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TroyBilt Garden tractor with defective Kohler engine
#1
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
I bought a TroyBilt garden tractor from Tractor Supply in Monroe, Washington last May. Used it about 10 times. From day one is started sending smoke from the Kohler motor exhaust every so often. The motor eventually smoked very bad, and the motor died. I checked the factory spark plug and the electrode was smashed down so there was no gap. I installed a new plug, but within a couple hours of use, the new plug also was smashed and the engine would not run. After a third plug and another bout of downtime, I took the mower 23 miles one way to Kohler factory authorized shop "The Mower Shop" in Seattle. It took them a month to "Fix" it under Kohler warranty. When I finally got it back, it lasted about 40 minutes and did the same thing. Smashed spark plug. I brought the mower back to The Mower Shop where it has been sitting for ten days waiting for Kohler to handle the warranty repair. In the meantime, I am now without a mower going on 6 weeks, not to mention 2 trips for plugs, and so far, 92 miles in travel back and forth to The Mower Shop, with no end in sight. Kohler delegates warranties to local repair shops and you are at their mercy. What a great way to avoid warranties, Kohler simply sends you to a repair shop and if you aren't happy with the service, Kohler just sends you back to the repair shop. Never again.
Tractor Supply will not get involved with warranties on their products.
Tractor Supply will not get involved with warranties on their products.
#2
Scrubcadet10
Scrubcadet10
The only way i can think of a plug electrode getting smashed is Piston contact... either too long of a plug is being used, or there is excess play in the wrist pin or connecting rod big end.... but you'd hear it rattling.
What is the model of the engine and what is the spark plug part number.... Also, considering the puffs of smoke....i wonder if the head gasket wasn't placed during assembly.
What is the model of the engine and what is the spark plug part number.... Also, considering the puffs of smoke....i wonder if the head gasket wasn't placed during assembly.
#3
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
The tech at The Mower Shop said that there was a piece of metal in the combustion chamber. He removed it, replaced the head gasket, tested it for a few minutes, said it ran fine, and after I ran it for a half hour the same little puffs of smoke came out, then more, then rattle and lots of smoke and engine died. Spark plug gap was zero again, just like before. Still waiting for Kohler to send a new motor to the repair shop. Almost 6 weeks now without a mower. Kohler delegates warranty work to their repair shops, so you can't even get direct information from Kohler. Not to mention that I paid $1900.00 for a mower that has been in the shop longer than it was used. Horrible customer service from Kohler.
#4
StarTech
StarTech
Sounds like a throttle or choke vane came loose and was inhaled the first time. They can do a lot damage when they do.
#5
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
I'm OK with things breaking down under warranty every so often. I'm not OK with Kohler and their policy of delegating the warranty to a third party so the manufacturer can abandon their customers.
#6
B
bertsmobile1
B
bertsmobile1
As Star said
Most of us have a Bore-O-Scope for these types of problems so we can look inside the cylinder.
Had a Kohler injest a screw from the throttle butterfly .
It bounced around inside the cylinder for ages and eventually it broke away sections of the piston .
Usually the screw will pass strait out the exhaust .
Most of us have a Bore-O-Scope for these types of problems so we can look inside the cylinder.
Had a Kohler injest a screw from the throttle butterfly .
It bounced around inside the cylinder for ages and eventually it broke away sections of the piston .
Usually the screw will pass strait out the exhaust .
#7
R
Rivets
R
Rivets
Have you contacted Kohler engine technical support directly at one of these two numbers. If not you have not, you have nothing to loose in doing so. If you do call them, have the following information on hand.
Model and Serial numbers of the tractor
All information off the Kohler ID tag, model, serial and spec numbers.
Date of purchase
All dates it has been in the shop, and everything they told you and copies of the work orders To let them know exactly what the shop did And how they handled your problem.
When you get to talk to them, remember that honey works better than vinegar. Remember you want to work with them to resolve the problem. Don’t start off with demands, they will shut you down very quickly. It’s not a bad idea to write down your concerns beforehand, so you answers to any questions they have.
It would surprise me greatly if you don‘t get some help, if your willing to put all your bad experiences out of the picture when talking to them.
+1-800-456-4537. +1-920-457-4441
Model and Serial numbers of the tractor
All information off the Kohler ID tag, model, serial and spec numbers.
Date of purchase
All dates it has been in the shop, and everything they told you and copies of the work orders To let them know exactly what the shop did And how they handled your problem.
When you get to talk to them, remember that honey works better than vinegar. Remember you want to work with them to resolve the problem. Don’t start off with demands, they will shut you down very quickly. It’s not a bad idea to write down your concerns beforehand, so you answers to any questions they have.
It would surprise me greatly if you don‘t get some help, if your willing to put all your bad experiences out of the picture when talking to them.
+1-800-456-4537. +1-920-457-4441
#8
B
bertsmobile1
You did not pay Kohler directly for the engine
The factory is Kohlers customer they wrote the cheque to Kohler not you.
You wrote a cheque to pay the mower factory for the mower so you are the mower factorys customer and it is them who have the warranty obligations with you .
That is the way the system works
As for paying $ 1900 , that is peanuts when you convert it to real currency which is hours of your labour.
So you actually paid around 120 hours ( ≈ 3 weeks ) for it .
At that price there is only a couple of hundred mark up for the dealer , a bit less for the factory and less still for the major component suppliers so the quality of the mower will be low and the quality of the after sales service will be even poorer.
To put things into perspective
My sister is still using the walk behind that dad bought in 1962 .
That mower cost him 2 months wages .
I have ride ons here that I use regularly from around the same period
The 24" Rover was over $ 1000 back then the average annual salary was $ 4000 .
Now days a garbage walk behind will cost 1 days wages and last for about the same time
A quality walk behind will cost 1 to 2 weeks wages
A junk ride on will cost about 3 weeks wages and good one 3 months wages .
In order to bring the price down low enough to meet the totally unrealistic expectations of the market the quality of everything is as low as it can possibly be made .
When Honda was making ride ons they cost the same as the bottom end 2 seater all plastic cars .
And most of these mowers have outlived the cheap & nasty Suzuki & Diahatsu cars.
Honda abandoned the ride on market and eventually the ride on mower market because people would no pay for quality and they would not put their name on trash.
People have been brainwashed that every thing they want will be cheap and get cheaper every year .
Well that does not happen without consequences and the direct consequence is the products are garbage with short service life requiring regular replacement which is destroying the planet .
I am sympathetic to your plight & I feel your frustrations but ultimately the cause is you & your reluctance to buy quality products .
B
bertsmobile1
You are not the customer .I'm OK with things breaking down under warranty every so often. I'm not OK with Kohler and their policy of delegating the warranty to a third party so the manufacturer can abandon their customers.
You did not pay Kohler directly for the engine
The factory is Kohlers customer they wrote the cheque to Kohler not you.
You wrote a cheque to pay the mower factory for the mower so you are the mower factorys customer and it is them who have the warranty obligations with you .
That is the way the system works
As for paying $ 1900 , that is peanuts when you convert it to real currency which is hours of your labour.
So you actually paid around 120 hours ( ≈ 3 weeks ) for it .
At that price there is only a couple of hundred mark up for the dealer , a bit less for the factory and less still for the major component suppliers so the quality of the mower will be low and the quality of the after sales service will be even poorer.
To put things into perspective
My sister is still using the walk behind that dad bought in 1962 .
That mower cost him 2 months wages .
I have ride ons here that I use regularly from around the same period
The 24" Rover was over $ 1000 back then the average annual salary was $ 4000 .
Now days a garbage walk behind will cost 1 days wages and last for about the same time
A quality walk behind will cost 1 to 2 weeks wages
A junk ride on will cost about 3 weeks wages and good one 3 months wages .
In order to bring the price down low enough to meet the totally unrealistic expectations of the market the quality of everything is as low as it can possibly be made .
When Honda was making ride ons they cost the same as the bottom end 2 seater all plastic cars .
And most of these mowers have outlived the cheap & nasty Suzuki & Diahatsu cars.
Honda abandoned the ride on market and eventually the ride on mower market because people would no pay for quality and they would not put their name on trash.
People have been brainwashed that every thing they want will be cheap and get cheaper every year .
Well that does not happen without consequences and the direct consequence is the products are garbage with short service life requiring regular replacement which is destroying the planet .
I am sympathetic to your plight & I feel your frustrations but ultimately the cause is you & your reluctance to buy quality products .
#9
R
Rivets
R
Rivets
HOW WARRANTY WORKS??
Customer brings a faulty unit into the appropriate authorized service center.
Customer provides appropriate information proving unit is in a warranty period.
Service Center diagnoses the problem and remedy.
Service Center contacts manufacturer of their findings and manufacture decides whether to pay or not to resolve the problem.
Service Center fixes the problem if manufacturer will cover the cost. Service Center will contact the customer if there is no coverage, explaining the reason why and asks them how they would like to proceed.
Many times I have gotten coverage, even though the manufacturer says that it is not in the warranty coverage when I can verify that the cause was out of the customers control.
What I’m seeing in this thread a Service Center who is dropping the ball in trying to help you resolve the problem. I’m willing to bet that they have not been in contact with Kohler and are handling you a line because they don’t have a clue as to what to do. If they did contact Kohler, ask them for the case number, because you want as much information as you can get before you contact Kohler. Personally I would be looking for a different repair shop.
Customer brings a faulty unit into the appropriate authorized service center.
Customer provides appropriate information proving unit is in a warranty period.
Service Center diagnoses the problem and remedy.
Service Center contacts manufacturer of their findings and manufacture decides whether to pay or not to resolve the problem.
Service Center fixes the problem if manufacturer will cover the cost. Service Center will contact the customer if there is no coverage, explaining the reason why and asks them how they would like to proceed.
Many times I have gotten coverage, even though the manufacturer says that it is not in the warranty coverage when I can verify that the cause was out of the customers control.
What I’m seeing in this thread a Service Center who is dropping the ball in trying to help you resolve the problem. I’m willing to bet that they have not been in contact with Kohler and are handling you a line because they don’t have a clue as to what to do. If they did contact Kohler, ask them for the case number, because you want as much information as you can get before you contact Kohler. Personally I would be looking for a different repair shop.
#10
I
ILENGINE
I
ILENGINE
It doesn't help the fact that the dealer distribution system for Kohler doesn't have field reps and internal tech support. All that is now handled by Kohler directly.HOW WARRANTY WORKS??
Customer brings a faulty unit into the appropriate authorized service center.
Customer provides appropriate information proving unit is in a warranty period.
Service Center diagnoses the problem and remedy.
Service Center contacts manufacturer of their findings and manufacture decides whether to pay or not to resolve the problem.
Service Center fixes the problem if manufacturer will cover the cost. Service Center will contact the customer if there is no coverage, explaining the reason why and asks them how they would like to proceed.
Many times I have gotten coverage, even though the manufacturer says that it is not in the warranty coverage when I can verify that the cause was out of the customers control.
What I’m seeing in this thread a Service Center who is dropping the ball in trying to help you resolve the problem. I’m willing to bet that they have not been in contact with Kohler and are handling you a line because they don’t have a clue as to what to do. If they did contact Kohler, ask them for the case number, because you want as much information as you can get before you contact Kohler. Personally I would be looking for a different repair shop.
#11
Scrubcadet10
Scrubcadet10
Ah yep, didn't think of that.Sounds like a throttle or choke vane came loose and was inhaled the first time. They can do a lot damage when they do.
#12
StarTech
StarTech
The last Kohler that inhale a screw I got lucky on. Still had to replace the head. The screws were steel and finally one got embedded in the piston, the other passed through. I cleaned up the damage and install two brass screws which I staked in place along with blue Loctite. If I remember correctly they are M3-0.5 X 5 pan head brass screws which are the same many Nikki carburetors used on the Kawasaki engine are here too losing screws out the carburetors.
I had few engines where screws have crushed the top ring groove which means the piston and rings have to be replaced along with the cylinder head assy.
I had few engines where screws have crushed the top ring groove which means the piston and rings have to be replaced along with the cylinder head assy.
#13
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
I purchased my TroyBilt mower at Tractor Supply in Monroe, WA in May of 2021. Tractor Supply does not do warranty work, and after 30 days they will not take the mower back OR assist with warranty issues. The engine started smoking during the first few uses, and eventually would die. I replaced the spark plug twice and the engine would run ok for a short time then die. The plug electrode would be smashed again. The mower sat for the winter, and when used again at the beginning of this season, it again smashed the plug. I took the mower to the Mower Shop, and they got it running again. The Mower Shop said there was something in the piston chamber and they cleaned it out and replaced the head gasket. The Kohler engine was defective, Kohler agreed to cover that problem under warranty. The mower was at the Mower Shop in Seattle for a month that time, and when I picked it up, it did the same thing as before after less than an hour of use. I took it back to the Mower Shop, and it has been there for another 2 weeks. The Mower Shop gave me a ticket number, #353130 and said Kohler has not sent a replacement motor. I called Kohler and Kohler sent me back to the Mower Shop. Kohler would not update me or give me any information about my mower, and their automated call center sent me to their parts center who is not part of Kohler, and they could not help me. The Mower Shop is supposedly waiting for Kohler to send a motor. I was never rude or demanding, I simply wanted the mower repaired. It's been 6 weeks and I'm in a revolving door between the repair shop (authorized by Kohler) and the engine manufacturer, Kohler. No end in sight, no mower, no refund so I can buy something else, mowing my 2/3-acre lawn with a borrowed Honda HRB215 that runs great, but takes more energy than a 69-year-old man can safely generate. Kohler doesn't have bad a bad customer service policy; they don't have one at all.
5/13/22 update. Finally got hold of Kohler service and talked to Paul. He said it could take 6 weeks to get a replacement motor to the repair shop as they produce motors for warranties as needed. My mower has been in the shop for 6 weeks already, and it could be another month just to get the parts, plus installation time. Paul said he would contact The Mower Shop in Seattle to see what is going on, but Paul never called me back.
5/13/22 update. Finally got hold of Kohler service and talked to Paul. He said it could take 6 weeks to get a replacement motor to the repair shop as they produce motors for warranties as needed. My mower has been in the shop for 6 weeks already, and it could be another month just to get the parts, plus installation time. Paul said he would contact The Mower Shop in Seattle to see what is going on, but Paul never called me back.
#14
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
The original Kohler plug got smashed after just a few uses. The motor would send out a puff of smoke every so often right from day one, then would get real bad all of a sudden and the motor would die. I was told it could be bad gas so I drained and installed new gas even though it was new gas to begin with. Installed new plugs twice with the same result. Repair shop said debris was in the piston chamber and did some "Pitting" on the piston. They took a month to "Fix" it, but on return it lasted less than an hour before doing the same thing. The Mower Shop says they are waiting for Kohler to provide a new engine....6 weeks total now and Kohler has no customer service rep. They delegate that duty to the approved repair shop....The only way i can think of a plug electrode getting smashed is Piston contact... either too long of a plug is being used, or there is excess play in the wrist pin or connecting rod big end.... but you'd hear it rattling.
What is the model of the engine and what is the spark plug part number.... Also, considering the puffs of smoke....i wonder if the head gasket wasn't placed during assembly.
#15
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
Just called the Kohler service person and spoke with Paul. I was told that it could take another month and a half for Kohler to get a replacement motor to the repair shop. Kohler motors are made in Wisconsin. According to Paul, Kohler has to produce replacement motors per order, as they do not stock replacements. That's ridiculous. This is a motor that's less than a year old. All I was ever given by the Mower Shop in Seattle was a ticket number 353130, which turned out to be the Mower Shop ticket, not a Kohler repair number. Kohler said they have no information about the ticket, and they told me to contact the Mower Shop! Bottom line...Kohler service is horrible, and they simply say it is too bad for me to not have a mower for 3 months even though it is under warranty. This is mowing season and I paid for what should have been a working mower.Have you contacted Kohler engine technical support directly at one of these two numbers. If not you have not, you have nothing to loose in doing so. If you do call them, have the following information on hand.
Model and Serial numbers of the tractor
All information off the Kohler ID tag, model, serial and spec numbers.
Date of purchase
All dates it has been in the shop, and everything they told you and copies of the work orders To let them know exactly what the shop did And how they handled your problem.
When you get to talk to them, remember that honey works better than vinegar. Remember you want to work with them to resolve the problem. Don’t start off with demands, they will shut you down very quickly. It’s not a bad idea to write down your concerns beforehand, so you answers to any questions they have.
It would surprise me greatly if you don‘t get some help, if your willing to put all your bad experiences out of the picture when talking to them.
+1-800-456-4537. +1-920-457-4441
#16
R
Rivets
R
Rivets
This thread is getting very confusing to me. To me, either your repair shop is very Incompetent and giving you a line of BS or we are missing valuable parts of the story. A repair shop that can’t find the reason a spark plugs electrode is being smashed shouldn’t be an authorized dealer. I can only think of three reasons for this to occur, wrong plug reach, debris in the cylinder or internal problem. If it’s not one of the first two, they should be tearing into the engine. Since I can’t be of more help, I’m backing out of this thread.
#17
B
bertsmobile1
YOU are not Kohlers customer and they have no warranty obligations to YOU
the MOWER factory is Kohlers customer & they have the warranty obligations with them.
You have been told how the warranty system works but prefer to ignore it .
And yes Kohler probably do not have a complete replacement engine in stock .
Modern manufacturing proceedure is "Just in Time " so production is scheduled such that the engines will come off the line & go directly onto the truck that takes them to the various factories where they come off the back of the truck and go directly into the mowers.
There is no inventory on the shop floor because that costs money so Kohler & the mower factory will at best have a days worth of production parts ( including engines ) sitting on the floor.
In many cases that means hourly deliveries .
So to give your distributor an engine for your mower means that some one else will be short an engine .
Supply contracts have big fines for failing to supply the parts in exactly the right quantities at exactly the right times .
On better quality mowers with bigger profit margins then Kohler may keep some floor stock but in most cases there is none at all because profit margins are so slim.
Kohler would be lucky to be getting a gross mark up of 10% over cost and paying overdraft fees for engines sitting on the floor will kill that in no time flat .
Find some one with a delivery contract to a manufacturer and get them to explain it to you
B
bertsmobile1
As I said before but your SOTL obviously prevented you believing it.Just called the Kohler service person and spoke with Paul. I was told that it could take another month and a half for Kohler to get a replacement motor to the repair shop. Kohler motors are made in Wisconsin. According to Paul, Kohler has to produce replacement motors per order, as they do not stock replacements. That's ridiculous. This is a motor that's less than a year old. All I was ever given by the Mower Shop in Seattle was a ticket number 353130, which turned out to be the Mower Shop ticket, not a Kohler repair number. Kohler said they have no information about the ticket, and they told me to contact the Mower Shop! Bottom line...Kohler service is horrible, and they simply say it is too bad for me to not have a mower for 3 months even though it is under warranty. This is mowing season and I paid for what should have been a working mower.
YOU are not Kohlers customer and they have no warranty obligations to YOU
the MOWER factory is Kohlers customer & they have the warranty obligations with them.
You have been told how the warranty system works but prefer to ignore it .
And yes Kohler probably do not have a complete replacement engine in stock .
Modern manufacturing proceedure is "Just in Time " so production is scheduled such that the engines will come off the line & go directly onto the truck that takes them to the various factories where they come off the back of the truck and go directly into the mowers.
There is no inventory on the shop floor because that costs money so Kohler & the mower factory will at best have a days worth of production parts ( including engines ) sitting on the floor.
In many cases that means hourly deliveries .
So to give your distributor an engine for your mower means that some one else will be short an engine .
Supply contracts have big fines for failing to supply the parts in exactly the right quantities at exactly the right times .
On better quality mowers with bigger profit margins then Kohler may keep some floor stock but in most cases there is none at all because profit margins are so slim.
Kohler would be lucky to be getting a gross mark up of 10% over cost and paying overdraft fees for engines sitting on the floor will kill that in no time flat .
Find some one with a delivery contract to a manufacturer and get them to explain it to you
#18
StarTech
StarTech
Warranties are written by lawyers so the provider has to do nothing about anything if they don't want to do.
I had my run in with Kohler too. An engine that I had called Kohler tech support about and was told the engine was under under warranty and to carry the defective ignition coils to a local to have them made. Well no local dealer would honor the warranty since they had not sold the engine to me. I ended up covering the labor and parts were installed at cost. I discuss this with ahead of the time and he agree to my terms as he was needing the ZTR mower back operating instead of playing mind games with the OEM and their dealers.
I also had problems with Briggs not honoring their new parts warranty. Basically you buy our products if defective the attitude is screw you, we don't care as we got your money.
This type of service is the same type I did for a dealer were he honored warranties out his own pocket as he couldn't even get the OEMs to honor their warranties even when he was an authorized dealer. So basically I do the same here on anything I sell. So it is just one reason that I am a repair only shop. It is just too hoops to jump thru trying to get an OEM to honor their warranty.
For this reason I never will again buy a new mower. I am lucky to know how to repair them but rather let some else go through the hassles of trying to get warranty service. Basically I buy a product knowing warranties are just worthless pieces of paper which are not honored unless they forced to. Heck I am a dealer for Sunbelt products and I can't even get them to honor their warranty to me on the parts they sold to me. It is why I am dropping their products from my shop and have gone to Stens.
At least RBI is accepting back the five Oregon spindles I recently purchased from them because they had no grease zerks. Two of them got installed before I knew they didn't have the zerks. I trusted they were right. Oh I could have disassembled them, installed zerks, and reassemble but I probably would had to installed new seals with the cost out my pocket. Nothing was wrong with the spindles if used with spindle shafts that drilled for greasing.
I had my run in with Kohler too. An engine that I had called Kohler tech support about and was told the engine was under under warranty and to carry the defective ignition coils to a local to have them made. Well no local dealer would honor the warranty since they had not sold the engine to me. I ended up covering the labor and parts were installed at cost. I discuss this with ahead of the time and he agree to my terms as he was needing the ZTR mower back operating instead of playing mind games with the OEM and their dealers.
I also had problems with Briggs not honoring their new parts warranty. Basically you buy our products if defective the attitude is screw you, we don't care as we got your money.
This type of service is the same type I did for a dealer were he honored warranties out his own pocket as he couldn't even get the OEMs to honor their warranties even when he was an authorized dealer. So basically I do the same here on anything I sell. So it is just one reason that I am a repair only shop. It is just too hoops to jump thru trying to get an OEM to honor their warranty.
For this reason I never will again buy a new mower. I am lucky to know how to repair them but rather let some else go through the hassles of trying to get warranty service. Basically I buy a product knowing warranties are just worthless pieces of paper which are not honored unless they forced to. Heck I am a dealer for Sunbelt products and I can't even get them to honor their warranty to me on the parts they sold to me. It is why I am dropping their products from my shop and have gone to Stens.
At least RBI is accepting back the five Oregon spindles I recently purchased from them because they had no grease zerks. Two of them got installed before I knew they didn't have the zerks. I trusted they were right. Oh I could have disassembled them, installed zerks, and reassemble but I probably would had to installed new seals with the cost out my pocket. Nothing was wrong with the spindles if used with spindle shafts that drilled for greasing.
#21
Scrubcadet10
Scrubcadet10
Courage is no longer made, replaced by the 5400, all issues were fixed.Kohler Courage maybe? You need Courage to own one.
#22
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
Kohler is honoring my warranty, at their time schedule. I will be without a mower for at least 2 1/2 months. Bottom line is that Kohler will get away with a bad warranty policy at my expense. Having to wait 6 weeks to obtain a WARRANTY replacement motor, after waiting a month for a "repair" that failed, is not great customer service no matter what they say. The easiest way to lose customers is to fail at customer service.
#23
I
ILENGINE
I
ILENGINE
Bud, everybody is having parts availability issues. I waited 11 months for a $6 part on a new out of the box pressure last year. Took 10 months to get a carb for a 3 year old leaf vacuum that the customer lost the use of from May of last year to this March. Kohler will get the engine to their dealer when it is available. And it will be installed per the warranty procedures by the dealer.
And the problem isn't limited to just lawnmowers. I have customers that I talk to that have waited 6 months or longer for warranty parts on their new vehicles. Everybody wants it right now mentality, and in todays reality "It isn't going to happen."
And the problem isn't limited to just lawnmowers. I have customers that I talk to that have waited 6 months or longer for warranty parts on their new vehicles. Everybody wants it right now mentality, and in todays reality "It isn't going to happen."
#24
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
I paid Tractor Supply in Monroe for the Troy-Bilt mower, but Kohler actually warrants the motor. Kohler agreed to pay for the warranty repair, but they sub warranty work to dealers. My machine will be in the shop for at least 2 1/2 months getting the warranty repair done, and I have to sit and wait for Kohler to take whatever time they want. In the meantime, I'm without a mower during the time of year I need it most. Kohler has a horrible warranty system.You are not the customer .
You did not pay Kohler directly for the engine
The factory is Kohlers customer they wrote the cheque to Kohler not you.
You wrote a cheque to pay the mower factory for the mower so you are the mower factorys customer and it is them who have the warranty obligations with you .
That is the way the system works
As for paying $ 1900 , that is peanuts when you convert it to real currency which is hours of your labour.
So you actually paid around 120 hours ( ≈ 3 weeks ) for it .
At that price there is only a couple of hundred mark up for the dealer , a bit less for the factory and less still for the major component suppliers so the quality of the mower will be low and the quality of the after sales service will be even poorer.
To put things into perspective
My sister is still using the walk behind that dad bought in 1962 .
That mower cost him 2 months wages .
I have ride ons here that I use regularly from around the same period
The 24" Rover was over $ 1000 back then the average annual salary was $ 4000 .
Now days a garbage walk behind will cost 1 days wages and last for about the same time
A quality walk behind will cost 1 to 2 weeks wages
A junk ride on will cost about 3 weeks wages and good one 3 months wages .
In order to bring the price down low enough to meet the totally unrealistic expectations of the market the quality of everything is as low as it can possibly be made .
When Honda was making ride ons they cost the same as the bottom end 2 seater all plastic cars .
And most of these mowers have outlived the cheap & nasty Suzuki & Diahatsu cars.
Honda abandoned the ride on market and eventually the ride on mower market because people would no pay for quality and they would not put their name on trash.
People have been brainwashed that every thing they want will be cheap and get cheaper every year .
Well that does not happen without consequences and the direct consequence is the products are garbage with short service life requiring regular replacement which is destroying the planet .
I am sympathetic to your plight & I feel your frustrations but ultimately the cause is you & your reluctance to buy quality products .
#25
sgkent
sgkent
well, I have been waiting a year for an Acura part. Brave new world we live in. And we thought it was stupid the old Soviets were willing to wait in lines for things.
#26
I
ILENGINE
And do you think the dealer enjoys having your mower taking up space in his work shop while Kohler supplies an engine to the dealer. I have waited for up to 6 months for warranty parts to fix mowers and the mower is unusable for the customer and I have to roll it in and out of the shop and work around it. And that was in 2000 not something that happened recently.
I
ILENGINE
Every lawnmower, lawnmower engine , car manufacturer, tractor, and implement manufacturer subs their warranty work to their authorized dealers. That is just how it works. Maybe the alternative will materialize in the future where the customer has to ship the product back to the manufacturer at their expense both ways for warranty work. For a Kohler engine that cost would be something in the neighborhood of $200.I paid Tractor Supply in Monroe for the Troy-Bilt mower, but Kohler actually warrants the motor. Kohler agreed to pay for the warranty repair, but they sub warranty work to dealers. My machine will be in the shop for at least 2 1/2 months getting the warranty repair done, and I have to sit and wait for Kohler to take whatever time they want. In the meantime, I'm without a mower during the time of year I need it most. Kohler has a horrible warranty system.
And do you think the dealer enjoys having your mower taking up space in his work shop while Kohler supplies an engine to the dealer. I have waited for up to 6 months for warranty parts to fix mowers and the mower is unusable for the customer and I have to roll it in and out of the shop and work around it. And that was in 2000 not something that happened recently.
#27
StarTech
StarTech
But everything has gotten crazy parts wise. I recently order a tool from the Husqvarna distributor it took 6 months to get it so the chainsaw had to sit in the box until I got the tool, now it awaiting me to get back to it. I cancelled an inner tube order that has been on back order for 3 months, no longer need them as I found an alternate source with TR13 instead the TR87 stems.
And the whole world of business has gone bonkers with price increases. Some of it I can control by using alternate sources, some I can't. I just have pass things along when they cost more.
I am about to go bonkers myself. I kick out a customer this week (not physically, but verbally) that tried to tell me how long it takes to do the repairs. I wrote five of labor just to get rid of him. I had put with his penny pinching nitpicking ways for over an year. That makes the third customer to get barred this year. Customers just don't think about the pressure we are under currently with trying to get parts and dealing with pushy customers.
And the whole world of business has gone bonkers with price increases. Some of it I can control by using alternate sources, some I can't. I just have pass things along when they cost more.
I am about to go bonkers myself. I kick out a customer this week (not physically, but verbally) that tried to tell me how long it takes to do the repairs. I wrote five of labor just to get rid of him. I had put with his penny pinching nitpicking ways for over an year. That makes the third customer to get barred this year. Customers just don't think about the pressure we are under currently with trying to get parts and dealing with pushy customers.
#28
Hammermechanicman
Hammermechanicman
I have had customers question some bills lately. I tell them the truth about the parts and it is what it is. Some of the older folks have a hard time paying over $100 to fix a push mower. I get miffed when i place an order with etrailer and everthing says in stock and 10 days later i get an email some stuff out of stock so i change some items to some that are supposedly in stock and an hour later get an email one of those items is backordered at least 30 days. Finally got a very nice and helpful person on the phone and she helped me find out what was really in stock and get my order. Meanwhile customer waiting over a month for me to fix his trailer.
#29
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
S
Seattle Troy-Built with K
You are not the customer .
You did not pay Kohler directly for the engine
The factory is Kohlers customer they wrote the cheque to Kohler not you.
You wrote a cheque to pay the mower factory for the mower so you are the mower factorys customer and it is them who have the warranty obligations with you .
That is the way the system works
As for paying $ 1900 , that is peanuts when you convert it to real currency which is hours of your labour.
So you actually paid around 120 hours ( ≈ 3 weeks ) for it .
At that price there is only a couple of hundred mark up for the dealer , a bit less for the factory and less still for the major component suppliers so the quality of the mower will be low and the quality of the after sales service will be even poorer.
To put things into perspective
My sister is still using the walk behind that dad bought in 1962 .
That mower cost him 2 months wages .
I have ride ons here that I use regularly from around the same period
The 24" Rover was over $ 1000 back then the average annual salary was $ 4000 .
Now days a garbage walk behind will cost 1 days wages and last for about the same time
A quality walk behind will cost 1 to 2 weeks wages
A junk ride on will cost about 3 weeks wages and good one 3 months wages .
In order to bring the price down low enough to meet the totally unrealistic expectations of the market the quality of everything is as low as it can possibly be made .
When Honda was making ride ons they cost the same as the bottom end 2 seater all plastic cars .
And most of these mowers have outlived the cheap & nasty Suzuki & Diahatsu cars.
Honda abandoned the ride on market and eventually the ride on mower market because people would no pay for quality and they would not put their name on trash.
People have been brainwashed that every thing they want will be cheap and get cheaper every year .
Well that does not happen without consequences and the direct consequence is the products are garbage with short service life requiring regular replacement which is destroying the planet .
I am sympathetic to your plight & I feel your frustrations but ultimately the cause is you & your reluctance to buy quality products .