Korean tractor dilemma

[paulsharvey]

Talked to dealer yesturday. They claim they cant find the hst leak, even though i showed them when i dropped it off. So i sent them pictures of it and where it is. The oil pan leak they are "investigting" not much to investigate. Its leaking on the back side of the oil pan near the rear main. Maybe i should suggest they use dye if they are that incompetent

How heavy is the leaking? We talking a few drip stains over a week sitting in one place, or are we talking a cup of fluid in a day? Does it leak when off, or just when running, Any chance it had leaked to the point of the sump being dry?

No idea what spec is; but some cars now are "within spec" if they loose 2 quarts or less of oil in a 5000 mile period

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Or are we talking dust sticking to areas, and no drips?

 

[caleb90]

How heavy is the leaking? We talking a few drip stains over a week sitting in one place, or are we talking a cup of fluid in a day? Does it leak when off, or just when running, Any chance it had leaked to the point of the sump being dry?

No idea what spec is; but some cars now are "within spec" if they loose 2 quarts or less of oil in a 5000 mile period

It leaves a 6in spot on the floor under the machine.. when they say loose 2 qt of oil they are talking about consomption not leaking. Hst pump should not be leaking any way as it is a preasurized system. If its leaking it has a failor some where

 

[caleb90]

Or are we talking dust sticking to areas, and no drips?

Oil pan leaks good enough to be dripping on the crossmember

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

They seem inept if those are not signs of leaks

 

[caleb90]

Emailed the regional ls rep this afternoon. Told em if the ball does not get rolling that i will be getting out side sources involved. See what he has to say. If i dont hear from him mid day i will call HQ. Had enough

 

[caleb90]

dealer called claimed tractor is done, all they fixed was the oil pan. Still standing firm that they couldnt find a hst leak. Im sick of arguing with them so i picking it up. Charged 45 for the oil and filter, 100bucks in trailer rental for drop off and pick up and about 100 in gas. So 245 ish for a project that would have cost me 40 bucks and a weekend. Putting dye in the hydraulic oil when it gets home, will end up having to take it back once the fluid with dye shows up.

 

[paulsharvey]

Once you get it back, post a short video of how bad it is leaking

 

[caleb90]

Picked tractor up today, dealer said it was done. They fixed the oil pan , but stood firm on the hst not leaking. Before i left i noticed a loose bolt on the loader frame, they had taken it off. I showed them and had them fix it before i left. Once i got home i started looking the tractor over and had to go through the entire thing. All the mounting bolts for the frame and loader frame were hand tight on the left side of the tractor. I still need to check the right side. Mounting bolts were missing there lock washers aswell. I checked there work on the oil pan and there is a large amount of silicone squeeze out, on the out side of the pan. I can only imagine what the inside looks like, if it breaks off it will plug the oil pick up and starve the motor of oil. I also found that they bent the hydraulic line cover on the loader from it hitting the bumper when they took the loader on and off. Finally i got to checking on the hst pump, they sprayed it down with a cleaner but they is already a drip of oil starting to form on the bottom of the pump. Using a mirror and a light i can see the front of the pump is wet of fluid in the bell housing. So i am going to have to purchase uv oil dye so i can track the leak down.

So i have around $120 in fuel , $100 in trailer rental, 8 hours of time taken off of work to haul it around. Just to get back a tractor that has damage, not put back together correctly. That i ultimately am going to have to take back to a dealer for the hst leak, that i am also going to have to spend money on dye to diagnose it seeing how they werent able to.

 

[paulsharvey]

Ok, so I'll skip right to my point, s
I think you are going need to just sell the machine. You shouldn't take too much of a hit, as it's a low hour, nothing wrong with it machine.

Now, the longer version, kinda explaining my thinking; after multiple hours of sitting, unloading, and moving the machine "a single droplet has started to form, but not enough to actually drip". You're not going to get that fixed, and I don't think you're going to win a case... So, at this point, you're basically mad at the manufacturer, service guys, company, and the tractor. Every time you see a drop of oil, you're going to get mad again. Sell it. There is nothing wrong with it, so no need to disclose anything; it's time to just move on.

We aren't even talking about a kinda "leak" that needs monitored, we are talking about even over 250 hours, probably a fluid loss of less than a single cup; out of like 7 gallons.

Now, you are displeased, and I understand, but at most, and this is a stretch, it's a cosmetic issue, that is hidden. I do get the idea that leaks general only get larger over use/time; but I don't think it's the dealers responsible to do a $5k repair, based on that it Might eventually be a problem, 5 years from now.

Edit: I know you're not going to take what I said in the way I mean it, that's why I lead with the first part. Like what I said or not, the first paragraph still holds true

 

[paulsharvey]

Now, if was someone else; I would say; ok, dealer checked it out and confirmed there isn't an issue; work the machine, enjoy it, and toss the 1 drip a week up as character...

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Yep, I'd sell it. Not because it's a heap, but because it now represents something unsavory. Someone else will see it as a blessing, you won't.

Go buy a JD or Kubota and have a happy tractor life.

 

[caleb90]

Ok, so I'll skip right to my point, s
I think you are going need to just sell the machine. You shouldn't take too much of a hit, as it's a low hour, nothing wrong with it machine.

Now, the longer version, kinda explaining my thinking; after multiple hours of sitting, unloading, and moving the machine "a single droplet has started to form, but not enough to actually drip". You're not going to get that fixed, and I don't think you're going to win a case... So, at this point, you're basically mad at the manufacturer, service guys, company, and the tractor. Every time you see a drop of oil, you're going to get mad again. Sell it. There is nothing wrong with it, so no need to disclose anything; it's time to just move on.

We aren't even talking about a kinda "leak" that needs monitored, we are talking about even over 250 hours, probably a fluid loss of less than a single cup; out of like 7 gallons.

Now, you are displeased, and I understand, but at most, and this is a stretch, it's a cosmetic issue, that is hidden. I do get the idea that leaks general only get larger over use/time; but I don't think it's the dealers responsible to do a $5k repair, based on that it Might eventually be a problem, 5 years from now.

Edit: I know you're not going to take what I said in the way I mean it, that's why I lead with the first part. Like what I said or not, the first paragraph still holds true

Its just starting to leak again from where they cleaned it up. It was leaking enough to leave a puddle on my floor. The hst is a sealed pressurized unit any leak is a no go. Dealer is completely inept, Ls does not stand behind their product. Your thought process cracks me up, thinking like that and being a push over is why these companies get away with what they do. If i dont get an answere here soon, i am seriously thinking about loading it on a trailer and droping it on the ls hq door steps. Yes i am that petty

 

[paulsharvey]

Its just starting to leak again from where they cleaned it up. It was leaking enough to leave a puddle on my floor. The hst is a sealed pressurized unit any leak is a no go. Dealer is completely inept, Ls does not stand behind their product. Your thought process cracks me up, thinking like that and being a push over is why these companies get away with what they do. If i dont get an answere here soon, i am seriously thinking about loading it on a trailer and droping it on the ls hq door steps. Yes i am that petty

Advice is still the same, sell it. Sorry for the trouble, but the dealer has confirmed its good. No matter what, at this point, you feel and will always feel, you got burnt.

The other option, use the heck out of it, ignore the leak, keep the fluid full, and sell/trade it 30 days before warranty expires. At that point, if it gets much worse, who cares, the dealer has documented it was good, and they can't accuse you of neglect.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Regardless of what action you take with LS, I'd sell it and buy a Kubota. No remedy at this point will cause you to enjoy the tractor or the experience.

Take whatever action you like, but in my experience it's better for my own well being and contentment to cut my losses. Fighting out of principle is fine, until the point that it reduces my quality of life. In the end LS won't be moved by a single consumer being angry about their experience. It will likely impact you more, than it does them.

Just go be happy

 

[newkiotiguy]

Regardless of what action you take with LS, I'd sell it and buy a Kubota. No remedy at this point will cause you to enjoy the tractor or the experience.

Take whatever action you like, but in my experience it's better for my own well being and contentment to cut my losses. Fighting out of principle is fine, until the point that it reduces my quality of life. In the end LS won't be moved by a single consumer being angry about their experience. It will likely impact you more, than it does them.

Just go be happy

I don't feel sorry for this guy at all and no one else should either. Sometimes lessons are expensive

 

[rScotty]

Regardless of what action you take with LS, I'd sell it and buy a Kubota. No remedy at this point will cause you to enjoy the tractor or the experience.

Take whatever action you like, but in my experience it's better for my own well being and contentment to cut my losses. Fighting out of principle is fine, until the point that it reduces my quality of life. In the end LS won't be moved by a single consumer being angry about their experience. It will likely impact you more, than it does them.

Just go be happy

Good advice there. Worth reading twice.
rScotty

 

[Torvy]

Once upon a time, I worked in tech support for a major PC company. We had a customer who called us almost daily. His problems were self-inflicted and he wasn't savvy. After many hours of talking him down, we discover that Compaq bought him our machine because he was costing them too much in support time.

I'm sure LS would prefer the problem move on to Kubota as well.

 

[Fixastuff]

I think you ought to run the tractor hard for an hour or two, park it with a piece of cardboard under the leaking spot, let sit for 24hours then see what you have and upload a picture.

After that leave it running for a hour with a new piece of cardboard and see what you get and compare.

 

[rScotty]

Once upon a time, I worked in tech support for a major PC company. We had a customer who called us almost daily. His problems were self-inflicted and he wasn't savvy. After many hours of talking him down, we discover that Compaq bought him our machine because he was costing them too much in support time.

I'm sure LS would prefer the problem move on to Kubota as well.

That's funny.