Picky Issues with My New 2016 VLX

[Lance B. Johnson]

MAlibu should be ashamed of them selves, charging so much and turning out such a poor quality controlled product. I brought my new boat home from the lake last week and the more I look into it the more problems I find.Problems that no way should be left from the factory like that. I mean how hard is it to put screws in straight and make sure things are tight, not stripped half way and then left. I spent a day going through my boat andFixing everything myself so I know it's done right and will stay that way. I should not have to do this. Why is it we spend so much money on aBoat and find this acceptable but spend half the money on aVehicle that we use everyday and would not accept it. Shame on you Malibu. This will reluctantly make me look at other brands next time.

The crooked screws are a peeve of mine. They bug me. But when you think about it there is no time lost putting them in straight. Give a twelve year old an impact driver and they can figure it out.

The reason crooked screws bug me is that if they can't run a screw straight one can assume that level of care goes into building the rest of the boat.

[Lance B. Johnson]

Gotta admit I'm surprised to see so many Gs on he water. Statistics from '13 aside they are selling. Heck there's even a few converts from this site. They aren't my thing but usually the people that buy them (and MC) can speak from a quality standpoint.

Edited September 13, 2015 by Lance B. Johnson

[Fman]

I still can't figure out why Malibu can't get a stereo installed properly. Countless posts on here about unsatisfied owners with a factory installed system. Even if it is only out of tune, it should not leave the factory without sounding spot on and cranking.

Vinyl problems and crooked screws should also not be tolerated. Unfortunately these boats are hand built and I am sure occasionally get overlooked. I would be surprised if all builders don't have similar items like this. Maybe the QC final inspection process has just gotten worse and they are sending boats out with issues forcing the dealers having to fix the problems?

I have owned a 2011,13 and now 2015 vlx. Each boat has had very few problems with them. My 2015 with 115 hours on it had three warranty items repaired this season. I don't think that is unreasonable, definitely not perfect but nothing that would cause me to think about switching brands. I still believe Malibu builds a very solid boat, with one of the best wakes and surf waves in the market today. I have no problem recommending Malibu to family and friends. And more than likely if I end up in another new boat someday, it will be another Malibu.

That being said, it would be nice to see the QC issues fixed at the factory level to strive to be near perfect, hopefully Malibu can tighten up there QC process. It's definitely not a perfect boat.

[JoeA]

Selling the most boats is just one measurement in this industry. No doubt Malibu sells more boats that anybody but hey so did GM in the past. Dd that equate to GM being the best company? Reflect on history and draw your own conclusion.

[MadMan]

Interesting to compare to JD Powers initial quality. Best cars are a little less that 1 problem per vehicle, worst are about 1.5 problems per vehicle. The boating industry appears to be many times that number.

[oldjeep]

Interesting to compare to JD Powers initial quality. Best cars are a little less that 1 problem per vehicle, worst are about 1.5 problems per vehicle. The boating industry appears to be many times that number.

For it to be a valid comparison you would need to be comparing to a low volume hand built car.

[IXFE]

Selling the most boats is just one measurement in this industry. No doubt Malibu sells more boats that anybody but hey so did GM in the past. Dd that equate to GM being the best company? Reflect on history and draw your own conclusion.

Who claimed that market share equates to being "the best company?"

I was just showing how Nautique gained exactly 0.6% share over a 6 year period (i.e. 0.1% per year).

That is all...

[Snrizedstr]

How is the carpet backing on your boats holding up?

I have the snap in carpet with the rubber backing....the rubber or whatever material that is is turning into powder on mine. Makes it really difficult to keep clean. I vacuum it out and next use there is more black dust and chunks along the edges on the exposed deck.

The boat is stored inside and covered when it dries so it isn't sun abuse.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Snrizedstr

[CedarLakeSkier]

For it to be a valid comparison you would need to be comparing to a low volume hand built car.

Like Tesla perhaps?

They have had a couple of issues, mainly with batteries, but I have not read anything about Quality Control issues (granted I haven't looked much either, but might be a more valid comparison).

Oh, and they update their electronics "over the air", no need to see the dealer for a plug in USB. Pretty sure the Tesla bluetooth works as expected as well

[Murphy8166]

How is the carpet backing on your boats holding up?

I have the snap in carpet with the rubber backing....the rubber or whatever material that is is turning into powder on mine. Makes it really difficult to keep clean. I vacuum it out and next use there is more black dust and chunks along the edges on the exposed deck.

The boat is stored inside and covered when it dries so it isn't sun abuse.

I think they changed the carpet in the new models. My 11 had the black layer that pretty much was dissolving. The new ones are much more hefty

[oldjeep]

Like Tesla perhaps?

They have had a couple of issues, mainly with batteries, but I have not read anything about Quality Control issues (granted I haven't looked much either, but might be a more valid comparison).

Oh, and they update their electronics "over the air", no need to see the dealer for a plug in USB. Pretty sure the Tesla bluetooth works as expected as well

Tesla is about as far from hand built as you can get unless you are counting robot hands.

Edited September 14, 2015 by oldjeep

[TenTwentyOne]

Tesla is about as far from hand built as you can get unless you are counting robot hands.

Not compared to most auto manufacturers. When it comes down to the things that are similar to assembling a boat, 99% of those processes are done by hand at Tesla.... Like the carpet, trim panels, most interior components, badging, accessories, lights, running gear (chassis components), wiring and electrical components, and the entire QC process. That is the stuff, that I would refer to, when comparing the build process between a car and a boat. Sure, tesla uses robots to assemble the unibody structure, and a couple parts that are not easy for a human. Besides that, they are primarily hand assembled. We obviously couldn't compare the 2, in order to make a case for hull integrity and gel finish. That sort of thing is down entirely by robots at tesla.

[MadMan]

For it to be a valid comparison you would need to be comparing to a low volume hand built car.

Why? The customer doesn't care about the assembly process, only that he's got a bunch of problems.

[catalac]

Does Malibu send out new owner satisfaction surveys? I don't think I've ever seen one, thinking it might help them improve QC.

[Jusmud]

X2

[23LSVOwner]

Does Malibu send out new owner satisfaction surveys?

Yes.

Edited September 17, 2015 by 23LSVOwner

[tjklein]

They're done 3rd party and they're terrible. It's similar to receiving junk mail.

[wakerider107]

They're done 3rd party and they're terrible. It's similar to receiving junk mail.

Is it an NMMA survey?

[Sunscape fan]

They're done 3rd party and they're terrible. It's similar to receiving junk mail.

I got one with my '14 VLX and thought it WAS junk mail...till I read it of course.

[wakebrdr94]

Mine came via email for my 2015

[Wakesetter67]

Just got mine yesterday, It's real general, Really have to look at the questions, Many did not apply to my boat! It takes about 10 minutes to fill one out!

[Hentz]

On 9/11/2015 at 2:13 PM, mallen said:

I have had my new Bu out for three weekends now, and to be clear, my overall view is "Holy Sh*t, this thing is awesome!". I love the surf wave, the new Ford engine is awesome, the cockpit is gorgeous, etc, etc, etc. But here are a few points where I believe Malibu should have done a better job with quality control, development, fit and finish, etc.

Surf Band - This is the big one. I may just have a bad unit, but band functions are very inconsistent. Works fine standing in the boat, but when surfing it is very sporadic. Easy to tell if it works or not for a surfgate transfer, but inconsistency makes the wedge and speed adjustments useless since you never know if they worked or not. Dealer has no clue how to address, but they are talking to Malibu to try to figure it out. If this is just how it will be, this thing is a Fail on Malibu's part.

Stereo: This one has been covered repeatedly on here. I think the four Icon 8s powered by the 500x2 sound great. The rest of the stereo sucks for what it cost. Underpowered cabin speakers, warranty voiding stickers that you have to pull off to discover the amp gain is set all the way to minimum, and a horrible sub box (or maybe no box at all I understand). I wish I had done a stereo delete and built my own.

Drivers seat finish: As you can see in the pic below, when you lift the bolster you are staring at where the seat cover was roughly cut to a point and stapled to the seat. It is not really finished at all. It seems like Malibu never really intended anyone to flip up the seat bolster, but we have it up the vast majority of the time (surfing). Also, the depressed area with the two large washers fills with water with no way to drain.

Interior fit: I don't have a pic of this (will add one later) but the joint where the interior foot area wall comes together on the driver's side in front of the cooler is joined very unevenly. It is the first thing you see when you sit in the cabin, and it is very noticeable. It looks like the side wall is broken and jutting out on one side. Pretty poor finish.

Tower lights went out the second day I had it (ground wire loose; easy fix) and the surf gate transfer horn stopped working last weekend.

Like I said, I absolutely love this boat. There are a lot more things about it that are awesome than there are problems. But for spending this kind of money on a new boat, I would hope not to have issues like these.

It sure has a fun surf wave though...

What is your surf set up?

[bbattiste247]

On September 17, 2015 at 10:32 PM, catalac said:

Does Malibu send out new owner satisfaction surveys? I don't think I've ever seen one, thinking it might help them improve QC.

Yes, I got one in the mail 10 months after my purchase. It may have come sooner by email, but I didn't see it. It asked a lot of questions about the boat, fit and finish, motor, stereo, etc., and then a handful of questions about my dealer's service department.

[mallen]

13 hours ago, Hentz said:

What is your surf set up?

Full MLS; PW 3 clicks from stow, 750 PNPs in rear, 600 in bow, 400 lbs Pop bags distributed through boat (1/2 in bow)

[Meatball]

It's nice to see I'm not the only one that has this problem I bought a 2015 MXZ 24 and have had quality issues from day one.  I talked to many of the Malibu reps and they always say will fix it will make it right this and that and nothing ever comes of it and I didn't spend $140,000 to have something worked on or fixed . I am currently having most of the vinyl replaced in the entire boat seats lasted about 32 hours I think is what I have on the boat. I wish I would've found this website before I bought mine it would of  changed my decision  and went with master raft or nautique!!!!!!,