So I picked up my new gth24v52ls with the Kawasaki engine in it on May 30. Filled it up on the way home. Cut grass fine for 2 weeks. The third week it just up and quit. No sputtering or anything. Fooled around for about an hour and it started back up. Ran fine for about 5 minutes and quit again. Got it going again and quit after another 5 minutes or so. Called the dealer and took it back. It only had about 7 hours on it. Stored in the garage. Reputable fuel station with lots of turn over so the fuel shouldn't have been an issue.
Call the dealer and he says is was bad fuel, carb was all gummed up and watering the fuel and it is yellow. I said fuel doesn't go bad in 3 weeks. So I go in and get a bill for $150. I also brought in my fuel to compare them to. My fuel out of my gas can is on the right, the gas out of my mower is on the left. They couldn't look more different. So I ask since my fuel from my can is clean couldn't the fuel that they put in it be the cause of it?
I got looking around and looked at the serial number and got to wondering if it was last years model? Can anyone verify this for me? Thanks.
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#2
Wildcat
Are you asking if the fuel that was in the mower when you bought it was bad? I have to say maybe. It's hard to judge how long fuel sits in those mowers. I've notice that some places only put in a splash of fuel just to move them around or for the customer to start it and hear it run.
What I would do, and it maybe hard to do, go to the gas station and tell them that their fuel gummed up your carb on your mower and present them with the bill. I doubt you will get anywhere with it but its worth a shot.
I'm trying to make sure that it is in fact a 2014. The first part of the model number is 050213 which maybe it was built on May 2 2013. It is the only thing date wise on the machine that makes sense. They never said it was a previous model. I can't see my gas as being bad enough to gum up a carb in 3 weeks when the gas in the can is the same stuff that is in the tank.
I guess I'll call husqvarna and see if they will do anything. Talking to the dealer owner got me no where. When I showed him the fuel out of my gas can all he could do is shrug his shoulders.
them fuel colors is tellin me something was added to the fuel at the dealer. if the dealer owner just shrugged his shoulders, id think about finding anew dealer.
I'll never step foot in that dealer again, I bought from a dealer I hopes of better service only to have this crap happen.
#9
pugaltitude
I can see it from both sides being a machinery dealer.
The dealer and manufacturer didnt put the fuel in so they cant be held responsible.
If the dealer changes the fuel and it fixes the problem then its a fuel quality problem which can either be from the customers supply or the supply where the customer buys it.
Being a dealer and one of my customers does have this problem then i will probably repair foc but thats only because i sell at full rrp to cover this if it happens.
I dont want to lose a customer over a simple problem.
The same way a customer can buy a new push mower run it once, and then won't start , and the customer stands next to me while I drain half a tank of water. Or the lady that had me test the fuel in her five fuel cans, and find E10 in all five, but the riding mower has E85. or the customer that says they just purchased that fuel yesterday, at the same time they filled up the tank on their car, and won't ignite even with a propane torch.
Different storage environments can have drastic effects on fuel.
We'll I had no real choice. Pay the bill or they keep the mower. I'll have to wait and see what husqvarna says. Then maybe I'll try the gas station.
#14
Nwatson99
Did you take the fuel out of your tank or did the dealer?
Also if the dealer bottled the fuel from your tank was your standing there watching it?
How much gas did you mower have in it when you left the dealership?
From what you have posted I have to agree with Cars, this smells fishy.
When it quit the first time I topped it up with the gas can. So it was full. I dropped it off just before closing so they didn't look at it till the next day. They gave it back with about 1 gallon in it. Gas cannot go that bad to gel and plug a carb in 24 days. It may go stale, have a reduction in quality but not that bad to plug up a carb and require several flushes as it "just kept coming out with crap". It will be interesting as to what husky says.
I have to agree with Carscw here, the dealer ripped you off. The big box store would of given you a new mower.
#17
Fish
One big flag on the play, is to see folks put fuel in non approved containers. Did the dealer do this?
If they do this as a practice, then they are sabatoging the stuff that they are servicing. Leave that gas in those bottles for just a
few minutes, the gas will have dissolved a bit of that plastic, which when or if used in any engine will do harm to it.
I called husqvarna and they didn't care, told me to call Kawasaki. Called Kawasaki, they had nothing to say either. So lesson learned I guess. So much for customer service. I won't be buying anything husqvarna related anymore. I really was looking for a place that I could buy all my small engine stuff from. I guess I'll be getting a stihl saw for my next purchase.
#19
Fish
So you are ignoring my post? So we can assume that you are the one using gas stored in odd plastic containers? Is that why
you let it all drop?
I'm storing gas in proper, sealed containers. If the owner of the business doesn't care, husqvarna doesn't care or Kawasaki, what else am I to do? It's not like its a great deal of money. I was just hoping for something other than " it's your fuel that is bad, not our problem" when I proved them wrong. If they don't care about new customers and keeping them. Then I'll go elsewhere. There are other dealers closer that I can go to. They as well don't have the best reputation. I spend more on gas and wasting a day to go and fight a losing battle. They don't care. They got some vids up on YouTube that I'll maybe comment on. Hopefully to lose them some business. That's about all I can do at this point.
#21
Carscw
So did you know you was buying a 2013 model or did you think it was a 2014 model?
No I thought it was a 2014. I priced several units and he was clear on the zero turns that they were last years model. Didn't say anything about these being last years models.
No I thought it was a 2014. I priced several units and he was clear on the zero turns that they were last years model. Didn't say anything about these being last years models.
