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lemon?


usualsuspect355

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Chat,

I agree we all have to deal with things, however there is a limit to what you can expect customer to endure. I agree these are built by hand and will have some issues. However at some point the issues need to stop, and the customer is entitled to have a relatively problem free boat that they can enjoy, without worrying about what will break on the next outing!

Sometimes things are defective, example on my boat, my floor flexes and creaks when you walk on it. Malibu later discovered this and implimented a fix into future production, by reinforcing the floor. They sent my dealer a reinforcement kit which was installed, my floor still flexes and creaks. So dealer was going to install a second reinforcing kit. Then they discovered my floor has air pockets (voids) in the floor and that is why it is flexing, cracking, and creaking. The solution is a new floor, in my case Malibu is replacing, but mine it's still in warranty period.

I also agree with IXFE, time to move on to a new product you are excited about.

Edited by DarkSide
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I love the argument that Malibu doesn't manufacture engines so they aren't responsible. That is the biggest cop out attitude I have ever heard

That is like me prescribing medication and someone having a bad reaction. Then, my attitude is that well I didn't manufacture the pill, I just distributed it. What a joke.

Just so you know usualsuspects, the reaction you are getting here is quite typical of this site. I bought a new 20 MXZ in 2013 and I was having issues with spray coming off the surfgate. I started a thread that created a lot of animosity towards me. However, I kept on and on and guess what? Malibu issued a fix for the spray on all 2014 MXZ boats so they must have agreed with me. And now, everyone who enjoys a spray free MXZ surf wave has DocPhil to thank for being PITA.

Lesson: if you aren't happy don't shut up. Keep on until you are satisfied regardless of what folks on this site say. You asked for advice and you got it. But if you don't agree do what you feel is correct.

Doc,

I can absolutely see both sides to this. First it is correct, that Malibu does not build the indmar, so when Malibu gets a defective product from thier supplier, it is beyond thier control. However end of the day the boat says Malibu not indmar, so Malibu needs to stand behind what they put in thier product. In this case it appears they absolutely did, abd replaced engines under warranty.

So to fault Malibu for engine problems that are not Malibu's fault is not entirely fair.

In your example, if you distributed "tainted Tylenol" no one would blame you!

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I love the argument that Malibu doesn't manufacture engines so they aren't responsible. That is the biggest cop out attitude I have ever heard

That is like me prescribing medication and someone having a bad reaction. Then, my attitude is that well I didn't manufacture the pill, I just distributed it. What a joke.

Just so you know usualsuspects, the reaction you are getting here is quite typical of this site. I bought a new 20 MXZ in 2013 and I was having issues with spray coming off the surfgate. I started a thread that created a lot of animosity towards me. However, I kept on and on and guess what? Malibu issued a fix for the spray on all 2014 MXZ boats so they must have agreed with me. And now, everyone who enjoys a spray free MXZ surf wave has DocPhil to thank for being PITA.

Lesson: if you aren't happy don't shut up. Keep on until you are satisfied regardless of what folks on this site say. You asked for advice and you got it. But if you don't agree do what you feel is correct.

To be clear, I'm not defending Bu nor am I attacking the OP. I asked for a pic and he delivered.

Mine is a more pragmatic approach... the boat is 3 years old. The OP is obviously fed up; it really doesn't matter why. Life is short. Time to move on.

  • Like 3
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FWIW, this is my gel coat crack in a similar location. It is just the gel coat, floor moves a little bit in that area if you are standing on the ballast pump cover so I'm sure that it was just the result of the deck flexing in an unsupported area in combination with the stress from the screw holding the bezel. I had to actually grab a flashlight to find it again, you have to be nose down on the floor to even find it.

WP_20150518_002.jpg

Edited by oldjeep
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So if a pharmacist fills a prescription for baby aspirin, and because it is manufactured incorrectly, and is actually cyanide, you think the pharmacist should be responsible for the harm that the person who takes the medication sustains?

If so, you and I see things in a fundamentally different light. Oh well.

Again, however, what about the point that the first engine may have failed because it was not dewinterized correctly....

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Mine is viewable from outside the boat and never contacts pump cover. There is a small crack from a screw on mine but it looks not as bad as the other crack.

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Again, however, what about the point that the first engine may have failed because it was not dewinterized correctly....

Along with the damage done from subsequent engine installs....

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Btw, this is one of the larger dealerships in the country I believe, as well as voted number 1 cobalt dealer several years. We had a cobalt before and it evidently was lucky to hold up so well from what you all say I should expect.

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So is there anything wrong with the powerplant that is currently in the boat? If there was anything damaged during the replacement that should be fixed by the dealer that did the job.

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You said you posted here to bring attention to all of the issues, but I'm still not understanding what you've asked your dealer to do about it. What requests have you made that they haven't helped you out with?

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Btw, this is one of the larger dealerships in the country I believe, as well as voted number 1 cobalt dealer several years. We had a cobalt before and it evidently was lucky to hold up so well from what you all say I should expect.

Boats break. Behind every brand you could queue up a line of people with serious issues. Wish you luck on your next purchase and hope you will experience better.

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Btw, this is one of the larger dealerships in the country I believe, as well as voted number 1 cobalt dealer several years. We had a cobalt before and it evidently was lucky to hold up so well from what you all say I should expect.

Arrowhead? They sell a bunch of I/Os.

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Just FYI, Most state laws extend manufacturers warranty by the amount of time boat was out of service. For instance, if it took 30 days to have engine replaced, warranty would be extended by 30 days. If you had several months where boat was out of commission due to warranty issues, add all of the time up and add that to the 36 months. I know this to be the case in California specifically, so I'm sure other states have similar laws. The thought being that the warranty clock shouldn't keep ticking while your boat is out of service for warranty.

That being said, To have a dealer that allowed you to use a loaner boat while yours was being repaired is exceptional customer service. unfortunately most dealers would not do that. I think the dealership may have some culpability for a lot of the issues. I would imagine that Malibu agrees. That's probably why the dealership has been more than accommodating to your issues. But they still blame Malibu as too not look bad themselves. A lot of the items that occurred the first day of use should have been caught and corrected by the dealer before you took delivery.

I do feel your pain. Nothing worse than the blame game. Everyone saying its someone else's responsibility when all you want are the issues to get resolved, regardless of who's responsibility it is, Indmar, Dealer, or Malibu.

I also experienced several quality control issues with my 2013. Although they were all resolved eventually, I was very frustrated at the process and felt the same way you do. How is it that we pay this much for something and it is such a hassle to get it resolved. And to hear most people say its normal, just deal with it, it's the nature of boat ownership. All frustrating to hear when you've spent so much money.

I made the decision to buy another new boat even though I had all of the issues with my 2013. So far I am very pleased. I enjoy boating with the family and I was willing to accept the risk/reward on another new boat. The family memories are priceless.

Edited by bunji169
  • Like 2
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I love the argument that Malibu doesn't manufacture engines so they aren't responsible. That is the biggest cop out attitude I have ever heard

I totally agree with this and where does it stop?

All of the raw materials for this boat came from the earth so it's not malibu's problem it's planet earth that screwed you.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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From a consumer perspective, I can imagine it's frustrating to have different pieces of the boat covered by different warranties. This is where I'm told MC has the rest of the industry beat.

However, this all gets back to your dealer. A good dealer, and I mean a really good dealer will make all that invisible to the customer. In theory I know that my engine is under separate warranty from the rest of the boat. But in practice I never feel that difference as my dealer acts as the filter / buffer. I'm sure it sucks for them to have to sort it all out and deal with multiple entities, but on my end it's seamless and smooth.... feels like one warranty to me. But then again, my dealer is uber focused on the customer experience.

Edit: The only instance I can think of where this may apply in the auto industry is Ram / Cummins. I wonder if there's a separate warranty on that motor. I kind of doubt it. Either way, I'm sure it feels like any other warranty experience for the truck owner... have an issue (whether engine, radio, or seat stitching) and you just drop it off at the dealer, and they do what it takes to coordinate the warranty fix.

Edited by IXFE
  • Like 2
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My husband and I actually returned a Malibu because of the list of things wrong with it. We traded our 2007 Ride XTI for a 2009 VTX. We picked up the new boat when we dropped of our trade. We drove the 45 minutes to the lake, dropped her in, and had about 20 good minutes on that boat. It was getting later in the day and the sun was setting so we turned on the nav lights. All electrical quit working. By the time we made it back to our dock we had a "punch List" about 2 pages long. We drove the new boat back to the dealer, picked up our ride XTI and never looked back. The dealer took the boat back. I don't know why they took the boat back but they replaced the entire wiring system. I ran into that boat a few years later and the new owner had several problems. Sorry dude, better you than me!

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From a consumer perspective, I can imagine it's frustrating to have different pieces of the boat covered by different warranties. This is where I'm told MC has the rest of the industry beat.

However, this all gets back to your dealer. A good dealer, and I mean a really good dealer will make all that invisible to the customer. In theory I know that my engine is under separate warranty from the rest of the boat. But in practice I never feel that difference as my dealer acts as the filter / buffer. I'm sure it sucks for them to have to sort it all out and deal with multiple entities, but on my end it's seamless and smooth.... feels like one warranty to me. But then again, my dealer is uber focused on the customer experience.

Edit: The only instance I can think of where this may apply in the auto industry is Ram / Cummins. I wonder if there's a separate warranty on that motor. I kind of doubt it. Either way, I'm sure it feels like any other warranty experience for the truck owner... have an issue (whether engine, radio, or seat stitching) and you just drop it off at the dealer, and they do what it takes to coordinate the warranty fix.

I have the Ram Cummins combo, and it is warrented different. The Cummins powered trucks get a LONGER factory powertrain warranty (backed by RAM), the the Hemi powered trucks.
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My husband and I actually returned a Malibu because of the list of things wrong with it. We traded our 2007 Ride XTI for a 2009 VTX. We picked up the new boat when we dropped of our trade. We drove the 45 minutes to the lake, dropped her in, and had about 20 good minutes on that boat. It was getting later in the day and the sun was setting so we turned on the nav lights. All electrical quit working. By the time we made it back to our dock we had a "punch List" about 2 pages long. We drove the new boat back to the dealer, picked up our ride XTI and never looked back. The dealer took the boat back. I don't know why they took the boat back but they replaced the entire wiring system. I ran into that boat a few years later and the new owner had several problems. Sorry dude, better you than me!

Did the dealership not test all this stuff? When I bought my VLX, the dealer was in the boat when it was put in the water. We both tested everything to ensure it was right.

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Took boat in to have things fixed, again. Got a breakdown of what went wrong with engines, just so you guys could have more to discredit. 1st engine the pipe (which was a hose from previous models) only had 1 clamp. They now have 2. Yw. The 2nd engine was a change indmar made in regards to engine angle while the wedge is down that gm recommended but turned out to not work. From what I was told indmar was reluctant but decided to follow gm advice. They aren't making that mistake again. (Cough cough) and as to the dealer not being honest as some suggest, I know the salesman from outside of boating as a friend and the mechanic worked as a mechanic at my flight school. We discussed freely what was happening. Some things I didn't understand but they were honest. I did have issue with how dealer handled 1st engine, the mechanic did tell me troubling info.

  • Like 3
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Currently there won't be any chance for a lemon law to apply. I do however question the quality and understanding bu has of their boats. If you have one of the one that works perfect then I understand your love for the boat. just pray to God you never get one like I got

Edited by usualsuspect355
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