[Keith]

Well as you probably know I have been having ongoing problems with my 26 EFI EPS Lazer It's still dead and think I have eliminated the coils from the equation. I swapped them Friday night and the same cylinder is still dead I checked the oil after 3 hours since being changed and it has made oil, or rather it appears to have Seems like the fuel is washing right through into the crankcase since there is no spark. I noticed this the last oil change as well.

My concern with this mower is the engine mainly. If you have a engine washing the cylinders with this much fuel, what are you doing to the durability? Will it last 2000 hours? Maybe a 1000? Either way I feel the longevity has been compromised. But, heck, by then it will be out of warranty anyway Also, how many more times in the shop is it going to take them to get it fixed? I talked with someone at Exmark today on the phone and they want it back to the last dealer who did repairs. He did say Roberts' Supply, the distributor has offered to pick it up so I don't have to make the two trips (100 miles round trip each) to take it back. I guess I should be grateful for that. I still have no idea that next time will make it perfect.

The worst part about this whole mess is that I have to explain this POS to people. I have customers every week and ask where the new mower is. I don't use it unless I have a lawn that requires it. I have recommended Exmark to countless numbers of people, and it has come back to embarrass me. Recently I had an old friend of my Dad's come up to us while we were at a mower shop. He was looking at other brands and I suggested he go elsewhere and look at Exmarks. He bought a Great Dane instead and as luck would have it, I ended up cutting a lawn across the street from his 4 months later. Two separate weeks (two when it was not in the shop ) he witnessed this temperamental POS act up. The dude had to look at me like an ----- for recommending this mower to him

I guess I expected some kind of resolution that has never come. This damn thing has screwed up my business this summer. I like to act like the big shot, nothing bothers me. I got plenty of backups. Well, no, I don't. There are certain lawns that only this mower does well and I need it. I gave up one the other day because I felt I could no longer do the job I should. I used to look at my work and think it looked as good as it could and hopefully better than anyone else's. I look at some lawns now and think "someone else could do better" Not all of them, but there are a few. I also "hide" it if I see other mowing crews in the area. As much as I like to stand behind Exmark, I can't do it no more When will they fix it? This time? Next time? When?

 

[ULTIMATE LAWN]

You should Never have to Rely on 1 Mower to run your business.

Occasional Problems are a Given even w/ new units.

Consider this a lesson learned.

 

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by ULTIMATE LAWN
You should Never have to Rely on 1 Mower to run your business.

Occasional Problems are a Given even w/ new units.

Consider this a lesson learned.

He does not have just one mower.

You comment was inappropriate.

So I guess, you should have problems with your "new units" that's what you said bunny bread...

Further more this unit is not a new design, came out in '99.

Well Keith, check the CDI, and call kohler, don't hesitate anymore.

 

[ULTIMATE LAWN]

Originally posted by Keith

This damn thing has screwed up my business this summer.

You are not paying attention.

IMO one mower gone bad should not affect your biz.

Regardless, the issue should have been resolved but not surprisingly has not. I've had New Units go bad from the get go & it always takes time to resolve.

 

[Scag48]

That's a bad deal, I feel for you. I had many problems last year and the year before that with a Toro I had. Nothing I had to take to the dealer to fix, but small things that kept it out of action for the rest of the day or week. It's quite embarassing, I'm with you there. Being recognized as a professional who has moody equipment that doesn't run looks very unprofessional to the customer or the passer-by. Good luck getting it fixed!

 

[John Gamba]

Keith
I Have emailed Exmark Again On this. I Told them If It Was Me This would Be In Court And The Reason Is NOBODY Has Offered You A LOANER.
I think Thats The Least They Could Do.
As For Ultimate Lawn, You should Have Back Up But Not everybody Has The Money. I Have Had No Problems With the 02 None At All. But I Would expect A Loaner for Something Thats Taking two Months Or More.
John

 

[ProMo]

exmark said they would take care of my machine I took it to roberts and all i was told is that i rolled my machine and they werent going to fix it . my dixie rolled into it on the trailer and raised the handle a little but there is no way this bent the frame on the mower hopefully they have a brighter guy to look at your machine as for me no more exmark

 

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by ULTIMATE LAWN
You are not paying attention.

IMO one mower gone bad should not affect your biz.

Regardless, the issue should have been resolved but not surprisingly has not. I've had New Units go bad from the get go & it always takes time to resolve.

Seeing, that I have actually talk to Keith, your assumptions are not what they seem.

I got plenty of backups.

Hard to keep taking a mower to get fixed to someone an hour away and still run a business. That's why Keith swapped the coils out himself. Dealers are not always the best for diagnostic repairs. If it won't do it for them, they can't find what needs fixing.

So with your repetitive rudeness, time for you to vanish.

Certified

Does this mean you are certifiable?

 

[ULTIMATE LAWN]

Originally posted by Keith
I got plenty of backups. Well, no, I don't. There are certain lawns that only this mower does well and I need it.

You missed the second part of that quote Miss Manners.

Regardless, I would not be surprised if we Hear about a New engine Soon.

Keep Complaining.

 

[John Gamba]

Wait Till You see the New Mower For 2004. Thats All I Have To Say

 

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by ULTIMATE LAWN
You missed the second part of that quote Miss Manners.

So I am a miss now...UMMM ok.

 

[Envy Lawn Service]

OK now I have to jack my jaw a bit about this!

Reguardless of what anyone has to say about this I will never change my view on what I think about situations like this! Personally I don't care if you have 50 Exmark Lazers in the field and only one of them is having a problem like this...it should still be taken care of "fastlike"!!!!

We are talking a $10,000 lawn mower here! This mower should have been fixed long ago, no excuses! One time in the shop and it's still doing the same thing....ah pretty normal moron mechanic deal, they must give out these certifications in cracker jack boxes. But after the second time....well both Exmark and Kohler should have been directly involved in seeing that the problem was fixed right them in a timely manner, no matter what it took to get that done.

Why so harsh you ask? Well...umm...we are talking premo dollars spent here for a piece of equipment that is intended to work and make money right? Now $10,000 for a mower that won't mow...now that's a new one on me!

Hey, if Kohler can make and sell this engine they ought to be able to see that it get's fixed or replaced. They should stand behind their product and make it right. But if they don't Exmark should.

Now you say why? Well....it's the classic thing that happens all the time, the old "pass the buck" routine. Exmark says well, this is not an Exmark problem it's Kohler's problem. Then Kohler says just the opposite. Well, I am here to tell you, it's one or the other's responsibility to make it right!

Now which one you ask? Well, at this point it ceases to matter who's responsible. It's been far too long. After a mower has been down a while you could care less really. I mean it doesn't matter if it's a Kohler or a 350 Chevy on the mower. Bottom line, the mower don't work.

At this point the support network has completely failed in every aspect. Once this happens, the MFG of the mower, Exmark should step in and say "OK this has gone on long enough." In the end it may be a Kohler issue, but the consumer does not care where fault lies, he just wants a mower that works. So if you build a mower and sell it, you should see to it that it works like it should for the customer.

The way I look at it is this is no longer Keith's problem anymore, it's Exmark's. They should either install a replacement engine or replace the mower and take this issue up with the dealers that failed to repair it and Kohler, who failed to step in and replace it themselves.

Why?...Well lets all face it, Exmark certainly has more pull with Kohler than one individual customer and they should share that leverage with their customers.

So to Exmark I ask, what is so hard about this? What is so hard to uderstand about the fact that your mower will not mow without a good engine? Also what's so hard about sending a new EFI engine to one of these "part changer" service departments? I'm sure they can handle an engine swap at least. A new engine would make the rest of that $10,000 mower operate.

Now don't whine about the cost of the of the engine. If it had been replaced already it would have cost you far less than what it already has, severe damage to the Exmark reputation.

 

[Keith]

Another little update here. I called the guy at Roberts' Supply, the distributor, who was going to pick up the mower and take it back to the dealer and save me a few hours, toll money, gas, and about 100 miles. Well, I got what I expected from him. He offered to pick it up Friday Most likely it would sit at Roberts' over the weekend and would wind up at the dealer on Monday. Best case scenario, the dealer gets to look at it at the beginning of next week So, I ended up making the mad, 80 mph rush and took it back myself. I made it with 10 minutes to spare, they were rolling the doors down as I pulled up.

The counter guy told me no harm is done running a little raw fuel down the cylinders, I guess I'll find out if I am right down the road

As far as the backup mower thing goes. Yes I have what I call backups. They serve that purpose. When it stretches out more than a few days, like the 16 days the first time...the backup is now primary. I'd love to have another brand new EPS (or something else) to run along side that one, but it would never sit idle as a backup.

The lack of a loaner from some party involved me baffled :???: The worst cutting mower I ever owned was quickly picked up by the distributor and I was delivered a loaner. I had that loaner for four months while they figured out what to do with mine. They finally ended up replacing mine with a new one. It still was not the greatest, but I was treated really well by Scag, the distributor and the dealer. I have missed that ever since. After that, was the Grasshopper disaster, where I had a similar experience with a down machine for two weeks then again for another 8 days or so. No loaner there either...and I had no backup at all I ended up renting a walk behind that time.


I called about a rental ZTR yesterday and the only dealer that does that wanted $140/day. I may end up having to do that Friday to catch up. I talked to the local Hustler/Husqvarna dealer today and he said if I bought a Hustler and it was in the shop for more than 24 hours, he would give me a loaner. He said if you buy a Husqvarna, anywhere, and it is down for more than 24 hours they are required to give you a loaner. First I have ever heard of that Loaners equal faster service. If I had a loaner the first time mine went to the shop, I bet it would not have been there 16 days

 

[Husker1982]

I thought for sure Exmark had a promise of a loaner if your mower was going to be in for 24hrs.

 

[Premo Services]

Keith:
Thats a shame, I would think they stand behind their products better than that. I would think that you would have had a loaner and yours fixed.

Mabey the problem is with the dealers.

Good luck with the problem.

 

[Westbrooklawn]

Where is the Exmark response to this issue? I'd like to hear their side of the story (can't imagine it would be a very good story however). I have a LZHP and love it....no problems, but this situation has really shaded my perception of how Exmark responds to someone who DOES have a problem with their product. As someone said earlier the damage to their reputation has cost thousands more than if they had stepped up to the plate and provided a new motor or a complete new mower.

COME ON EXMARK.......MAKE A REPLY........DO WHAT'S RIGHT!!! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY??!!

 

[John Gamba]

West Brook
Ask Them The same Question On There forum. You will Get An Answer.
John

 

[Westbrooklawn]

John,

I think you are missing my point on this one. Sure I know there is an Exmark Forum, and yes, I imagine they would post some sort of response if I posed the question over there. The fact is, however, that all the history is in this thread, and this is the thread that hundreds of potential Exmark customers are reading. Exmark is remiss if they aren't monitoring questions/issues about their products and jumping in with some explanation. A lot of the folks who have read this thread aren't going to see an explanation over in the Exmark forum.

Again, I'm not bashing Exmark.......I'm trying to help them!! I love my LZHP and would buy another in a heart beat, but I might really shy away form the 26efi unless I could be sure that Exmark would stand behind it and make a timely response to any problems.

Again, let Exmark reply to this thread and show the professionals reading this website that they will react quickly to a problem at whatever the cost.

 

[John Gamba]

Westbrook
I should Have said it Better. They don't Respond Over Here, They Will Only Respond On There Forum. They (Exmark) Have Never Responded To Anything Over Here.

I Already Asked Them And i Got a Reply. I will Not Give Out Second Hand News(Not that I don't Want to).

and I do know where you are coming from. I Would Like To See how Others Are Going To Handle It On There Mowers?

Good luck Keith You've Got My prayers.
John

 

[Westbrooklawn]

John,

Good reply. Thanks for the insight. Keith, I wish you the best luck.