Don’t buy Yamaha!

[PatrickKolby]

I had issues with my 2021 212SE but I fixed most of them myself without getting the dealer involved. I did have the dealer create a due bill for a couple items before delivery. Guess what? Those due bill items finally came in this week!! It took more than a year and a half but I expected that due to supply shortages.

 

[Beachbummer]

Sadly your experience is not uncommon. Warranty Service for boats is more similar to RVs and freshly built homes, where time is a forgotten factor in the elements at play. There is not much competition or contract pressures in this area, I do not know how to make it better, but I tell you that I find it a lopsided game where the warranties are promises to repair, but they don't say when. Essentially making new boat warranties, if not worthless, certainly worth quite a bit less than hard cash that could be used to repair the boat.

This was a issue even before Covid, but now it has been aggravated by it.

The alternative is to buy a gently used shaken up boat that generally will have these things already resolved, but there is a risk of new things coming up that will need repair out of pocket. It's a risk many take on purpose. Doesn't help you much know, but perhaps provides a thought opportunity to those buying new in the future (and/or enough dissatisfaction to cause a shift in the market to improve things)

Sorry you had to find out this way, Warranty services can indeed suck, and you have no real recourse, but if it serves any consolation, many other brands have similar issues with a diminished value of your time once you and your money have parted ways. Now you know. Not quite a secret, but certainly many are unaware.

 

[adrianp89]

A bit of an over reaction by the OP. Shit goes bad and COVID Shortages make things worse. There is almost nothing that compares to the Yamahas. I had a lemon and had to sue Yamaha, but now own two other Yamahas.

 

[Manny252]

Right now is a bad time for just about anything! My wife and I were so disappointed from our dealer as well, but this has been the perfect storm since COVID. Bottom line is we wanted a boat, we took the risk of buying used when our 2021 order was canceled. Yes, that sucks that new boat has issues, but under the circumstances we all have to be patient with what is going on. I thought about writing a bad review on the dealership, but decided against it because of what is going on. People are sick, people are out of jobs, everyone is stressed out. I agree I would not write off a brand because of this. I have a house full of Yamaha musical products, I’ve had a Yamaha motorcycle, now a boat. For the money I don’t think there is anything out there to compare to, I looked and to get more for the money you are looking at 30-40k more. I’ve had lots of problems with my 2019, but we are loving it for what it is and will continue to enjoy it. Really sorry you are having a bad experience. I would for sure sell it, because you are not going to be happy with this boat. If you are not happy with it, no need to keep it. I look with pride every time I pass our boat corral and see our boat! We love it!

Well said ! Great boat for the money and fun tweeking her as well. Part of boating anyway. Enjoy it. Life it to short !

 

[Gatorman664]

He took it to the dealer and they said that it was a bad GPS puck and he continued to use the boat the rest of the year. Should he have crawled around to see if there were more issues or take the word of a Yamaha dealership? They've had his boat for months and hasn't received an update from the dealer or Yamaha, so is your suggestion to go get his boat back that is still under warranty I assume and fix the problem his self? Sorry Yamaha customer service and a lot of their dealers suck. I don't care if you own a value boat or a top of the line boat, shouldn't you expect the same customer service? Also Yamaha may be considered a value boat by some people, but they aren't priced like a value boat anymore. Maybe I'm just different and expect a company to stand behind their product.

Ripler, you’re exactly right. Good customer service is what companies used to strive for, now, once they get your money, hasta la vista! I could do without the map or speed, but the amount of fuel is kinda important. And, honestly, why should I have to do without, when it is a brand new boat and the connext hasn’t worked correctly from the start. Neither of them have been blowing up my phone trying to get the issue corrected. The dealer is a joke, but I expected a little more from Yamaha!

 

[RobbieO]

I've learned just to fix most of the stuff myself. Luckily I haven't had any Connext issues. You'll learn real quick to just give the dealer a picture of the defective part, and they will send to Yamaha to get it approved. Then they will give you the part to install yourself. I'm not leaving my boat at the dealer for weeks on end for a piece of hardware. I.E. I had a bimini fitting break already, and they gave me a new one. I ordered an extra for each side. It's a problem if you can't use your bimini.

 

[jerzeykev]

Hi all! New member. I am looking at buying a new 2023 AR190 from dealer. So if I may.. few questions...
Do dealers have a supply for the 2023 season? I know there was a long wait post-covid.
Also with regards to this post... has the supply chain improved at all? How bout fit & finish? I was hearing bad stories about parts & quality, to included hull blisters/chips straight out of box? Any other things I should look out for? Thanks!

 

[RobbieO]

I've been lucky so far, knock on wood. I ordered my boat in August 2020, and it was delivered in January of 2021. I was told I would be lucky to get it by the end of April. So I'm thinking mine was built early in 2020 and someone cancelled their order. I usually slip my boat for 4-5 days when I'm at the lake. I have yet to take on a drop of water, so I'm confident my boat is water tight. I replaced the anchor locker drain fitting early on, so I'm sure that helped. Bottom line is that, even though I have a Covid boat, I'm one of the lucky ones. On the Connext screen, there is an obvious voltage drop on the battery guages, and sometimes I don't show up on the GPS map. I hate having to have both batteries and the key on to listen to music. Some say just use the remote on the stern, haven't tried that yet.

 

[RobbieO]

Hi all! New member. I am looking at buying a new 2023 AR190 from dealer. So if I may.. few questions...
Do dealers have a supply for the 2023 season? I know there was a long wait post-covid.
Also with regards to this post... has the supply chain improved at all? How bout fit & finish? I was hearing bad stories about parts & quality, to included hull blisters/chips straight out of box? Any other things I should look out for? Thanks!

The dealership relationship is crucial. Forget asking the salesmen questions. Go talk to the service manager, or a technician. The technician will tell you straight up about supply issues. They don't get paid for the repair until the parts are installed in most cases. Check the reviews on the service department.