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I'm at wits end


Malibusteve

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EDIT: I just wanted to update all of you on this and to let all who followed this thread know that my problems have been remedied. ALL issues have been fixed. Malibu and the dealer really came thru like champs and made this malibu owner extremely satisfied. I felt like this edit was necessary to vindicate Malibu and my dealer since I was so critical the first time around.

Malibusteve

November 29, 2008

I love my boat and have a lot of respect for Malibu, those that build them, sell them and enjoy them, but I'm about as frustrated with my boat as can be. Just a rundown of the problems I've had with my 2007 VTX with 320 LCR that I purchased new last August. Boat currently has about 65 hrs on it.

1. windshield replaced twice

2. windscreen bag fell apart at the seams

3. horn replaced

4. dash computer (controls cruise, ballast info etc.) replaced twice. all electronics would intermittently work.

5. power wedge (currently working, but gauge isn't)

6. glove box door replaced with stainless door, b/c the original plastic door fit poorly and was starting to chafe the vinyl to the point that it was starting to tear. Glove box is still far from being waterproof, but I'm not complaining about it, because I don't think there's anything that can be done about it.

7. unable to get the tower pins adjusted so that they will stay in all day long. Constantly have to eyeball them to keep them from backing themselves out.

8. vinyl is starting to come off of the storage pockets that are on the inside of the trunk doors.

9. bracket that holds the gas shock to the trunk door wouldn't stay tight, got into the habit of making sure they were tight before every outing (I don't feel like I should have to do this)....yesterday all screws pulled out leaving one of the trunk lids with no support.

10. radio head unit fell back into the radio mounting hole.....had to be resecured.

11. alarm under dash was connected with black electrical tape.

In all fairness, my dealer has always been exceptionally good about getting right on the problems and doing all they can to remedy these situations. They've been apologetic and sympathetic, but dang this is getting old. I know I'm a small fish in a big pond, but are you guys having these kinds of problems? In talking with other Malibu owners, it doesn't seem so. My dealer is only 15 miles away, but still, it ticks me off when I'm out on the lake with my friends and family and I have to reach under the platform to feel the position of the wedge, get a friend to hold the trunk lid for me while i fill the fat sac, take extra precautions to keep the stuff in the glove box dry.

At this point, if I were trading or buying today, getting another Malibu would be a very, very hard sell! Let me say again. I LIKE MALIBU! The VTX is an awesome boat, but these quality issues are driving me crazy. Isn't there supposed to be a reason that my boat costs like $20K more than a Moomba?

Edited by Malibusteve
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With that many issues, I would say that anybody would be as frustrated as you are... I don't remember seeing anyone with a list like that on a boat with 65 hours on it..

I sure hope you get it fixed properly.. Good Luck...

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Take the above list to the dealer and ask that all non-corrected issues be rectified. You may also want to keep a log of each problem, when it occurred, what was done about it, etc. If you need to take the boat in for an extended time in order for ALL problems to be made 'like new' then perhaps they can provide you with a loaner.

Some of the issues sound like minor cosmetic/functional problems that should be solved no problem. Your gauge situation seems as though more trouble shooting may be necessary to identify and solve the root of the problem.

Good luck with it. And yeah, usually there is a good reason why the Malibu is pricier than a Moomba--but this boat doesn't seem to make it obvious. . .

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wow!! That is defiintly a frustrating list!! Id be furiated... I just bought an 04 VLX with 160 hours that runs/works/functions flawlessly!!

As mentioned above im sure alot of them are cosmetic/functional problems that probably only getting minimal time to be fixed and obviusly not done right!

Sounds to me if your gauges have been replaced twice there is something else going on with the electrical like a short or maybe a pinch somewhere down the line I dont see how 2 sets of gauges could just stop working...There has to be more to it and I would demand the dealer to look further into it!!

Keep your head up and as mentioned before maybe leave the boat there for a while and demand a loaner until its fixed! And look at the better side of it too your boat still runs great atleast your not having problems there!!!

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'07 247RX here we go:

1) carpet coming off of driver side dash corner was about a .5inch piece just glued on the corner(fixed)

2) tower pins, tower rattles(fixed now), loose speakers loose racks(i know loctite, shouldn't be my job)

3) fuel guage terrible (this one bugs the hell out of me, my fuel sender on my lawn mower is better, next time they just need to make the tank visible)

4) ballast guages terrible

5) uncut cable ties all over

6) water hose burst

7) leaky/cracked front ballast tank

8) hairline cracks by screws for all the cosmetic stainless steel

9) trailer wiring was installed without enough "play", lights came unplugged shorted out blew towpackage fuses in truck)

10) electric tape everywhere behind the dash, a mess

11) cracked knob on glove compartment, won't lock now with the new one

12) all kinds of extra hardware in engine compartment

13) power wedge goes out of calibration every once in a while

14) small straps to open compartments pull out of wood and have to be reinstalled(running out of places for holes)

15) corner seat needs some type a support if someone sets in corner it will fall into storage compartment

still love the boat, but as said above isn't this stuff why i paid extra, and also as stated these problems always come up on the water and always on a nice day.....when you have a limited season all this crap makes me selling a FLAWLESS Regal seem to be a bad decision. I feel bad for my dealer who has to deal with problems that 90% of the time were caused by laziness or overlooking things at the factory

Edited by javamans
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'07 247RX here we go:

1) carpet coming off of driver side dash corner was about a .5inch piece just glued on the corner(fixed)

2) tower pins, tower rattles(fixed now), loose speakers loose racks(i know loctite, shouldn't be my job)

3) fuel guage terrible (this one bugs the hell out of me, my fuel sender on my lawn mower is better, next time they just need to make the tank visible)

4) ballast guages terrible

5) uncut cable ties all over

6) water hose burst

7) leaky/cracked front ballast tank

8) hairline cracks by screws for all the cosmetic stainless steel

9) trailer wiring was installed without enough "play", lights came unplugged shorted out blew towpackage fuses in truck)

10) electric tape everywhere behind the dash, a mess

11) cracked knob on glove compartment, won't lock now with the new one

12) all kinds of extra hardware in engine compartment

13) power wedge goes out of calibration every once in a while

14) small straps to open compartments pull out of wood and have to be reinstalled(running out of places for holes)

15) corner seat needs some type a support if someone sets in corner it will fall into storage compartment

still love the boat, but as said above isn't this stuff why i paid extra, and also as stated these problems always come up on the water and always on a nice day.....when you have a limited season all this crap makes me selling a FLAWLESS Regal seem to be a bad decision. I feel bad for my dealer who has to deal with problems that 90% of the time were caused by laziness or overlooking things at the factory

damn on my 06 vlx I have only loss the power wedge ( hit log prop and wedge gone )

dealer repaired

sounds like some one at the factory is getting lazy

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i got a VTX 2 weeks ago , the first time on the lake the stereo craps out, windshield doesnot close right, dash peice is loose, rust on the tower, keys for the trunk are not cut right or the locks are messed up. scatch in the back. wedge wont go up, stuck in the down position

o by the way my boat has 3.5 hours on it :(

i heard was that malibu fit and finsh is awesome, im starting to think its no better then a 8 foot alumimum from walmart

thats malibu quality, if i dont get these issues fixed i will be trading it in for a tige, or mastercraft

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i got a VTX 2 weeks ago , the first time on the lake the stereo craps out, windshield doesnot close right, dash peice is loose, rust on the tower, keys for the trunk are not cut right or the locks are messed up. scatch in the back. wedge wont go up, stuck in the down position

o by the way my boat has 3.5 hours on it :(

i heard was that malibu fit and finsh is awesome, im starting to think its no better then a 8 foot alumimum from walmart

thats malibu quality, if i dont get these issues fixed i will be trading it in for a tige, or mastercraft

It's sad to see that these issues exist, but don't think that is true across the board. My 07 VTX has only had 2 issues, both minor and fixed immediately. I hope you get these fixed and you are happy with it again.

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geeez... sorry to hear about all these problems you guys are having.... on my wakesetter the only problems i have had are a bad mls pump and bilge pump. got them fixed and no more problems since... i guess they dont make them like they use to. just be patient with it.

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...if i dont get these issues fixed i will be trading it in for a tige, or mastercraft

Ya...because Malibu is the only brand that has a boat with "issues" occasionally. I'm sorry you're having to deal with these things but I'm sure your dealer and Malibu will both work to get them fixed. Go over to the Tige owners site and see how they feel about how Tige handles their issues.

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Thanks for all the comments folks. I'm heading over to my dealership tomorrow morning to see what can be done. Malibu makes an awesome product and I think I just got the occasional boat that slips through some of the quality cracks. I'm still a huge fan and know that all manufacturers (boats, cars, motorcycles etc.) have problems. I'm going to try to deal directly with Malibu on this stuff. Dealer has been good, but I think it's time that someone in the QC department gets involved.

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...if i dont get these issues fixed i will be trading it in for a tige, or mastercraft

Ya...because Malibu is the only brand that has a boat with "issues" occasionally. I'm sorry you're having to deal with these things but I'm sure your dealer and Malibu will both work to get them fixed. Go over to the Tige owners site and see how they feel about how Tige handles their issues.

when you drop nearly 60grand you would think that there should be NO issues, there are checks and balances that are in place , so this crap should never leave the plant

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I've had my share of headaches and disappointments as well. I received my 08 VTX last year and now have 60 hours on it. Here's my list:

1) Taking on Water! - Dealer installed steel exhaust tips and taking in water through seal?

2) Stereo button doesn't respond or lags incredibly.

3) Horn weak...sounds enemic/dying out

4) Windshield closes too tight (needs adjustment but dealer tells me the tradeoff is that I'll have to deal with poor final alignment.)

5) Steel trim on outer perimeter of hull doesn't meet flush from piece to piece and sharp edges are catching and tearing up trailer guide-on.

6) Burn like mark on walk-thru vinyl panel

7) Two recalls (done)

8) Leaky glove compartment (siliconed)

9) Depth guage not accurate

10) Ballast guages not accurate

11) Shower pressure and temperature regulation difficult to manage

12) Heater hoses under dash kept falling off bracket (fixed)

13) Carpet mat does not fit through walk-thru (rode up walls) Have not heard if Malibu will fix pattern with vendor...took dealer credit for now.

14) Mildew building on carpet in aft compartments due to #1

My dealer has been more than happy to address whatever problem I have brought to their attention and willing to take care of (as soon as parts arrive) but becoming a pain for both of us. I keep hearing "Boats are handmade and that all have minor bugs to work out"...but I find myself feeling more and more disappointed with Malibu QC each time I find another "bug" that I have to drag the boat out of the water and drive to my dealer. All these issues aside, I do still love my VTX. It drives like a sports car, wake control is superb, and looks like a dream. Just stinks that I have to deal with all this...seems never ending.

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I only have 3 hours on mine (VTX 340) and I've had recalls on throttle (not tested yet), elbows, alternator replaced, very poorly aligned seats, windshield latch was too far off to even catch, bent gas cap with no o-ring, leaks through the bolts on the shaft pass through, depth finder was drilled in poor spot leaked like hell till I ground out the hull to fix it, stereo is pathetic 1.2v outputs to amp, battery was mounted right in the centre of the storage area, moved it back to the side, swim platform is lower on one side than the other, tower was marked up, drivers seat damaged from bu shipping the swim deck on the back seat. I loved my 07, i hope this one is not the lemon it's starting off to be, PS my extreme trailer is rusting allready.

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I only have 3 hours on mine (VTX 340) and I've had recalls on throttle (not tested yet), elbows, alternator replaced, very poorly aligned seats, windshield latch was too far off to even catch, bent gas cap with no o-ring, leaks through the bolts on the shaft pass through, depth finder was drilled in poor spot leaked like hell till I ground out the hull to fix it, stereo is pathetic 1.2v outputs to amp, battery was mounted right in the centre of the storage area, moved it back to the side, swim platform is lower on one side than the other, tower was marked up, drivers seat damaged from bu shipping the swim deck on the back seat. I loved my 07, i hope this one is not the lemon it's starting off to be, PS my extreme trailer is rusting allready.

did you get it from wizard, if so how have they handled it ?

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Wow - lots of problems for some. I think my experience has been very good:

Actual problems:

1. cooler leaked at drain hose - fixed by dealer after first weekend

2. locking pin for engine hatch never installed - I keep meaning to get around to that

3. metcraft swivel racks - third pair might just do the trick - these were replaced almost 30 months after I bought boat

4. trailer wiring for malibu logo lights chafing - fixed by dealer first weekend

Design flaws for which there is no real fix:

1. ballast "gauge" sucks - more of a general indication

2. itty bitty chains for retaining heavy billit gas caps break- um yeah - because a plastic tether would be too expensive?

3. tower mount anchor light below level of pull ball, and bimini - waiting for water patrol to comment on that one

4. glue residue around rubber malibu logo mat on swim platform looks pretty cheesy

5. any power interruption, no matter how brief, causes power wedge to drop

6. location of paddle wheel occasionally causes boat to think it is going slower than it really is in certain turns

Basically we have had no real problems. What we did have was quickly remedied by the dealer. The other trip to the dealer have been for things that were my fault, for example bent prop ( semi-floating debris) and crushed paddle wheel (hit bunk on lift.)

I certainly hope Malibu is able to fix the problems for those that have them.

As for the design flaws noted above, some are the vendor fault, ie Metcraft, some are a compromise between engineering, production and safety, others are just efforts to keep productions costs profitable.

If there had been better boat for the money, I would have bought that. There was not.

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3. tower mount anchor light below level of pull ball, and bimini - waiting for water patrol to comment on that one

Are you sure you have the light extended. If you pull up on the light it will lift and then just turn it and it locks into place. I'm pretty sure that gets it over the pull ball and defiantely over the bimini.

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We bought an 08 VTX and have been nothing but pleased about it.

We brought in a checklist of things to be addressed and they were all addressed immediately.

Nothing amazing,

1. We had a piece of plastic in the float in one of the ballast tanks-fixed

2. We got new skins for our back 3 seats because there was a stain (oh btw, we were told about this before we even saw the boat)

3. There was a mis-communication on a tower speaker order but, that was fixed at no cost to us (upgraded speakers were subbed in for our original order, and then a 2nd set of upgraded speakers were sold at the same lower price-this way everything matched)

Overall, very impressed by the Service from Malibu and MN Inboard. It is completely ridiculous to expect something to come out of a factory and be completely flawless, it is part of manufacturing. Even things that are completely hand made have mistakes!!

They have a great product, and I would buy another!!

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I have had a few minor issues with my VTX. So far the dealer has been more than helpful. But as several other people have posted, maybe I had ridiculous expectations for a $50,000 plus boat.

1. Floor is soft above the in floor ballast tanks on the rear port side. (i don't notice it on the starboard side)

2. The hatch bracket on the starboard is stripped out of the wood. The port bracket keeps coming loose.(I know add the loctite)

3. The dash is pretty loose near the windshield on both sides. (Dealer said they will look at it when I bring it down next time)

4. Carpet on the trailer binks has already worn out. Almost worn out a second time in 75 hours of use. (My dealer sent replacement carpet at no charge because Extreme won't cover it. They said we didn't wet the bunks. It ripped on the very back corners, the deepest part under water!)

5. Six or seven gelcoat cracks in the nose and starboard side. (Once again the dealer will look after it at seasons end.

6. Gelcoat scratches from the ripped carpet. (Extreme won't cover it. They said we didn't wet the bunks. My dealer said they will look after it this fall again.)

7. Cruise wanders around quite a bit. Between 2 and 4 miles per hour at midrange speeds. Could a longer paddle wheel fix this issue?

8. Trailer seems to be offset or out of alignment somewhat. The nose of the boat never sits square on the bow roller.

Overall the boat has exceeded expectations so far. Most of the issues have been with the trailer itself. I was really suprised to see the trailer bunks aren't even pressure treated. Although there have been a few QC issues my local dealer has been awesome to work with. The way they have handled things so far would make me buy another Malibu. The only part that sucks is that they are 2 hours away and very busy. I end up driving 8 hours to have any work done to the boat between dropping it off and picking it up again.

Edited by trentj6930
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I only have 3 hours on mine (VTX 340) and I've had recalls on throttle (not tested yet), elbows, alternator replaced, very poorly aligned seats, windshield latch was too far off to even catch, bent gas cap with no o-ring, leaks through the bolts on the shaft pass through, depth finder was drilled in poor spot leaked like hell till I ground out the hull to fix it, stereo is pathetic 1.2v outputs to amp, battery was mounted right in the centre of the storage area, moved it back to the side, swim platform is lower on one side than the other, tower was marked up, drivers seat damaged from bu shipping the swim deck on the back seat. I loved my 07, i hope this one is not the lemon it's starting off to be, PS my extreme trailer is rusting allready.

did you get it from wizard, if so how have they handled it ?

Yes, good for the recalls etc. Most of the piss poor fit and finish stuff I have handled my self, not sure how to proceed with the trailer it has 3 year warantee (I think) so I will wait till at least the end of this year.

On a positive note the throttle fix worked perfect today, 1.7 hours no issues.

On a negative note I found out today my rear ballast drain pumps are mixed up L is R and R is L on the dash... another fit and finish issue I will fix myself.

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My list is long and distinguished also. Kind of like my umm never mind.

1. new motor at 50 hrs

2. new windshield

3. horn not even wired up at factory

4. front black vent covers separated from the chrome

5. trunk shock bracket screws pretty much all the way stripped out

6. tower pins come out. adjusted many times, doesn't help

7. wedge door in deck broke won't latch

8. carpet smells ever since test drive. It poured rain on test drive, soaked the whole boat. Was still damp when I took delivery next day. Cold and rainy for 6 days after and never dried out even w/ fans and garage. I clean the carpet constantly, smell goes away for about a day and then returns.

9. ballast gauge inaccurate

10. metal decals not flush anymore, the VTX will fall off soon

11. one trunk latch broke on the 3rd day cheap pot metal

12. black rubber on swim deck tracks in on the vinyl

13. the gas tank will not stay full and I have to keep putting $4.00 a gallon liquid in it from the convenience store.

Other than that I love the boat. just not the headaches. Every brand of boat has problems so I try not to sweat the small things. Dealer has been fairly good at resolving the issues except the motor. More of the factory not really wanting to replace the motor. I would purchase another Malibu in the future because I think they care about the customer, I don't regret my purchase.

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Wow. Sorry guys on the bad experiences. Nothing worse than plopping down hard earned money for something fun, that becomes a burden or a hassle. Cry.gif

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A lot of these issues seem like a poor employee at the factory and terrible quality control, Like the guy with the battery mounted in the middle of the storage compartment thats just laziness right there.

I wonder if these problem boats are from both factories or just one. ?

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I wonder if these problem boats are from both factories or just one. ?

Good point BigD. Looks like the guys with the long lists are all in MO, SC, and Alberta Canada. Are those all Tenn plant boats? I would imagine so.

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