Service Nightmare - Need Advice!

[sweep]

For the record - I have had a very good relationship with this dealer, which is why I'm hesitant to even press this. Just wanted to see how best to address the issue. Many thanks for all of the responses. I realize there are more important things in life to worry about, but I'd like to proect this investment as best I can.

I know where you are coming from. I wax my tractor 3 times times per year and keep it in a temp controlled environment. I have even used 303 protectorant on the tires to keep them from dryrotting as I want to keep the tractor as a family heirloom.

I had the dealer widen out the rear wheels and when I got it back there where scratches all over the wheels. Looked like they used a chain to hold them up. I was sick. My dealer could not understand why I was so disapointed.

Too him it's just a machine.

The only thing I got out of it was a can of spray paint to match. I did that but it never really matched-and I'm good at this stuff. After it dried and was rewaxed i you can see the difference. I may have the centers sprayed at a body shop this winter.

I realized there was no use in fighting it. Learn and go on. As others said it's not worth fretting about..just try to find the right coating you can use to stop the rust and discoloration.

I always tell my wife people laugh at how I keep the tractor now but in 50 -60 years people will be fighting over my tractor.

 

[MikeD74T]

TripleR, I think your quote/byline (which I really like) might be applied to your dealer. If he thinks you can do him no good & so would treat you without respect he's not anyone I'd deal with. I'd not badmouth any customer that was willing to pay more for better service. Maybe Weedbo's dealer just didn't communicate with his transportation guy but he agreed to the job, set the price, & it was paid. MikeD74T

 

[Weedbo]

I know where you are coming from. I wax my tractor 3 times times per year and keep it in a temp controlled environment. I have even used 303 protectorant on the tires to keep them from dryrotting as I want to keep the tractor as a family heirloom.

I had the dealer widen out the rear wheels and when I got it back there where scratches all over the wheels. Looked like they used a chain to hold them up. I was sick. My dealer could not understand why I was so disapointed.

Too him it's just a machine.

The only thing I got out of it was a can of spray paint to match. I did that but it never really matched-and I'm good at this stuff. After it dried and was rewaxed i you can see the difference. I may have the centers sprayed at a body shop this winter.

I realized there was no use in fighting it. Learn and go on. As others said it's not worth fretting about..just try to find the right coating you can use to stop the rust and discoloration.

I always tell my wife people laugh at how I keep the tractor now but in 50 -60 years people will be fighting over my tractor.

Thanks sweep. Perhaps there is a support group out there for us OCD tractor folk! Glad to hear I'm not the only one.

 

[Weedbo]

Not sure if this will work, but here are some photos:

 

[Bill Hoffman]

I'd be really PO over the hydraulic couplers. That's one
place that corrosion is unacceptable.

Bill

 

[TripleR]

TripleR, I think your quote/byline (which I really like) might be applied to your dealer. If he thinks you can do him no good & so would treat you without respect he's not anyone I'd deal with. I'd not badmouth any customer that was willing to pay more for better service. Maybe Weedbo's dealer just didn't communicate with his transportation guy but he agreed to the job, set the price, & it was paid. MikeD74T

You raise some interesting points which I hope I can address, but no guarantees. You will note that I have not addressed the subject of paying extra for special handling as I did not see that anywhere; must have missed it. If the service contract so states, I agree it should be honored.

I think it probably has something if not a lot to do with the area and type of dealers and customers. I am from a farming background and live in a farming community/area where tractors are tools and the dealers in general have farming back grounds. Again from the OP, "And it is a tractor after all". Here tractors are for work, not looks or recreation; nothing wrong with that, just not the norm.

Many farmers if not most simply don't have the room to keep their equipment under roof. They do the best they can, but it simply isn't economically feasible. I know no one personally who has ever waxed a tractor. It is simply a foreign concept as is worrying about a few scratches or dents.

There are times here that you simply can't get a tractor worked on unless you are a real farmer because there simply are not enough mechanics or service trucks. We had a tractor in an independent shop for almost a year because the dealer couldn't figure out how to fix it. We don't use the dealer or brand anymore, but still have the tractor. On another, we waited over four months on a service truck with repeated assurances they would pick it up any day. We no longer own that tractor or have anything to do with that dealer.

You will note in one of my posts that I said it may be different in New York and certainly concede many other places. Subsequent posters have pointed out that it is.

As to the dealer I use, they probably would do as I requested if at all possible, but they would not stop laughing when I hit the door. We have a great relationship and I enjoy good natured ribbing and it goes both ways.

I endured years of ribbing from MSHP about my wife, better known as "The Blue Flash" and now I and the parts department get a kick out of how many tail light and hazard flasher lenses just seem to disappear off my wife's BX2660.

One final observation, I am not making fun of or trying to belittle anyone and if I have done so, I apologize. Also, while some may make fun of the tractor waxers or OCD owners, not my term, we ALL love them when shopping for a used tractor.:thumbsup:

 

[sweep]

Not sure if this will work, but here are some photos:

I can't see the pics???

 

[xtn]

I believe if I were that picky about the delivery I would deliver and pick it up myself, I believe your request to the dealer was unreasonable

It may have been, but that is not relevant. It does not excuse the dealer who AGREED to the request and then failed to deliver, causing real and undue damage to the owner.

If it is well know in that part of the country that one shouldn't haul unprotected in those conditions, I imagine any group of - oh I dunno let's say twelve - reasonable local people might agree that the dealer made a bad move.

xtn

 

[ustmd]

I am still not sure where I come down on this issue.

As an OEM service manager (in a completely unrelated industry), I want to give great service to my customers, but I also have to run a business and make a profit.

Many other posters from that geography have said that it is common practice not to haul to protect a load when the roads are slushy.

If that is the case, then it would seem this is not a special request, but common practice and the dealer should have offered it as part of the normal service package.

Yet, he didn't or didn't follow a common practice--which is a problem.

The OP also stated:

"I could not pressure wash the tractor because the temperature was well below freezing. A few weeks later, on the first above-freezing day we had, I pressure washed the tractor..."

Which makes me think that the tractor would have had to sit on the service lot for service weeks before it could have been hauled--which seems excessive, especially if the OP expected the tractor to be stored inside, as it is at his place.

Finally, the OP did spend $40K on this tractor, but it was 5 years ago and it was "a once in a lifetime purchase". Also this was the first significant (maybe only) use of the service department. Granted, he spent $1000, but it is only $1000 which is most likely a "noise" number at the dealership. So as a businessperson, I have to think how much time and effort I am going to spend accomodating the request from the OP versus a special request from a regular/high revenue customer. If it is a busy time and there are lots of other special requests, this one is not going to get very much attention.

 

[Degolyerent]

It may have been, but that is not relevant. It does not excuse the dealer who AGREED to the request and then failed to deliver, causing real and undue damage to the owner.

If it is well know in that part of the country that one shouldn't haul unprotected in those conditions, I imagine any group of - oh I dunno let's say twelve - reasonable local people might agree that the dealer made a bad move.

xtn

You really need to find something to do with your time, all of you OCD people probably never had a job that got your hands dirty, they are probably as soft as your wives. It must be nice to have nothing to worry about except scratches or future rust!!

 

[bp fick]

Folks with boats, motorcycles, RVs, tractors, etc that live in really SERIOUS salt states face this issue. It is real. It isn't being overly snobby or fussy.

Most boat dealers HATE to transport trailered boats on these days. Same with RV people. They know that the salt will simply get everywhere and can really suck value out of the products. Some of it can be prevented by having pressure washing stations at the destination and pre-spray (usually using an oily film or wax coating prior to shipment). The auto companies spend millions spraying every car for transport before shipping by haul-a-way or rail.

The dealer apologized as that's about all he could do. But, he cannot be expected to do much more than what he did. It got shipped.

For those who don't live "up north", the number of days when there is slush/salt mixture actually is surprisingly few. They can be dodged and often are. But is a tractor delivery guy going to take that step of care? I doubt it.

Having said all of the above, I transport NOTHING during the winter, precisely for this risk. No boats, no RVs, nothing. The risk to polished aluminum, chrome, plating, etc, is simply too high. I also agree that the OP should have arranged for private transport where such "custom" transport are understood and a way of life. Sorry it happened. It's done. Tough one.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Folks with boats, motorcycles, RVs, tractors, etc that live in really SERIOUS salt states face this issue. It is real. It isn't being overly snobby or fussy.

Most boat dealers HATE to transport trailered boats on these days. Same with RV people. They know that the salt will simply get everywhere and can really suck value out of the products. Some of it can be prevented by having pressure washing stations at the destination and pre-spray (usually using an oily film or wax coating prior to shipment). The auto companies spend millions spraying every car for transport before shipping by haul-a-way or rail.

The dealer apologized as that's about all he could do. But, he cannot be expected to do much more than what he did. It got shipped.

For those who don't live "up north", the number of days when there is slush/salt mixture actually is surprisingly few. They can be dodged and often are. But is a tractor delivery guy going to take that step of care? I doubt it.

Having said all of the above, I transport NOTHING during the winter, precisely for this risk. No boats, no RVs, nothing. The risk to polished aluminum, chrome, plating, etc, is simply too high. I also agree that the OP should have arranged for private transport where such "custom" transport are understood and a way of life. Sorry it happened. It's done. Tough one.

I agree, a lot of people on this board from farther south don't understand the devastation that road salt plays on equipment. While most of VA doesn't use that much salt, my county is very mountainous and the roads are white with salt from about late December until March. The only time I trailer my equipment during those months is when the the roads are completely dry and preferably after some of the salt has been washed off. Hauling it when the roads are wet and salty is a recipe for trouble. My tractors are generally covered in mud, manure, plant matter, etc most of the year, and sometimes stay outside, but I won't let them get salt covered. Am I OCD, lol?

 

[xtn]

You really need to find something to do with your time, all of you OCD people probably never had a job that got your hands dirty, they are probably as soft as your wives. It must be nice to have nothing to worry about except scratches or future rust!!

Okay I am a softie. Irrelevant. You can insult me all you want. Irrelevant. Nothing you have said changes the fact that the owner asked for a service, the dealer said they would take care of it and then did exactly the opposite.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with using Salt Away, it has been praised on boating forums with similar concerns about rusting. If I lived in an area where this would be a big problem I would have this stuff on hand.

My suggestion would be to use the Salt Away product to clean the tractor up then clean the entire machine to your satisfaction. Spray a light oil or rust prevention film coating on the parts you deem necessary. Then pick your days to use the tractor, nothing wrong with that if it works for you.

I have been asked about snow duty here in the New Mexico mountains but when the roads are slick and the weather is bad I tend to park everything and do shop work if possible. I think it is cheaper in the long run, let the guys with old pickups/plows and county snow plows do their thing. Besides, inclement weather is not a time to do landscape work anyway.

 

[Weedbo]

I'll try these pics again. The white you see are not water droplets. It's salt. I was able to get it off the fiberglass but not the metal components.

A couple of clarifications:

1. I say "hobby farm" in that I use this machine to maintain a 150 acre property - not to farm. Mostly mowing. My hands are plenty dirty.
2. It does not have to be above freezing for roads to be dry. There are many sub-zero days when the roads are dry. So the dealer would not have had to wait very long to deliver on a dry day. Power-washing, however, unless you're inside, can not be done on a sub-zero degree day. And I never expected, nor did I ask for, the tractor to be delivered with a cover on it or in an enclosed trailer - that WOULD be unreasonable. I simply asked to have it delivered on a dry day.

 

[arsenix2001]

Unless you have something in writing stating your delivery agreement I think its going to be up to the dealer in how they are going to make it right. I feel your pain, id be ticked as he**. But just remember, since you said you had a good relationship, go about it nicely...even if your upset. You catch more bee's with sugar than vinegar. Hopefully they will help make it right. It basically needs a good anticorrosive scrubbing and oil wipedown/paintwork. At least thats the route id go if it were me.

 

[Mike Costello]

While everyone can state their opinions regarding this issue, one fact remains--the dealer failed to follow the wishes of his customer. If he couldn't do the whole job as requested, he should have declined doing the work. If that were my tractor, I would be upset too.

 

[tcartwri]

I'll try these pics again. The white you see are not water droplets. It's salt. I was able to get it off the fiberglass but not the metal components.

Unfortunately that is not salt residue, it is oxidation, and it is not going to come off as it is bonded to the metal. bummer.

 

[xtn]

Unfortunately that is not salt residue, it is oxidation, and it is not going to come off as it is bonded to the metal. bummer.

Yes. Enough water will desolve salt away. If you power washed it well, there shouldn't be any salt remaining. What you're looking at is the damage it caused while it was on there.

 

[Short Game]

They say that rust never sleeps. Salt is meth for rust.