So if your pants come unzipped are you going to sue The Gap? Levis? You are supposed to check these things. You should have checked them the DAY YOU GOT YOUR QUAD HOME!! No excuses. Read your owners manual. Most of the time I do make sure my pants are zipped. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

And for the person that came down on littlebill I think. These are ATV's but I've never seen a Honda ad advertising a quad going through fender high water. If I missed it then please show me. Different story on the ATV shows.

But I also agree with the last comments, change the oil a few times (4-5 even, not that costly) and you'll be find. When you took it to Honda you screwed yourself. Now your in the computer DB for 1) having a quad that went into to deep water and 2) you got water in the oil. If it's like the car dealers everyone in the country knows it now when they enter the VIN. I would forget any more warranty work from Honda.

Sorry about your quad though.

 

i have on 05 rancher. i went over mine after bringing it home just to locate everything and look it over. i found the left front brake bleeder loose and leaking fluid and two clamps on my intake pipe going into the air box very loose they just pulled apart by hand. i also checked the oil and fill plug as well as the head pipe bolts and heat shields just to name a few things. i think i would have be upset with the dealer also if mine had taken on water b/c of the loose clamps, and if i have sucked water into the brakes or just lost pressure. but i found them first before anything happened luckly. It seems to me that the $150-$200 i paided for setup fees should be for more than bolting on the wheels and putting in alittle gas and oil. just my .02
Tynes

 

robnhouston,
I did not mean to come off as " coming down on Little bill" It just aggravated me. He said he was tire deep, not fender deep in water. IT was his first post and he was here wanting help not a butt chewing. I aggree you pay a setup fee and dock fee for a reason, He should have checked/caught it but the problem should never have existed, no exceptions or excuses. So the dealership is partially responsible as I said. If he has to take legal action to get some share in the cost so be it. IT is not like he is going to sue honda for millions. The dealership screwed up. Hondas are bullitproof, but can not operate correctly if not put together right. That is what I am saying.

Spenced, as the others have said hondas are tough it should be good to go!

 

I work at a dealership and I can tell you that the dealership has to account for the responability here.You paid a set-up or prep fee and this type of thing should NOT have happened at 54 miles.Somebody at the dealership did not do their prep work correctly and it IS their responsability.If the dealership does an oil change on your quad and forgets to snug down the oil drain bolt and it comes loose and seizes your engine as a result of their neglect,its their problem,not yours.It is NOT your responsability to crawl under your quad when you get it home to make sure that the Dealership tightened down the oil drain bolt after you PAID them for an oil change.Just the same,its not your responsability to ensure that they made sure the oil cap was on when you PAID them for a set-up or prep inspection,its part of THEIR job and at 54 miles,THEY ARE responsable.

You paid your set-up fee and somebody at the dealership did'nt make sure your oil filler cap was on all the way when [or IF] they topped off the oil level..There is a PDI[PRE DELEIVERY INSPECTION] sheet that the dealership has to perform,he appearently did'nt PDI your quad correctly? I dont blame you and I'd threaten a lawsuit also if they dont make it right with you.

 

Muddy, I would take my business to your dealership.

 

Bill if you work at a dealership then you know as well as I do that the prep charges and such are just another way of generating cash for the dealerships. It's always added. Can I buy a quad in the crate and forgo the charge. No...then why the add on in price. Either sell me the crate of if you have to put it together then do it without a charge. My Suzuki dealer insisted that if I didn't bring the KQ back in a month or so for the $100 check up the warranty would be voided. I asked where is that in the written warranty? Go buy a new car and there is an add on for an advertising fee. WTH? Maybe I just drove by...didn't see it on TV or in the paper....but I digress.

If you go to a jiffy lube and your car dies in 5 miles then I say you have a complaint. In this case it's been 5 months, 54 miles. What if it was 10 months and 54 miles. What if it was 1 month and 300 miles. Really no difference. Then there is what 25? 26" of water the quad is sitting in (top of tire), not the splash through a creek but sitting still in water. Some things water proof, some water resistant. So some dude comes into your dealership and says his new quad was sitting in 2 feet of water for 10 minutes not counting the trip in and out and now it won't start and he wants you to fix it for free? I don't think so. If he threatens a law suit you'd say go for it man, warrranty VOIDED by going through the high water.

Spenced asked if we agree so I'm tell him that I don't really agree. If you going to own anything mechanical then you should learn more about the mechanical aspects of the vehicle, especially an off road machine. Harsh? Maybe, probably so but pulling out the "law suit" card right off the bat for something a 2 minute check could have fixed gets my goat. Wonder if Spenced even took the time to read the owners manaual and knew where the cap is? Put it in the bathroom and read it, you'll be surprised the information stored in that little book.

Tip to those about to take a quad (or anything) back to the dealership for warranty work. Change the oil...for peet's sake CHECK THE OIL. Remove the powder burns. Wipe off any DNA you left from the crash. Wash brown stains off the seat that happened just before the "warranty problem" Wash it, dry it out. REMOVE YOUR HOMEMADE DEEP WATER SNORKEL!!!!! AND KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. What happened...dunno, just broke. You just might get away with it. And if you bring in a Z400 with a bent axle, they probably already know you were doing some jumping, just don't mention you were jumping over your buddies garage. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Your turn muddy, where it the fighter I knew back in the Suzuki forum. Don't make me mention Polaris!! hehe [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] You've been well I hope?

Rob

 

i agree wholeheartly with Rob, i think we could have been brothers

 

So spence . Did you get the fluids flushed out and the quad running yet.

 

I want to thank all of you for the great responses! I bought my bike because I needed transportation to the duck hole. I'm not mechanical in the least nor do I get much opportunity to ride ATVs. I knew I would get some good info on the board from guys with much more experience than me.

The dealer that sold me the bike is 4 hours away. I approached him with my problem and he is taking full responsibility, without arguement. I'm going to take the bike to him to be fixed. Regardless of what anyone thinks about my situtation, I can say that it makes me feel good to see a business step up like this dealership has done. I work with many vendors in my line of work and I am often disappointed. This particular Honda dealership took care of me when I bought the bike and are now taking care of me in this crisis. In return, all of my future business will go to them and I will higly recommend them to anyone that asks.

Again, thanks to everyone that posted. Most of the comments were helpful and positive, even if they disagreed with me. Hopefully my problem is solved. One question that I still have is should I keep the bike once it is fixed. The first service manager I spoke to said the Rincon was a bad choice for riding in water but the service manager at the dealership that sold me the bike says that the Rincon is as good of a choice as the Foreman or Rubicon. I would be interested in what the board has to say.

 

It has been my experience that the Rincon is great machine but designed more toward the sport rider.Two members of my club HAD them....A rough day of riding caused some front suspension damage.(not much protection) It is in my opinion that the Rincon is a bit light duty for the rough service you may be exposing the machine to.You may want to look at a foreman 450....o4 model has a sturdy front grill and is air cooled so you can avoid the mud plugged radiator issue.it is still available from Honda. We have a half dozen older Rubicons in the club and they have been fine.But all the guys tend to the radiators.I have a 450es foreman and it has been decent with the 26inch 589s and c-series type 4s.All the Hondas NEED the big tire kits in the mud and swamps more so than some of the other brands due to the 3 wheel drive.Swamp riding will necessitate more frequent maint. and the close observation of contaminated engine oils /diff oil/inspection of braking systems wheel bearings/cv joints etc. Swamp /mud running is amusing but has its unavoidable attrition on pieces and parts.