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View Full Version : Make Sure you fill out the Warranty Card...



mbrown2
03-23-2005, 01:43 PM
Short Story...I purchased an 04 Malibu used last year around 4th of July....boat ran great, and it slipped my mind to do a compression test and to send in the warranty transfer card and $200 to Indmar within 60 days of purchase....It is a 383 Hammerhead motor making 385Hp off the 6.2 block with the Stroker kit...Comp is 9.7 to 1
Ask Tyson Ross to drop off at Eddie Marine in Parker for a Service....Eddie (who has been great btw) does compression check and finds cyl's 1 and 8 low...Valves are tuliping...
Indmar will not cover under warranty, so I have to....oh well, got to luv boats...
Just remember to send in the warranty card....$200 could have saved $1300 to $1500...
Good thing we have a backup boat...a couple weeks down sux. :boxed:

Jordy
03-23-2005, 01:45 PM
Man that sucks. :eek: :(

HCS
03-23-2005, 03:15 PM
That does suck! How many hours are on it?
I always thought those were pretty much bullet proof.

dicudmore
03-23-2005, 03:16 PM
that definitely sucks :cry:

racecar.hotshoe
03-23-2005, 03:20 PM
I could say a few things about that eng company but I wont...... :yuk:

mbrown2
03-23-2005, 04:04 PM
That does suck! How many hours are on it?
I always thought those were pretty much bullet proof.
100Hrs...They normally are bullet proof....but the Hammer Head would be somewhere along the lines of a Merc Blue Scorpion Motor....tweaked for max hp...and when you run these things in boat and load a 1000+ pounds of ballast and 10 people and try and pull a boarder or surfer it is really pushing the motor the same way as a hi-po boat would push the limits of a hi-po motor...

Jrocket
03-23-2005, 04:11 PM
Mike,not to sound negative but the one time that I went to Eddie for some work I thought he was a crook.I'll fill you in one day at the river about it but a second look at your boat would be worth it.My opinion only though.
Thats BS about the warranty card deal.They should see the date of manufacture and help you out!

WaTchTheGelCoat
03-23-2005, 04:12 PM
That's to bad, your backup boat really sux! lol :D

HCS
03-23-2005, 04:19 PM
Mike,not to sound negative but the one time that I went to Eddie for some work I thought he was a crook.I'll fill you in one day at the river about it but a second look at your boat would be worth it.My opinion only though.
Thats BS about the warranty card deal.They should see the date of manufacture and help you out!
The card thing does sound like a cop out. You'd think the motor is either covered or it isn't.
I'd think they'd go buy the factory warranty, card or not.
That figures though. Anything to get out of a repair.

HCS
03-23-2005, 04:22 PM
Another thing. Tell them you sent the stinking card in and they must have lost it.
Ask them if their bimbo receptionist is blond. :D

mbrown2
03-23-2005, 04:26 PM
Mike,not to sound negative but the one time that I went to Eddie for some work I thought he was a crook.I'll fill you in one day at the river about it but a second look at your boat would be worth it.My opinion only though.
Thats BS about the warranty card deal.They should see the date of manufacture and help you out!
Thanks for the info...from the conversations at this point, it sounds on the up and up.....and when I am fully loaded with water, I felt I did not have complete power at the end of last season, so that is why I wanted the compression and leak down test.....Then I had a heart to heart with Eddie and he was more then vocal about taking it somewhere else if I was not comfortable with what he was telling me....PM with anything that might change my current view....he has done nothing yet, and I feel comfortable at this point. He is authorized Indmar and so is Alco and he will Warranty it for a year...

Jrocket
03-23-2005, 05:38 PM
Thanks for the info...from the conversations at this point, it sounds on the up and up.....and when I am fully loaded with water, I felt I did not have complete power at the end of last season, so that is why I wanted the compression and leak down test.....Then I had a heart to heart with Eddie and he was more then vocal about taking it somewhere else if I was not comfortable with what he was telling me....PM with anything that might change my current view....he has done nothing yet, and I feel comfortable at this point. He is authorized Indmar and so is Alco and he will Warranty it for a year...
My situation involved an outrageous price for repair.A different situation than yours but still not right in my book.I'd get a second look at it just to be sure,but if you've had good dealings with Eddie and feel ok with what he says then get-r-done.If the motor is bad then they should step up and warranty it,card or not.Are they going to replace the heads or rebuild them.

HCS
03-23-2005, 10:26 PM
So are Indmar engines inferior for what they where design to do?

mbrown2
03-23-2005, 10:31 PM
So are Indmar engines inferior for what they where design to do?
I don't know...I frequent some of the Wakeboard sites and I hear more positive then bad....most folks running the Hammerhead have not had any issues in several years, but one guy I know has had two replaced...Most of the Indmar threads have been positive...maybe just my engine or bad river gas...

HCS
03-23-2005, 10:53 PM
Since I have not takin the time to research.
What would cause valves to tulip?
Would it be an octane problem?
Or could in be engine over load or heat?
Just seems to be low hours to have that problem. :coffeycup

mbrown2
03-23-2005, 10:57 PM
Don't know temps have never showed a problem..always used 91 even though they spec 92 (I don't have 92 near me)......also power loss would only be felt if I was loaded down with 1000+lbs of ballast with 6+ people in the boat pulling a wakeboarder with the wedge down....I would have a tough time getting them up...and I thought it should pull stumps out even with all that weight..I will mix a little higher octane with 91 in the future...
Since I have not takin the time to research.
What would cause valves to tulip?
Would it be an octane problem?
Or could in be engine over load or heat?
Just seems to be low hours to have that problem. :coffeycup

HCS
03-23-2005, 11:12 PM
I would like to here an engine builders opinion.
Sounds like a heavy load on a high output motor.
I don't load my boat down like that for obvious reasons.
I have a ski boat. :rolleyes:
Maybe a speed run between tows would be healthy.http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/dday/umm.gif

mbrown2
04-19-2005, 11:39 PM
Update:
Another lesson learned....do compression and leak down prior to buying any boat... :rolleyes:
Heads were torn down to find that they had a crack...would not be covered under warranty (another funny story...not caused by stress)...
Anyway, Heads have been freshened with new valve and valve seats, full tune up for the season, and I getting out for under 2K.....Not the way I like to start the season, but I am glad to just be refreshing aluminum heads versus toasting something mid season and rebuilding a lot more. BTW...Eddies Marine in Parker has been a pleasure to deal with. The boat has been there less than 30 days, they diagnosed it, they tore it apart, heads shipped to Machine Shop, Heads freshened, everything put back together, boat turned up and they made sure the boat got to Ron's Custom Detail today in Havasu to get detailed by the weekend. Hopefully, the boat should have a little more pep in her step this season.. :D

BoatPI
04-20-2005, 01:29 AM
Depending on what State you purchased the boat in you may be in luck. In CA we have consumer laws that work off of the date of boat sale, forget the warranty card. The laws are under the Business and Professions code. So if you are within one year of the purchase date with the boat, perhaps you need to speak to them and provide documentation directly so it is clear of the original in service date. And in most cases ANY warranty work done extends the warranty period for the out of service dates by same days in the shop.