warranty issue-just venting

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Apr 22, 2016
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So the last couple mows I notices the spindle bearings howling on my 2 year old Hustler Raptor SD 60". Its under warranty so yesterday I decided to take it to the selling dealer for a warranty repair. Before loading up I changed the oil, air filter, removed the blades ( I just ordered new blades) and washed it really well including pressure washing the underside of the deck. I was trying to make it clean for the tech to work on the deck parts. The service guy said Hustler may deny the repair because the old blades are not on it. I explained they are being replaced and arriving this Friday and why should it matter since replacing the spindle bearing would require removal of the blades anyway. I even demonstrated to the tech the noise and this is what he said..."wow, yeah, thats got some bad bearings alright". So, back to to get the old blades and return to the dealer to drop off. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing, denying a claim because the blades are off the mower?
 
The unit should be robust enough to tolerate a good bit of unbalance, as blades often load up with debris. If an out of balance condition is the rationale for warranty denial, point that out. Even so, one would have to measure the amount of unbalance you currently have and determine whether it's within limits. Anything else is just a guess.
 
Is the "service guy" brand new to "fixing" mowers? After he said that I would have demanded to talk to the owner of the shop because statements like that are ludicrous/asinine/ignorant beyond belief and would make me question the service that the dealer provides. Making you -the customer- drive back and forth to get old blades is not the kind of customer service that small businesses should be providing in challenging economic times.
 
The old blades were actually only in use for 6 months, looked perfect except for the leading edge being dull. I have many patches of sandy areas in my two acre weed yard so I tend to rotate blades twice a year. The three main issues I had with what the dealer said was 1. he said its hard to trouble shoot a bad bearing without blades / load and 2. if I came in and had it serviced every year the bearings would not go bad. 3. its important to time the blades properly. For number 1... all they have to do is take tension off the belt and rotate the spindle to feel for a bad bearing. 2. The bearings are sealed and not serviceable. 3. the mower is not a timed deck.
I was really not in the mood to have a discussion of why none of those matter. I demonstrated to the tech and he was entertained by the howling of the bearings. For me, that was enough but I brought back the blades anyway, I guess just to prove I dident run over a stump or something.
 
I would expect mower spindles to be a wear item like blades, and not be covered under warranty.
 
Originally Posted by tundraotto
I would expect mower spindles to be a wear item like blades, and not be covered under warranty.


wow, I would never think a spindle bearing would be a wear item like a blade.
 
I find it odd multiple bearings are bad at the same time? Not to point blame but when I hear that it was power-washed I immediately start thinking the bearings were contaminated, I would never power-wash a mower deck or any part containing a bearing. Other choice is that the bearing came from a bad lot.
 
I power washed my decks a lot back in the day, would then pump a ton of grease in them afterwards. Since these are sealed I would guess they are fine. Spindles sometimes have a seperate warranty, but Hustler is a good brand so I would guess a minimum of 2 years.
 
That is an odd request, but like said, I can see where the load the blades put on the spindles might be needed for a bearing diagnosis.

I'm surprised they were able to accommodate you right away. Unless you're a heavy hitter, my local shops would be like a 4-6 week wait in some cases during the mowing months.

Mine would would likely also deny coverage as soon as they saw evidence of power washing as well.
 
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In an attempt on your part to give the service guy a clean mower to work on, it seems like your trying to hide something. Taking a mower in for warranty work without all the parts attached?. Another question, did you hit something? why would you be needing new blades in 6 months?. You do know they can be resharpened, right?. The warranty will cover non- wear and tear parts, only if they aren't damaged due to neglect or misuse. I'm sure the owners manual spells it out, that hitting stumps, rocks, fallen wood, curbs,metal hidden in the grass will void the warranty for anything that normally would be covered. Even if the spindle was bad, at this point I can understand the repair guys reluctance to jump right in and fix it.,,,
 
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Yea, the dealer wanted to make sure you were not scamming him. He thought you might be trying to hide that you hit a concrete post with the blade(s) and damaged the spindle. People do that kind of stuff. Try to put yourself in the dealer's shoes.

I was told that even sealed bearings can suck in water..... they get warm, water sits on the seal, when they cool down they suck in water (kind of far fetched, I know). But, I was also told that seals are meant to keep the grease in vs. high pressure water out and that power washing could result in water ingress. Who knows.
 
Originally Posted by BigCahuna
In an attempt on your part to give the service guy a clean mower to work on, it seems like your trying to hide something. Taking a mower in for warranty work without all the parts attached?. Another question, did you hit something? why would you be needing new blades in 6 months?. You do know they can be resharpened, right?. The warranty will cover non- wear and tear parts, only if they aren't damaged due to neglect or misuse. I'm sure the owners manual spells it out, that hitting stumps, rocks, fallen wood, curbs,metal hidden in the grass will void the warranty for anything that normally would be covered. Even if the spindle was bad, at this point I can understand the repair guys reluctance to jump right in and fix it.,,,


Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. My new blades are on their way from amazon so I figured if I was under the mower cleaning I would just remove them while Im under there. Cleaning the mower, well I just thought I was doing a good thing. Its always clean anyway, blown off and wiped down after I mow. If they deny it I will just buy bearings myself.
 
Our Craftman snow blower's tire started losing air within the first year. I just took off the tire from the snow blower and brought it to Sears. They had no issues in accepting and repairing it under warranty. No questions were asked regarding the other missing 95% of the blower.

Nitpicking over missing blades is a bit too much. Ask them to show you where in the warranty it says your mower must be in complete piece for warranty work.
 
I kinda understand why they want the blades on. Like others said you may take great care but if you see some of the things they see with people swearing they never hit anything and half the blade is torn off. What I dont understand is a quality brand not putting a grease zerk in for grease. My Kubota deck has grease fittings and original bearings that get a shot of grease every 5 hour run time and its 20 years old. Even my old Troy bilt has grease fittings although they put them under the deck so they only get grease 2x year when I change blades.
 
Pressure washer, Dewalt. Wand had a leak in the valve body. Took it in for warranty service/replacement and was told I needed to bring in the whole machine in order to work on it. You could blow through the wand without the trigger being pressed. Got PO'd and went to another dealer, showed them the wand and a picture of the machine/ serial tag. Got on the computer, went to the stock room and got me a new wand. No hassle, no argument. Shot them about $3K of business since then.
 
Originally Posted by punisher
Pressure washer, Dewalt. Wand had a leak in the valve body. Took it in for warranty service/replacement and was told I needed to bring in the whole machine in order to work on it. You could blow through the wand without the trigger being pressed. Got PO'd and went to another dealer, showed them the wand and a picture of the machine/ serial tag. Got on the computer, went to the stock room and got me a new wand. No hassle, no argument. Shot them about $3K of business since then.

I think dealers don't like to do warranty work because they are probably not compensated or not compensated enough for it. But one has to remember that warranty is not charity as one pays for it during purchase. Warranty work is included in the price. I usually buy things with longer warranty terms as a safety net, because 1)they are usually built better in quality and 2)if something goes wrong, I can pursue a warranty claim.
 
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