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Trouble getting Warranty Repairs Done


Smitty32

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Ok, Before I ge started I am not a complainer I don't want to get crucified as a hater. I love my BU there isn't a better boat on the market. My issue is with customer service, and not from my dealer they have been great, it is with Malibu themself. I have an 08 Wakesetter 23 LSV that has quite a few problems. Most of which were quick fixes. But I have had issues with cracking gelcoat around the tower feet. It has been shopped at my local dealer who had it repaired loooked great. But the tower still was loose and as relsult, yep you guessed it, it is cracking out again. Now here is my problem my local dealer went out of business so new dealer agrees to do repairs but after tower is off, they are told by malibu that they wont pay for it due to the fact that it has already been fixed once (by a malibu dealer). If this was a ford/chevy pick up it wouldn't matter if it had been fixed already, if it was under warranty it would be repaired again. But it isn't a $30,000 pick up. It is a $70,000 Boat that has had issues since day one. I am so frustrated with Malibu right now this is the only way I can vent and see if any one else is having these problems. I had to beg and plead to get them to replace my windshield which sat a half inch off of the boat had weather stripping in it from the Manufacture as a bandaid to cover the poor craftsman ship, and let water into the dash and glove box if I ran in the rain . I have a friend who has pretty much the same boat as I do Year and Model and he went though hell, and had to get a lawyer involved to get his boat fixed. Was wandering if any one else has had the same problems. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't want to get a Lawyer involded but if they won't stand by their product I will.

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Ok, Before I ge started I am not a complainer I don't want to get crucified as a hater. I love my BU there isn't a better boat on the market. My issue is with customer service, and not from my dealer they have been great, it is with Malibu themself. I have an 08 Wakesetter 23 LSV that has quite a few problems. Most of which were quick fixes. But I have had issues with cracking gelcoat around the tower feet. It has been shopped at my local dealer who had it repaired loooked great. But the tower still was loose and as relsult, yep you guessed it, it is cracking out again. Now here is my problem my local dealer went out of business so new dealer agrees to do repairs but after tower is off, they are told by malibu that they wont pay for it due to the fact that it has already been fixed once (by a malibu dealer). If this was a ford/chevy pick up it wouldn't matter if it had been fixed already, if it was under warranty it would be repaired again. But it isn't a $30,000 pick up. It is a $70,000 Boat that has had issues since day one. I am so frustrated with Malibu right now this is the only way I can vent and see if any one else is having these problems. I had to beg and plead to get them to replace my windshield which sat a half inch off of the boat had weather stripping in it from the Manufacture as a bandaid to cover the poor craftsman ship, and let water into the dash and glove box if I ran in the rain . I have a friend who has pretty much the same boat as I do Year and Model and he went though hell, and had to get a lawyer involved to get his boat fixed. Was wandering if any one else has had the same problems. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't want to get a Lawyer involded but if they won't stand by their product I will.

How is your dealer, are they willing to work for you and go to bat with Malibu. I've noticed that not all boat dealers are putting in the effort they say they are in situations like yours. If they are and it's pushback from Malibu just stay on them about it. Your boat is under warranty and they should honor it. If you end up getting a lawyer involved it should be your absolute last resort and it should be their fault it came to that and not yours.

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Wow !! Reading this makes me hesitant about buying an 08 or newer boat from Malibu. Has anyone here had any issues with their 07 boats. I am looking at buying an 07 vlx and it makes me pretty nervous. How long is the warranty on the gelcoat and have many of you experienced problems with the gelcoat cracking aroung the tower mounts?

What other things should i look for or be worried about on an 07 vlx?

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Wow !! Reading this makes me hesitant about buying an 08 or newer boat from Malibu. Has anyone here had any issues with their 07 boats. I am looking at buying an 07 vlx and it makes me pretty nervous. How long is the warranty on the gelcoat and have many of you experienced problems with the gelcoat cracking aroung the tower mounts?

What other things should i look for or be worried about on an 07 vlx?

The issues are pretty exclusive to the 08' boats, especially the 23 LSV.

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Wow !! Reading this makes me hesitant about buying an 08 or newer boat from Malibu. Has anyone here had any issues with their 07 boats. I am looking at buying an 07 vlx and it makes me pretty nervous. How long is the warranty on the gelcoat and have many of you experienced problems with the gelcoat cracking aroung the tower mounts?

What other things should i look for or be worried about on an 07 vlx?

I have an 07 VLX, and I have had NO problems at all. I mean, nothing! The gel coat looks perfect, the engine runs great, all electronics work great, and the interior is fantastic. I bought the boat new Christmas 07. I have since put about 120 hours on it with no problems at all. I would not hesitate buying an 07. I have heard of others having issues with the 08 models, but I don't have any direct experience. I have also only heard great things about the 09s. Just to be safe, I guess it makes sense to maybe steer clear of an 08 unless it is just too good of a deal to pass up. It's difficult for me to say that, though, without any real concrete data regarding all 08s. As bigD mentioned, the issues may be limited to just the 08 LSV.

Well, just wanted to give my input on my 07. I would STRONGLY recommend this boat!

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The issues are pretty exclusive to the 08' boats, especially the 23 LSV.

2008 was a tough year for Malibu, their Make it Right campaign was a result of those difficulties. Personally if I were looking at an '08 model, I'd be careful of the questions that I asked & pay close attention to the answers that I received about the boat. Outside of '08, you won't see those kinds of consistent problems (unless you're talking about the Hammerhead, but that's another issue entirely that is specific to that motor).

As I recall, there was 1 recall on 2007 models that had to do with the shift by wire system, but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

I think that one of the difficulties for the OP is that the original Bu dealer that he bought the boat from is gone, & he's having to deal with a new dealer that may not "have his back" in quite the same way. Nothing against the new dealer at all, but it would be human nature for this to be the case. Add to it that the new dealer may be new to Malibu, & it may just be a really difficult situation. To the OP, have you contacted Malibu directly about all of this or is this all coming from the dealer?

Oh, one other thing that I just thought of. With regard to the gel cracking, did the original Bu dealer fix it themselves or did they farm it out to a fiberglass repair shop? If they farmed it out, then (IMO) that shop needs to make good on their repairs. Most reputable shops will honor a warranty on something like that, if their repair goes bad.

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given the number of malibu dealerships that have/will bite the dust during this bad economic turn i would hope that the manufacturer would allow some latitude in how they address work performed by a defunct dealer. allowing a few dealer problems to tarnish an excellent reputation would be a shame.

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Ok, Before I ge started I am not a complainer I don't want to get crucified as a hater. I love my BU there isn't a better boat on the market. My issue is with customer service, and not from my dealer they have been great, it is with Malibu themself. I have an 08 Wakesetter 23 LSV that has quite a few problems. Most of which were quick fixes. But I have had issues with cracking gelcoat around the tower feet. It has been shopped at my local dealer who had it repaired loooked great. But the tower still was loose and as relsult, yep you guessed it, it is cracking out again. Now here is my problem my local dealer went out of business so new dealer agrees to do repairs but after tower is off, they are told by malibu that they wont pay for it due to the fact that it has already been fixed once (by a malibu dealer). If this was a ford/chevy pick up it wouldn't matter if it had been fixed already, if it was under warranty it would be repaired again. But it isn't a $30,000 pick up. It is a $70,000 Boat that has had issues since day one. I am so frustrated with Malibu right now this is the only way I can vent and see if any one else is having these problems. I had to beg and plead to get them to replace my windshield which sat a half inch off of the boat had weather stripping in it from the Manufacture as a bandaid to cover the poor craftsman ship, and let water into the dash and glove box if I ran in the rain . I have a friend who has pretty much the same boat as I do Year and Model and he went though hell, and had to get a lawyer involved to get his boat fixed. Was wandering if any one else has had the same problems. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't want to get a Lawyer involded but if they won't stand by their product I will.

Malibu is a awesome company so keep talking with them. Don't use the "lawyer threat" card because it will just make the issue worse.

Look at it from a different point of view, if you the customer paid somebody $1,000 to do a gel-coat repair and it failed you would want to bring it back to them to get it repaired? Not only is it possible that the old dealer did a bad gel-coat repair but they could have not put loc-tite on the tower base bolts when they re-mounted the tower and if they came loose again it could cause the deck to crack again. I understand it was done at a dealer and you are covered under warranty still, I'm just asking the question because from the sounds of it that is how Malibu is viewing it.

I think it would be fair for you to ask Malibu for help or maybe meet half way on it. Malibu is a very compassionate company so as long as you are compassionate about the issue they will help if they can.

Still to this day I have never seen fractures off a Illusion tower base (going on my tenth year at Bake's)

I'm sure you've been told this all ready but just in case, Do not tube from the tower, ski from the tower, have people sit or jump on the tower, excessive weight (tower accessories) can cause damage to the tower or tower bases) etc.

Do you have pictures of your boat tower and the fractures that you could post up? I would like to see them.

I would be a lot more upset with the previous dealers customer service than with Malibu.

-Paul

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Malibu is a awesome company so keep talking with them. Don't use the "lawyer threat" card because it will just make the issue worse.

Look at it from a different point of view, if you the customer paid somebody $1,000 to do a gel-coat repair and it failed you would want to bring it back to them to get it repaired? Not only is it possible that the old dealer did a bad gel-coat repair but they could have not put loc-tite on the tower base bolts when they re-mounted the tower and if they came loose again it could cause the deck to crack again. I understand it was done at a dealer and you are covered under warranty still, I'm just asking the question because from the sounds of it that is how Malibu is viewing it.

I think it would be fair for you to ask Malibu for help or maybe meet half way on it. Malibu is a very compassionate company so as long as you are compassionate about the issue they will help if they can.

Still to this day I have never seen fractures off a Illusion tower base (going on my tenth year at Bake's)

I'm sure you've been told this all ready but just in case, Do not tube from the tower, ski from the tower, have people sit or jump on the tower, excessive weight (tower accessories) can cause damage to the tower or tower bases) etc.

Do you have pictures of your boat tower and the fractures that you could post up? I would like to see them.

I would be a lot more upset with the previous dealers customer service than with Malibu.

-Paul

This is the second Malibu I have owned. I had an 06 V-ride Great boat and had great luck with it. I upgraded and not so sure I made the right decision, but regardless Malibu is still the best boat out there for the money. I am not implying anythig that would go against that. The dealer that made the original repair had a local fiber glass shop repair it and from what I have heard and seen myself they do great a great job. They are marine only and have an indmar certified mechanic on payroll. I seriously doubt it war repaired incorrectly. When I got it back the tower was still loose but not to the boat. The feet were solid to the boat. I have heard of this tower having problems with this and it is linked to the drilled out tower pin holes from the manufacture. That is why they were replacing the bushings in the make it right campaign. I don't tube or ski from my tower. I don't do either of these behind my boat for the simple fact that if I wanted to do that I would have saved my self 60000 grand and bought a Bayliner... The Dealler has my boat so sorry no pictures.. The previous dealer treated me well and took care of all my issuse as best he could. He went to bat for me on the windshield when malibu's fix was drill a bunch more holes and put more screws in it :(

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I had trouble with my tower cracking the gelcoat when tower vibrated. But once the dealer fixed the gelcoat and tightened up the tower no problems since (crossed fingers). I feel your pain and like the rest I would keep on the factory to back up their warranty. Good luck.

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This is the second Malibu I have owned. I had an 06 V-ride Great boat and had great luck with it. I upgraded and not so sure I made the right decision, but regardless Malibu is still the best boat out there for the money. I am not implying anythig that would go against that. The dealer that made the original repair had a local fiber glass shop repair it and from what I have heard and seen myself they do great a great job. They are marine only and have an indmar certified mechanic on payroll. I seriously doubt it war repaired incorrectly. When I got it back the tower was still loose but not to the boat. The feet were solid to the boat. I have heard of this tower having problems with this and it is linked to the drilled out tower pin holes from the manufacture. That is why they were replacing the bushings in the make it right campaign. I don't tube or ski from my tower. I don't do either of these behind my boat for the simple fact that if I wanted to do that I would have saved my self 60000 grand and bought a Bayliner... The Dealler has my boat so sorry no pictures.. The previous dealer treated me well and took care of all my issuse as best he could. He went to bat for me on the windshield when malibu's fix was drill a bunch more holes and put more screws in it Sad.gif

That was mostly from dealers drilling holes in the bushings to make the pins slide in easier for customers to put . I don't think we had to replace one set of bushings on a XS tower out of 100+boats. Did your new dealer verify that the correct bushings are installed?

Malibu did not use the mounting screw holes on the windshield base frame because the adhesive tape they used was so strong, in some cases if the surface was not clean at install the tape gave loose and your right, their fix was to use the mounting screw holes that were all ready pre-drilled into the frame. We had to do this on a few boats where the windshield was lifting and it fixed the issue no problem.

It's funny that your problems are both with companies that Malibu no longer has a relationship or do business with anymore (I wonder why?) Metcraft is out of business and PCMW is no longer being used on any Malibu because of the issues they had with that windshield. Granted that Malibu decided to use these products on their boats is one thing but before we yell that its Malibu's fault we should know that Malibu did not make the tower or the windshield in 2008.

I hope your able to get your issues resolved in a manner that is fair for everybody. Wish you the best getting those issues resolved.

-Paul

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but before we yell that its Malibu's fault we should know that Malibu did not make the tower or the windshield in 2008.

But we buy a Malibu boat, and in my view, Malibu as the OEM is responsible for everything that comes out of the factory attached to a boat with their name on it, regardless if that part is made inside their factory or purchased and installed by them.

If Malibu selected the vendor and then sold it to a customer as part of the boat - it is Malibu's responsibility.

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But we buy a Malibu boat, and in my view, Malibu as the OEM is responsible for everything that comes out of the factory attached to a boat with their name on it, regardless if that part is made inside their factory or purchased and installed by them.

If Malibu selected the vendor and then sold it to a customer as part of the boat - it is Malibu's responsibility.

I know that Paul feels that way as well, I think he just means that Malibu knew they had problems and they addressed them by discontinuing business with those products/problems.

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But we buy a Malibu boat, and in my view, Malibu as the OEM is responsible for everything that comes out of the factory attached to a boat with their name on it, regardless if that part is made inside their factory or purchased and installed by them.

If Malibu selected the vendor and then sold it to a customer as part of the boat - it is Malibu's responsibility.

I think i worded that wrong, because I agree with what you said. It's also why I am excited that Malibu builds both of those items (windshields and towers) in house now.

I know that Paul feels that way as well, I think he just means that Malibu knew they had problems and they addressed them by discontinuing business with those products/problems.

Thanks J, couldn't have said it better!

-Paul

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Just wanted to chime in on the 08 model discussion points - I heard the concerns prior to my purchase and still went ahead and purchased an 08 over an 09.- I did this for a couple different reasons and would like to report that the boat thus far has been fatastic.

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Just wanted to chime in on the 08 model discussion points - I heard the concerns prior to my purchase and still went ahead and purchased an 08 over an 09.- I did this for a couple different reasons and would like to report that the boat thus far has been fatastic.

Congrats on the new boat, I'm sure it will be trouble free for you. I'm sure they went over it with a fine tooth comb.

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Wow !! Reading this makes me hesitant about buying an 08 or newer boat from Malibu. Has anyone here had any issues with their 07 boats. I am looking at buying an 07 vlx and it makes me pretty nervous. How long is the warranty on the gelcoat and have many of you experienced problems with the gelcoat cracking aroung the tower mounts?

What other things should i look for or be worried about on an 07 vlx?

First off the main worry is can I afford the next tank of gas or sunny day....lol

Malibu has and will continue to provide the utmost importance on thier quality. They did have some issues in '08 as others have pointed out but the service and the acknowledgement to address it was handeled perfectly. Other than the '08 issues take any post addressing problems or gripes w/ a grain of salt. Over the years we've learned there is simply more to the story than is being posted and the few who do are an extreme minority. My '07 runs like a champ..

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For what it's worth.. i have a 2008 Wakesetter 23LSV w/Monsoon and I haven't had any problems at all... the boat has been perfect and completely 100% reliable. I am very picky about my boat (just ask Paul) and i would notice any little crack or blemish.. the boat is perfect after 2 summers of use. Maybe i am just lucky and my 08 was built by the right guys in Merced, or maybe it's because I am lucky enough to have Paul and his crew over at Bake's taking care of my boat (BTW.. i don't know how these guys don't win Malibu dealer of the year ever year 'cause there isn't a better dealer out there.) Yes, the "08's suck" theads do get me a little worried from time to time.. but if nothing else that just pushes me to check my tower bolts 2 or 3 times a year. So.. fingers crossed she will continue to look like new and start right up every time i turn the key. Sorry to hear about the problems other people are having.. i am sure it's frustrating (I can't imaging being on a boating vacation and having the boat not start,etc.) but hopefully Malibu will continue to take care of us 08 owners. Cheers... from a bitter cold wintery Seattle.

Edited by gregtay
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good to hear a couple other 08 owners chiming in- Malibu did the right thing and stood by thier product - that is simply fantastic to have a manufacturer step up and make the right decision. seems like the dealerships play a key role in working with Malibu and generally making the ownership experience worth the price- it's a package deal...

Being newer to the Malibu Community I follow a couple different boat boards and what I've seen is that regardless of the make there's problems from time to time. The resolution always seems to follow the same path - owner, dealer, & manufacturer all reconciling thier differences. what happened in this case validates my decision to go malibu.

slightly off topic - but... I went with my 08 based upon recommendations from this board - Some very insightful Malibu owner tipped me off about height differences between the 08 and 09 V-ride. I validated the info with the dealer (active) and viola, I couldn't fit the 09 in my garage but the different dash in the 08 let the tower sit lower when folded and I could get it in the door... that saved me a ton of headaches, as I would like to focus my effort on wearing out the boat.

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For what it's worth.. i have a 2008 Wakesetter 23LSV w/Monsoon and I haven't had any problems at all... the boat has been perfect and completely 100% reliable. I am very picky about my boat (just ask Paul) and i would notice any little crack or blemish.. the boat is perfect after 2 summers of use. Maybe i am just lucky and my 08 was built by the right guys in Merced, or maybe it's because I am lucky enough to have Paul and his crew over at Bake's taking care of my boat (BTW.. i don't know how these guys don't win Malibu dealer of the year ever year 'cause there isn't a better dealer out there.) Yes, the "08's suck" theads do get me a little worried from time to time.. but if nothing else that just pushes me to check my tower bolts 2 or 3 times a year. So.. fingers crossed she will continue to look like new and start right up every time i turn the key. Sorry to hear about the problems other people are having.. i am sure it's frustrating (I can't imaging being on a boating vacation and having the boat not start,etc.) but hopefully Malibu will continue to take care of us 08 owners. Cheers... from a bitter cold wintery Seattle.

X2

Kind of new to this forum. After reading this, I probably would of passed on our 2008 LSV last spring. Two tower bolts came loose over the summer, but that's it.

Now you guys will have me worrying next year. Throwpc.gif

Edited by babybu
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I am glad to report that Malibu is stepping up to the plate thanks to a great dealer standing by a customer that wasn't even his. I will definetly be buying my next boat from Wilsons Watersports!

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For what it's worth.. i have a 2008 Wakesetter 23LSV w/Monsoon and I haven't had any problems at all... the boat has been perfect and completely 100% reliable. I am very picky about my boat (just ask Paul) and i would notice any little crack or blemish.. the boat is perfect after 2 summers of use. Maybe i am just lucky and my 08 was built by the right guys in Merced, or maybe it's because I am lucky enough to have Paul and his crew over at Bake's taking care of my boat (BTW.. i don't know how these guys don't win Malibu dealer of the year ever year 'cause there isn't a better dealer out there.) Yes, the "08's suck" theads do get me a little worried from time to time.. but if nothing else that just pushes me to check my tower bolts 2 or 3 times a year. So.. fingers crossed she will continue to look like new and start right up every time i turn the key. Sorry to hear about the problems other people are having.. i am sure it's frustrating (I can't imaging being on a boating vacation and having the boat not start,etc.) but hopefully Malibu will continue to take care of us 08 owners. Cheers... from a bitter cold wintery Seattle.

Thanks for the nice words/ compliments Greg. We would not be anything with out great customers supporting us like you.

You've got a awesome boat and I'm glad you love it. I look forward to the many years relationship of helping take care of you and your family enjoy the summers here in Washington and Lake Sammamish.

Thanks and wish you the best.

-Paul

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