Finally Need My Warranty and LS Is Not There! BEWARE!

[mslisaj]

Remember. Warranties sell equipment. Not fix them

Playing the warranty game is like playing the lottery

I didn't buy the machine for the warranty anyway.
It all works out in the end and I still love my LS tractor.

 

[rgr33]

I think what I would do in that situation, is call the next closest LS dealer, and see if he would ship you the warranteed parts, and just fix it yourself.

Barring that, take it into an independent repair shop, and pay them to fix it.

Technically, it sounds like LS would do the warranty repair, if you chose to bring the tractor to them. Unfortunately, that is not the best way for you to get the job done.
Not trying to be harsh here, but that is not LS’s problem. Hopefully that is the worst repair you ever have to make on your tractor.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Unfortunately, you are NOT covered under warranty! Read your warranty!

The loader and BH are covered for 1 year.

The tractor warranty is for 2 YEARS -- bumper to bumper .... that's where your part would fall under, so no longer covered.

The remaining 4 years covers the engine and transmission ONLY! (this is where you are at under warranty)

Fluids, hoses, tires, belts, and filters are not covered at all by LS.(some dealers will cover these depending on what was wrong). Seals are only covered under the first 2 years

To bad mouth LS is out of line since the parts aren't covered under the warranty at this time!
I have had LS cover stuff under warranty without even taking it to the dealer. They have shipped parts to me directly...under warranty. I have nothing but praise for LS customer service!

Get the part from LS or NH and fix it yourself.... a simple, but somewhat time consuming job.
Or --- just have the NH dealer fix it.

 

[mslisaj]

I think what I would do in that situation, is call the next closest LS dealer, and see if he would ship you the warranteed parts, and just fix it yourself.

Barring that, take it into an independent repair shop, and pay them to fix it.

Technically, it sounds like LS would do the warranty repair, if you chose to bring the tractor to them. Unfortunately, that is not the best way for you to get the job done.
Not trying to be harsh here, but that is not LS’s problem. Hopefully that is the worst repair you ever have to make on your tractor.

You are absolutely 100% correct and you're not harsh at all!! The tractor has 11 months left of warranty and I'm not swetting it at all. The axle area was actually pretty dirty which leads me to believe it's been leaking a long time. The reason for a "warranty" in the first place is to stand against a defective part that happens all the time. One out of four seals is no issue to me. What I thought was reasonable to ask LS to pay NH for the warranty I have learned here was out of the question. If 95% of you guys came back and said I was right and should go after LS well maybe I would have pursued it harder. But the reason we enjoy these forums is because it's a give and take. All you guys are far more professional tractor owners then me for sure and I get and appreciate your opinions. But this is no big deal to me in reality. LS brags about the six year warranty and I totally believe they would have honored it if I took it to LS. It's too bad my real local dealer went out of business with a lot of other business here in Oregon with the covid. I truly love my LS tractor and I did a lot of research into sub compact tractors before I bought it. I looked and priced them all. Spec wise on paper it's truly hard to beat my MT125. As I said I have 11 months left of the warranty and I would write the check for a new engine or rear axle/pump/and lord only knows what else goes on in that back unit. But I'm confident this is going to be the biggest thing that will ever happen to this tractor as long as I'm alive. My service schedule is engine oil and filter every 50 hours, hydraulic oil every 100. Coolant every two years. I grease it after every day of use. I'm not stingy with fuel, oil or air filters, after all it's a little subcompact. So again thank you for taking your tiime to weigh in on this and thanks to everyone else that took the time to give me their opinions.

 

[murphy1244]

I think you had no need of the BEWARE statement in your post as your problem is moot and NOT covered at all

 

[DK35vince]

BEWARE because New Holland will not warranty an LS tractor with an expired warranty

 

[rScotty]

All it is, is a simple lip seal and a 5 minute job to replace. Bite the bullet, replace it and move on. Not a big deal. Probably cost you 50 bucks max.

Right. It's probably just a front axle seal. You see them all the time. Small outer axle leaks have been common with that axle design ever since it came into general use about 50 years ago. Sometimes that outer lip seal starts leaking just from sitting wrong or getting some dirt under it.

That one doesn't even look to be leaking much. If it were mine I'd wipe the oil off, check that the oil level was close to right, and especially check that the axle vent wasn't plugged with mud - then just see if it stops on its own. A slight leak there is a long way from being a problem - and any mechanic will tell you the same.

If you just want to, then replacing the seal is a very simple job. It it a toss up whether it is less work to replace that seal than the OP has already spent writing about it. But for sure it is a LOT less work than driving 1200 miles.

rScotty

 

[5030]

Just replaced the outboard lip seal on my 2002 M9. Took about 5 minutes and the seal was 20 bucks. I used a rolling pry bar to pop it out. Greased her up, popped it in are bolted the outboard back on.

 

[rScotty]

Just replaced the outboard lip seal on my 2002 M9. Took about 5 minutes and the seal was 20 bucks. I used a rolling pry bar to pop it out. Greased her up, popped it in are bolted the outboard back on.

Not that's fast!! Way faster than me. My hat's off to that.
I can usually string any job out for a half an hour or longer - and often do so just for the enjoyment.

But the point here is that any mechanical case that has oil inside and some sort of rotating shafts sticking out of the case will also have a couple of seals around those shafts. They are always similar seals doing similar jobs, no matter whether it is a water pump, engine, transmission, axle housing, posthoie drill, power steering pump, or a PTO-driven bush hog.
They all got seals and those seals eventually leak.

I'd say that the NH dealer was missing a chance to look good for very little effort. Used to be common to take in simple jobs like that just for the good reputation - and also just for the fun of seeing something different.

 

[sandman2234]

If the part is under warranty, I would consider making an appointment with the dealer 300 miles away, hauling it in and go spend the day doing something interesting while it is repaired. The dealer's cooperation in making the appointment and putting a mechanic on it as soon as it hit the parking lot, as well as having the expected (and unexpected!!) parts in stock so the was a painless repair, would determine my future purchases.
I am a reasonably capable mechanic and have no issues changing a seal. My reasons are what happens if you get it torn down and find an axle that had a casting defect which will just continue to cut the seal lips, or a bad pinion bearing which is allowing the axle to flop around causing the seal issue. My point is, see just how good the dealer is when it comes to working with you, at no risk to you, except for a shopping trip with your bride that might cost you more than $250!
I guess 300 miles isn't a big deal to me, since I routinely do twice that every day as a truck driver.
David from jax