Warranty issue dispute with Kubota - Advice anyone

[MHarryE]

And the lead in photo, at least on my iPad, is an old Deutz. Talk about drift. It’s covered sexism, what derogatory name a person can give without being a cuss word, Kubota bashing, Kubota praising, misinformation that might result in people having engine failures. Still an interesting read as many thoughts tossed against the wall to see what sticks. If only we can get rid of the Deutz picture leading

 

[rScotty]

What were we supposed to tell him? And he wasn稚 asking for help. He was looking for a Kubota bashing party.

I don't see him looking to bash Kubota. What I see is a guy pointing out a mistake in the way that engine temperature is measured. Although he is using his own Kubota as the example, he is pointing out a common temperature gauge mistake that ought to be fixed.
rScotty

 

[ovrszd]

I don't see him looking to bash Kubota. What I see is a guy pointing out a mistake in the way that engine temperature is measured. Although he is using his own Kubota as the example, he is pointing out a common temperature gauge mistake that ought to be fixed.
rScotty

I see nothing wrong with Kubota's method of measuring engine temp. There are tens of millions of engines on the planet measuring the same way.

 

[rScotty]

I see nothing wrong with Kubota's method of measuring engine temp. There are tens of millions of engines on the planet measuring the same way.

That's right. It's a widespread problem because all those millions of engines are not actually measuring the engine temperature, they are measuring the temperature of the fluid circulating in the cooling system.

It's the traditional way to infer engine temperature and nothing wrong with doing it that way, at least so long as there actually is a fluid circulating in the cooling system.

The problem comes about because the type of temperature sensor in common use doesn't have any way to tell if it is measuring fluid temperature or air temperature. So if a leak in the cooling system lets the fluid out, the temperature sensor cannot tell the operator about it. The temperature sensor just reports the temperature of the air sitting in system while just a foot away the lack of coolant cooks the engine.

There are types of temperature sensors that don't have that problem, and other ways to improve the coolant gauge as well - but many manufacturers don't use the better type of sensor and gauge.....although some do.

We improve engines all the time. This is something that needs improving.

My hat's off to the OP for bringing the problem up.
rScotty

 

[airbiscuit]

So you think the OP shoulders no blame for his problem?

 

[rScotty]

So you think the OP shoulders no blame for his problem?

I don't know. I'm not stupid or a hermit ....so I know that figuring out who or what to blame is important to lots of people.
But for myself I never have figured out how to assign blame very well. So I'd probably be the last person to know much about who is to blame or for what.

Frankly, blaming things seems like a time waster to me. Who cares? If there's a problem I'd rather spend the time fixing it.

Instead of blame, what I'd rather think about is understanding how a tool or task should work.
And then figure if there is some way to make it work better. That's the fun part.

YMMV, and that's fine,
rScotty

 

[ovrszd]

I liken this to a flat tire.

I'm driving down the road and realize I have a tire going down. I'm 5 miles from home.

Choice #1. I keep driving on the flat tire. Then take the ruined tire to the store where I bought it and ask for hazard warranty to replace the tire.

Choice #2. I stop driving, identify the problem (flat tire), and fix it or replace it.

Is it the tire manufacturer's fault if I choose #1?

 

[airbiscuit]

In a previous post, I proposed several ideas for product improvement. That said, I do think it is likely the OP missed some common sense warning signs. That is why I don't lend my CUTs, chainsaws, etc. to others. I don't want my chainsaw straight gassed, or my tractor run out of vital fluids.

To those who think the OP has been treated badly because they don't think this will be covered by warranty, I say, would you be willing to lend your CUT to the OP unsupervised?

Part of the value of these posts, is that if your spidey sense goes up (steam coming out of the engine, coolant puked on the ground, engine stopping, hot smells, etc.). Maybe you shut shut it down and see what's going on.

 

[ovrszd]

Part of the value of these posts, is that if your spidey sense goes up (steam coming out of the engine, coolant puked on the ground, engine stopping, hot smells, etc.). Maybe you shut shut it down and see what's going on.

Absolutely!!!! That instinct has saved me a LOT of money over the years. I am OCD sensitive to the feel and sounds of any machine I am running. Surprisingly, my wife is even more sensitive to it than I. She may struggle to describe to me what she feels or hears but when I investigate I find something wrong.

 

[RickB]

Frankly, blaming things seems like a time waster to me. Who cares?
rScotty

Blame is the core issue here. If a Kubota supplied part failed due to a manufacturing defect, Kubota assumes the blame and shoulders the burden of the repair. This happens literally every business day of the year, every year.
On the other hand, if operator neglect, carelessness, oversight or improper training caused the failure, the blame shifts from the manufacturer to the owner along with responsibility for the repair. Every purchaser of Kubota equipment signs a warranty statement acknowledging how the warranty coverage works.

Third party assessments of design and safety features are not relevant to the discussion. The OP bought the tractor as equipped, verified that he was supplied with the proper operators manuals and assumes responsibility for the proper operation of the equipment.