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'bu Fit And Finish


zornman

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So I received my new 'Bu in June this year. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the boat. Going from a 2006 Sunscape to the 2011 Wakesetter has been great. The extra space in the 23' is nice, also. Besides the fact I wish the boat had the 3 doors to cover the engine and lockers like the old boat (instead of the current 2), I love the boat. (I am surprised I haven't read any negative comments about the transom stereo remote - we hit buttons all the time by accident)

The real reason for my post is the poor fit and finish of many of the features. My dealer has helped quite a bit with this, but I am really disapointed by the factory. Although these are small, here are just a few of the issues:

1. Door on glove compartment not installed square to dash so it does not close completely.

2. Door panel to access battery compartment was installed so poorly that you can see into the compartment. (The screws in the piano hinge were done so quickly that there is zero adjustment without removing a screw permanently.

3. The engine access panels weren't mounted square to the boat so they fit crooked and have to be shoved into place. This is actually very difficult.

4. Small nuts just fall off bolts under the dash.

5. The air temperature guage is never close to the right temp.

6. Heater hoses in the engine compartment leak because of a poor, barbed connection.

7. Threads were cross-threaded on tower.

The list goes on and on. Like I said, the dealer has been a great help, but I am just curious if anyone else has had this many issues? ...or at least some of the issues. Is this the new direction of Malibu or did my boat get built when someone was hungover?

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100% happy w/ my 2003.

I think that from reading other threads that have talked about build quality lately, this has become more of a problem with newer boats. Like you, I have been extremely pleased with my 2005 Rlxi.

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I was pleased with my 06' and have been with my 09' as well. No real fit/finish issues to report on either one. Now both my boats were built at the Merced Plant, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

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For the money you pay this seems unacceptable. Sounds like you got a boat that was built on a monday. Don't these things get inspected before the leave the factory?

I would work hard with my dealer to get all these issues resolved.

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For the money you pay this seems unacceptable. Sounds like you got a boat that was built on a monday. Don't these things get inspected before the leave the factory?

I would work hard with my dealer to get all these issues resolved.

X2

do malibu a favor (and all of us owners) and raise heck until you are satisfied. no way a boat should show up like this and they need to know about it. they build a great boat but if stuff like this goes unaddressed their quality will go down as well as their reputation and resale value because someone is not doing their job at the factory.

you pay way too much money for things like this.

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X2

do malibu a favor (and all of us owners) and raise heck until you are satisfied. no way a boat should show up like this and they need to know about it. they build a great boat but if stuff like this goes unaddressed their quality will go down as well as their reputation and resale value because someone is not doing their job at the factory.

you pay way too much money for things like this.

The dealer has fixed almost everything. It was covered when i last picked it up after winterizing, so I won't be able to check the last few things, but they said they corrected everything except the powder coat that is chipping off the bottom of the tower on one side. Sounds like that is going to be a pain to fix, but I'll deal with it in March.

Interesting that no one with a 2011 has chimed in. I am curious if this is isolated.

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I had an issue with my glove compartment door not sealing on one side and warping. It was replaced from the factory. Other than finding a loose nut running around every now and then, no other major problems. I figured the rattling loose was just common with all boats. Dont think ive ever been on a boat that didnt have "that cupholder" that had a few screws and nuts....

Edit:

Crap... i totally forgot about the big oversight. They forgot to install the air hose from the vent on the port side in front of the window. I didnt notice until the first good rain when all my amps got a nice bath. Malibu replaced all my Wetsounds Amps with new ones. Yea that one was a cluster... getting in the boat and wondering why my stereo wasnt working only to open the storage area and find it soaked and can see sky from in there.

Edited by Calexan
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The dealer has fixed almost everything. It was covered when i last picked it up after winterizing, so I won't be able to check the last few things, but they said they corrected everything except the powder coat that is chipping off the bottom of the tower on one side. Sounds like that is going to be a pain to fix, but I'll deal with it in March.

Interesting that no one with a 2011 has chimed in. I am curious if this is isolated.

Just picked up my MXZ and besides rock chips on the front side of the fenders from transport and a few lose stitches in the material in the walkthrough mine was perfect

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Our 2010 RFXI had a few minor issues, but nothing like yours. The screws pulled out of the fiberglass at the base of our engine cover. They weren't installed properly to begin with, and the dealer had to shift the whole cowl forward to find a proper purchase, so now the handle at the front is very close to the ski pylon. Other than that, the only other issue we've had is with fuel sloshing out of the overflow vent in quick turns at the end of a ski run, even when the tank isn't full. We've looked at installing a Racor valve in the line, but there simply isn't room. It appears that Malibu decreased the size of the gas tank on the 2011 FXI, which would likely help the problem, one way or another. We're still trying to get to the bottom of that issue for our boat, but it was at least gratifying to see that Malibu made a change in the design, despite FXIs being made in relatively low numbers.

Keep making noise with your dealer and with Malibu. I hope you continue to have good luck getting your issues resolved. With everything you have found, I'd be worried about the stuff you can't see that may crop up down the road.

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Everything you mentioned should be warrant-able.

These boats are hand made so this type of stuff happens with all the boat manufactures. We usually corrected all that during our dealer prep so by the time the customer got it everything was dialed in but there is some stuff that you don't notice until the boat has been used for awhile.

-Paul

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Everything you mentioned should be warrant-able.

These boats are hand made so this type of stuff happens with all the boat manufactures. We usually corrected all that during our dealer prep so by the time the customer got it everything was dialed in but there is some stuff that you don't notice until the boat has been used for awhile.

-Paul

Welcome back, Paul! :)

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I have not had a problem with my '11 LSV. I picked her up in October of '10 and they could have been in a slow period therefore, having more time to make sure it was assembled correctly. Best of luck with your boat.

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Don't feel alone... Our 2011 VTX came with an abundance of fit and finish issues. Bow light is off center, rear exhaust vent mounted outside of recessed area, rub rail screws are to long so they stick into storage area by an inch (dry suit found that flaw for me )mirror not mounted, stereo (amps) missing, and really dirty on delivery. Like you, our dealer has been fantastic once we point it out, but I wish they would've fixed some off the stuff on their own. I think it is the little details like this that seperate the great dealerships from the pact. The biggest disappoint to me is trying to deal with Malibu. They don't return calls or follow up when they say they will. I love turning some wrenches so I don't mind a little DIY every now and then and besides my dealership is 6 hours each way, but some support would be great when needed.

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When we bought our 2007, we were very pleased with the fit and finish. There were a few minor things that we had issue with(the carpet in the rear compartments was coming off the sides and the heater kept blowing the fuse and the piano hinge for the battery compartment door under the glovebox had screws coming loose) but other than that we were pleased. The screws in the battery compartment still need tightening once in a while but it's not a big deal.

It wasn't till a couple years down the road that a couple major things occurred. When the muffler was installed, it was installed too close to the water pump pulley, so close in fact that it was nearly touching it. So when the motor was running and vibrating etc., the muffler would touch the pulley. A couple years later, a hole had been worn in the muffler. I couldn't figure out why the heck there was always so much water in the bilge because I couldn't see that part of the muffler. Dealer replaced the muffler under warranty and fixed the installation so that it didn't rub the pulley. Problem solved. Then the really big issue hit: water started leaking between the exhaust manifold and the block. Turned out to be a casting defect in the exhaust manifold and luckily for us, was in a place where the water did not leak into the engine and hydraulic the engine. Again, lots of water in the bilge after each outing so I finally put the fake-a-lake on and found the problem. Thank goodness the boat was under warranty. The exhaust manifold alone was $1500 plus labor put the bill at about $1800-$1900!!!! :crazy: Since those issues, we haven't had any problems except for the drain in the forward ski locker leaking, which was reglassed and now doesn't leak.

Overall, we are really pleased. Now that the warranty is over, ask me again in a couple of years...lol. But handmade boats are going to have a few issues here and there. Not everyone on the assembly line cares as much about their job, so there are going to be parts of the boat that lack a bit over other parts. Just human nature I guess.

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So I received my new 'Bu in June this year. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the boat.

The boat does look great on the water. I meant to stop once to check her out and say hi. Sorry to hear you are having issues but glad most of them have been resolved. Disappointing that a boat costing that kind of money has that kind of issues. I don't know about you but I am hoping for a speedy winter season.

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Don't feel alone... Our 2011 VTX came with an abundance of fit and finish issues. Bow light is off center, rear exhaust vent mounted outside of recessed area, rub rail screws are to long so they stick into storage area by an inch (dry suit found that flaw for me )mirror not mounted, stereo (amps) missing, and really dirty on delivery. Like you, our dealer has been fantastic once we point it out, but I wish they would've fixed some off the stuff on their own. I think it is the little details like this that seperate the great dealerships from the pact. The biggest disappoint to me is trying to deal with Malibu. They don't return calls or follow up when they say they will. I love turning some wrenches so I don't mind a little DIY every now and then and besides my dealership is 6 hours each way, but some support would be great when needed.

some of your gripes are pretty legit but dealers always mount mirrors, and all boats are going to get dirty during delivery, that's all dealer's responsibility. As for amps, sounds like your boat just had to get short-shipped. Anyone who has been at the factory knows there ain't room for boats waiting around for parts that can be installed by dealer.

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