be fixed no charge.

I am very impressed with the manor in which Malibu handled the problem and that they were the ones to call me and ask if they could inspect the product and fix anything that was not up to standard.

Ultimately the dealer is the one whom you deal with so if you are not sensing the commitment from them look for another dealer that is.

Link to comment

You paid (or are about to pay) a lot of money for your boat. Make sure it is the way you want and expect it...it is only fair. If the dealer throws a fit maybe try going straight to Malibu...

Link to comment

Mine was much worst than that! I asked to prepare mine myself because I didn't trust the dealers mecanics who basically cause more damage than good, so I really saw how a Malibu boat comes out of the factory... I found about 20 screws and washers everywhere, ty-raps, pieces of tape, fiberglass cut-outs, wire clippings, hose clamps, carpet pieces, cigarette butts (not really, but would not have been suprised at this point...). One of my windshield mounts was only holding by 1 screw that was not even tightened correctly. My entire right side panel and throttle control was loose. All the bolts had been started by hand, but none tighted! It was impossible that the person who did the water test did not notice this...

My boat was built at the Tenesse plant. My dealer and Malibu (Merced head office) said that this was normal and would normally all have been taken care of by the dealer preparation. (didn't find an emticon of a guy sticking a finger in his eye, otherwise this would have been a good place to use it...)

But if this is true, maybe your dealer is to blame, not necessairly Malibu...

Anyhow, if you are looking for a good quality boat with detail to finish, I can think of only one boat company. Because the use the Rolls Royce principal where a rigger is responsable for a boat start to finish and the final boat is then inspected by another rigger, you are sure that there is nothing that is forgotten. If you have 1 hour and 10 minutes to spare, take the time to look at this...Factory Tour

Link to comment
You paid (or are about to pay) a lot of money for your boat. Make sure it is the way you want and expect it...it is only fair. If the dealer throws a fit maybe try going straight to Malibu...

Been there done that... Malibu (Merced head office) clearly said that once the boat is loaded of the van, it becomes the dealer's responsability...

Link to comment
Mine was much worst than that! I asked to prepare mine myself because I didn't trust the dealers mecanics who basically cause more damage than good, so I really saw how a Malibu boat comes out of the factory... I found about 20 screws and washers everywhere, ty-raps, pieces of tape, fiberglass cut-outs, wire clippings, hose clamps, carpet pieces, cigarette butts (not really, but would not have been suprised at this point...). One of my windshield mounts was only holding by 1 screw that was not even tightened correctly. My entire right side panel and throttle control was loose. All the bolts had been started by hand, but none tighted! It was impossible that the person who did the water test did not notice this...

Were you really suprised that there was build debries in your boat? Every boat manufacturer leaves stuff around from construction, I have a whole box of hardware I've pulled out of brand new boats. You decided not to have the dealership go though and clean the boat, so how can you bash Malibu over your decision?

As far as the bolster being loose, that is not normal and I've never seen that before. However this also would have been caught by your dealer. The person who does the PDI on your boat is the final QC inspector responsible for everything in the boat. Cleaning out your bilge, putting a wrench to a few bolts, and a few odds and ends and the boat is the way it should be. Unless you don't let your dealer prep the boat...

-Chris

Link to comment
Mine was much worst than that! I asked to prepare mine myself because I didn't trust the dealers mecanics who basically cause more damage than good, so I really saw how a Malibu boat comes out of the factory... I found about 20 screws and washers everywhere, ty-raps, pieces of tape, fiberglass cut-outs, wire clippings, hose clamps, carpet pieces, cigarette butts (not really, but would not have been suprised at this point...). One of my windshield mounts was only holding by 1 screw that was not even tightened correctly. My entire right side panel and throttle control was loose. All the bolts had been started by hand, but none tighted! It was impossible that the person who did the water test did not notice this...

Were you really suprised that there was build debries in your boat? Every boat manufacturer leaves stuff around from construction, I have a whole box of hardware I've pulled out of brand new boats. You decided not to have the dealership go though and clean the boat, so how can you bash Malibu over your decision?

As far as the bolster being loose, that is not normal and I've never seen that before. However this also would have been caught by your dealer. The person who does the PDI on your boat is the final QC inspector responsible for everything in the boat. Cleaning out your bilge, putting a wrench to a few bolts, and a few odds and ends and the boat is the way it should be. Unless you don't let your dealer prep the boat...

-Chris

You left out part of my quote... maybe your dealer is to blame, not necessairly Malibu... ... but I have other reasons to bash both, especially my dealer.

Edited by 1FootDan
Link to comment

Dan,

I took a look at the site you refered. I live less than 1 hr. from them, the thing is they do make a good product, so does MB Sports, But if uou only make 300 boats or less than you will get, or hope to get a perfect product. I know people that have had trouble with them and they also have problems. My last MB Sport had a few. One thing that you are not considering is with a small boat builder you don't always get the lastest technologies or hhaul designs. My last conversation with Malibu they were buliding over 5000 boats a year in 3 plants. One thing to consider is the investment, you want to buy a product that is going to hold a high resale value, smaller bulider struggle with this.

The Most important thing that for everyone to remember, thier is no substatue for a great dealer. If you have to drive further to have that then you should do that. If you are considering buying one of these things on the cheap then you can only get upset with yourself. At some point all boat owners need a good dealer and one that has people that can service them.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...