Scarab 165 ID Lemon

[Gbd165]

I received my new Scarab 165ID on May 26th 2018.
Let me start by saying what a joy it is to drive when I have had the rare chance to use it.
The order was placed in February, when I was promised a delivery by the Canadian Victoria day long weekend. (May 21) The delivery was a week late. The following weekend I went to pick up the boat, and during our water test, the engine would not idle below 3000 RPM. I was able to pick up the boat by end of the day, after repairs were done. It rained shortly after the boat was put in our driveway, so I went out to check on the cover, and heard a sound coming from the boat.
The bilge pump was running continuously. There was no way to get it to shut off. I disconnected the battery to keep it from draining the power. Back to the dealership the next day to drop it off. The dealer replaced the factory pump, with a new one that used a traditional float switch. So I was able to pick up the boat by the next weekend. That weekend I was able to use the boat for 90 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The performance exceeded my expectations. I've owned everything from a kayak to an aft cabin twin engine cruiser. This is probably the most fun of any boat I have owned. Unfortunately, the check engine light turned on, with P0300 and P0301 codes. As well, when I brought the boat up on our lift, I noticed a couple inches of water in the bilge. The new float switch was mounted too high to pick it up. Back to the dealer with the boat. It then takes two weeks to get the intercooler replaceed, and a drive shaft seal of some type. During this time I also contacted Scarab and was surpised to actually get a reply. By this time though, the boat was ready for me to pick up. Pick up was late on a Saturday, so I was not able to try it till Sunday which was cold and raining. A 30 minute test and it seemed fine. When I was once again able to take it out, the following Friday, it ran for 10 minutes before another check light. This time a P0127 error. (Can anyone give me insight into this? Another thread seemed to indicate it was intercooler related.)
I left a message at the dealership, as they had closed for the evening. I called back the next morning (today) and was told there were no BRP technicians working this long weekend. I asked to speak to the dealer owner, and was told I would be called when he got in. He never called. So 5 weeks of ownership, and not a single full day of use. I am regretting picking Atomic yellow (lemon).

So I am looking for some advice. I can see a few options:
1. Stick it out with my current dealer and hopefully eventually the boat will work.
2. Try a different Scarab dealer (Can anyone recommend a good dealer in southern Ontario?)
3. Lawyer up, and push for a refund/replacement. (Has anyone had success with legal action?)
4. ????
Thanks for the opportunity to vent!

 

[KyleP]

I would attempt to contact scarab directly and submit your RO and explain the situation. At
this point I would also be looking for a new dealer

 

[wango tango]

Contact scarab warranty.
At this point you don't have any legal grounds.

 

[Gbd165]

Contact scarab warranty.
At this point you don't have any legal grounds.

I emailed and left voice mail with the Scarab customer service contact that answered my previous inquiry. That was first thing this morning, but still no reply.
Tomorrow I'll drop the boat off at my dealer, and give them one more shot. It's hard to switch dealers when this one is 5 minutes from my house. But if this doesn't work, I'll find another dealer somewhere.
Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Gbd165]

Well today was a much better day. I delivered the boat to my dealer, and expressed my frustration to one of the owners.
He pulled a mechanic off another job, and jumped on it right away. He also offered to lend me a SeaDoo if they were unable to quickly get my boat back.
I picked it up tonight, and after a quick test drive all seems to be well. They replaced the temperature sensor in the inter-cooler. They did not have one in stock, so pulled one of another new machine.
Once I have a full day of use, we will celebrate!

 

[ScarabHO]

I just got off the phone with Bill Cruger from Scarab warranty department no help to me at all but maybe he can help you

1-271-775-1351

 

[biffdotorg]

Well today was a much better day. I delivered the boat to my dealer, and expressed my frustration to one of the owners.
He pulled a mechanic off another job, and jumped on it right away. He also offered to lend me a SeaDoo if they were unable to quickly get my boat back.
I picked it up tonight, and after a quick test drive all seems to be well. They replaced the temperature sensor in the inter-cooler. They did not have one in stock, so pulled one of another new machine.
Once I have a full day of use, we will celebrate!

It does sound like that dealer is doing all they can do to keep you happy. They are responding to what is going wrong, and that is about all they can do. The manufacturer would be the one to determine if you have a lemon at all. The dealer can only "put out the fires" as they happen. But like any other, they will not suggest potential issues based on others experience without a true service bulletin, or recall.

So as bad as it seems, it sounds like you have a dealer that is doing their job to keep you happy. If it gets to the point of demanding an exchange/refund, work through your dealer to get the MFG to respond. That relationship will be important for your next purchase.

Good luck,

 

[Gbd165]

Thanks for the support. It has now been a week, and the boat is running great. Looking forward to the rest of the summer.
I did eventually get a reply from the manufacturer, but it really seemed to be too little too late.

 

[biffdotorg]

Good luck, now drive it like you stole it and flush out any other potential issues while you have warranty. Also ask the dealer or MFG about a heavily discounted extended warranty. You may not be tickled with the response time now, but after the warranty is up, any response may be better than paying for it.

Not trying to fill your head with fear or anything. But take advantage of a potential deep discount on something that may not cost them anything to provide you, if the boat is fixed. It shows an assurance from the MFG and Dealer that they have addressed your concerns. If they were not confident, they would not offer it.

 

[Gbd165]

Good luck, now drive it like you stole it and flush out any other potential issues while you have warranty. Also ask the dealer or MFG about a heavily discounted extended warranty. You may not be tickled with the response time now, but after the warranty is up, any response may be better than paying for it.

Not trying to fill your head with fear or anything. But take advantage of a potential deep discount on something that may not cost them anything to provide you, if the boat is fixed. It shows an assurance from the MFG and Dealer that they have addressed your concerns. If they were not confident, they would not offer it.

LOL! Great advice. I will definitely give that a try.