Here's a situation that I never thought I would find myself in. Last fall I brought my 2000 Polaris Xpedition 425cc into the dealership to have them do some work under a Polaris recall. The recall said that screws could back out of the clutch and cause the motor to stop spinning, obviously I brought the quad in right away. The dealership finished the work in October of last year and I only put about 10 miles on it before I stored it for the winter. This spring I took the quad out for a ride and put another 10 miles on it, then my problems started. While I was giving my daughter a ride and idling through a field the motor siezed up. I checked the oil right away and sure enough it was full to the top. The motor would not turn over at all. I brought the quad back into the dealership and they determined that the camshaft froze in the head, they were unsure of the cause. They wanted $2400 to fix it! I asked them if they checked the oil pump to see if it was bad and they replied that they didn't. I was not happy with the price or the fact that they didn't care what caused it, they just wanted their money. So I took the quad and decided to bolt up the new parts with the help of a reputable mechanic that I knew. Well $1000 and a month later we finished bolting up the new parts and decided to check the oil pressure before we started it. Well the oil pressure was extremely low. So we decided to pull the side cover off of the motor and couldn't believe our eyes when we found a paper shop towel in the case! The towel had disintegrated and pieces had been pulled into the oil pump and distributed throughout the motor clogging the oil lines. It was then that we realized the dealership had left the rag in the case when they performed the recall work last fall. This was the only time that the side cover had been removed, the quad had only 1200 miles on it. What should I do at this point? I contacted the dealership and they told me to bring the quad in. Should I take pictures to document the problem before I give them the quad? I'm concerned that they'll say their not responsible and it will be my word against theirs, they don't have a great reputation in our community but they are the only dealership within a hour drive. Should I contact Polaris direct? At this point I have a new head assy due the work we did and the parts we bought but I'm sure the lower end is bad due running with low oil pressure. At a minimum the case needs to be split and all of the components cleaned to get the bits of rag out of the oil ports. Help! Do I ask for a new engine? Do I need a Lawyer involved before I bring the quad back? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Take pictures (not digital) and take the quad back to the dealer. Before you get Polaris involved, you should try to be reasonable and give them an opportunity to correct their mistake. If you don't get satisfaction, call Polaris.

 

Absolutely deatail and document everythign you found in writing and with many, many, detailed pictures. Then contact Polaris. Make sure you document times, names, and what was said.

Then take all this to the Dealer and present them witht heinformation. Demand a new motor. If they balk, inform them that a lawyer will be making contact with them shortly (although if they have a bad reputation, they are proabably used to being contacted by lawyers).

Try the honey approach first, then go for the shotgun method.

 

Obie I agree with everything that has been posted. Get a affidavit from the other people that saw the rag when it was opened up , and yes the more documentation the better along with 35mm photos. Small claims court is capped at 5k. I have been an Insurance adjuster for 19 years here in Ga.My Company,s policy is if we can't proove it didn't happen in court "pay the claim". They should make it good.

 

Hey Obie-
Sorry to hear about the dealrship work. Like everyone else said take pictures and document everything that happend...Including the cost for parts that you put in it for the camshaft and everythign else. If you do get your new motor and that is all you asked for you will still be out a grand. The motor failure was the dealerships fault make them pay for everything...hope everything works out for you

Friesen

 

Obie12552,

At this point I would demand a new motor. You have no idea how extensive that damage to the engine might have been. You could get lucky and the engine might run fine for a year and a half after the repair, just long enough to go off warranty, and then have the engine fail as a result of some part that had execessive wear due to lack of oil.

This was a dealer error all the way. They made an honest mistake while doing warranty work and the mistake resulted in a destroyed engine. I am sure Polaris (the company) will stand behind you. Mistakes do happen...its how a company comes forward and remedies them that differentiates a mediocre company from an outstanding company. Keep us informed and let us know what Polaris does for you.

 

Dbeck is even gettin in on this one...Take his advise if you dont take anyone else's lol

TTT

 

Well I just had my first meeting with the owner of the company. Although, we're far from finding a resolution to the problem the owner did seem like he was willing to take responsibility for the mistake. I took the advice of many of you and documented all interaction with the dealership over the last year, along with receipts and 8 1/2X11 photographs of the rag in the case. By the way, I did get a sample of the shop rags used by the dealership, they are the same as the rag in the motor. I should hear back from him in the next couple of days, I'll keep you posted on what they propose for a fix.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]Was it a BOUNTY? the quicker fix-erupper. Sorry couldn't help myself[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]. Good luck. I would want a new motor.

 

LOL....or in this case the "quicker ripper upper"!