Is the Kohler Courage really that bad?

tom3

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And the current 10 year warranties on Chinese refrigeration equipment. Read the fine print and it's on the compressor only, all else is a one year coverage. And a lot of the one year warranties is a replacement, keep the old junk, nobody wants it and the stuff is too cheap to pay for a repair anyway.
 

Hammermechanicman

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Most warranties today are not worth the paper it is printed on. I install a lot of audio/visual equipment and for the most part unless you can get the distributor to do a warranty exchange and then they fight with the mfgr you get told to send it to china on your dime so they can inspect it. When i do a sound system install or a projection system install i give a 1 year warranty. I have to build in enough profit to cover the possibility of replacing a piece of equipment on my dime within a year. Sometimes ya win and sometimes ya lose. I tend to not cater to folks who want the cheapest of everything. I focus more on the folks who are willing pay a bit more for quality. Just yesterday a guy actually tipped me $10 over what i charged him to fix his chainsaw because i turned it around the same day and did a through cleaning job on it. He said dealer is always at least a week to get it back as dirty as he took it in plus i actually warranty my work.
 

upupandaway

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...you get told to send it to china on your dime so they can inspect it. ....
That's why i am afraid if\when sears goes bye bye. Lowes won't do a swap so you would have to mail the tool to Stanley for replacement. I know because i had a broken Stanley tool and that is the lifetime warranty they offer.
 

Hammermechanicman

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I hate to say it but about the best place i have had no questions asked warranty replacement is Harbor Freight. I don't break a lot of tools but HF has never hassled me.
 

Rivets

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I think that most people don’t realize that you get what you pay for and very seldom read the owner’s manual. A lot of DYI individuals feel that if they yell loud enough and try to embarrass a company or product, they will succeed in getting what they want. I have found out over the last fifty years that this is just the opposite of what to do. Most of the time a little sugar and honey works the best for me. I have gotten short blocks and even complete engines free, even two years out of “warranty “, because I’m able to show that I and the customer are willIng to work with the company to resolve a problem. That being said, I’ve also backed the company when a customer is trying to pull a fast one on the both of us. Some companies are very easy to work with and others are a real pain, which is the reason I recommend one over the other. Bottom line is pieces of paper that say warranty, coverage, limited liability, are just that, pieces of paper that companys use to CYA. How the consumer uses this piece of paper will dictate the outcome. Finally, the internet has not helped, because everyone assumes and takes what they read as absolute truth what they read applies to every situation and problem. They forget when they ASSUME, they must break it down to a three word phrase.
 
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Hammermechanicman

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Finally, the internet has not helped, because everyone assumes takes what they read as absolute truth
Fer sure. I bet some people actually believe the stuff i spew on this forum and think i actually know something about small engines when in reality i am a 13 year old girl named tiffany who is trolling you guys on this forum while i am waiting on my favorite social media influencer to post on Instagram again. ?
 

StarTech

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Fer sure. I bet some people actually believe the stuff i spew on this forum and think i actually know something about small engines when in reality i am a 13 year old girl named tiffany who is trolling you guys on this forum while i am waiting on my favorite social media influencer to post on Instagram again. ?
Well Hello Tiffany I am Daisy Emu and am 6 years old.:ROFLMAO:
 

robertcladner50

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I think that most people don’t realize that you get what you pay for and very seldom read the owner’s manual. A lot of DYI individuals feel that if they yell loud enough and try to embarrass a company or product, they will succeed in getting what they want. I have found out over the last fifty years that this is just the opposite of what to do. Most of the time a little sugar and honey works the best for me. I have gotten short blocks and even complete engines free, even two years out of “warranty “, because I’m able to show that I and the customer are willIng to work with the company to resolve a problem. That being said, I’ve also backed the company when a customer is trying to pull a fast one on the both of us. Some companies are very easy to work with and others are a real pain, which is the reason I recommend one over the other. Bottom line is pieces of paper that say warranty, coverage, limited liability, are just that, pieces of paper that companys use to CYA. How the consumer uses this piece of paper will dictate the outcome. Finally, the internet has not helped, because everyone assumes and takes what they read as absolute truth what they read applies to every situation and problem. They forget when they ASSUME, they must break it down to a three word phrase.
I would like to hear from owners of the Kohler Courage engine about the reliability of this engine.I will start off by saying I have the 20 hp single with 120 hrs and no problems.
 

tom3

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I don't have one of those motors, and for sure - now - I never will. But for the bigger HP machines I want a twin, just because. A Kohler Courage and a Tuff Torq transaxle, now there's a recipe for disaster.
 

EatPreyMow

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Mine's an 2009 SV590S with 160 hours. Still runs strong. I retorqued and loc-tited the case bolts which I found were loose in 2015. I also set valve lash every two or three years.
Routine maintenance includes oil and filter changes once per year and regular cleaning of the cooling fins and air pre-filter. After mowing I always run the engine for a few minutes without the blades engaged to cool it down, then throttle it down for a few seconds before turning it off which avoids backfires.

It's been a great engine for me. Relatively smooth for a one banger, fuel efficient, and easy to start. From what I hear the balancer on my Courage could self destruct at any time, so my opinion of the engine could soon be readjusted.
 
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