3 WK OLD GT 2554 ENGINE - NO OIL, DLR lol

[redlinefever]

Yes, you read it correctly. I purchased this $4000 piece of equipment from an "authorized dealer". After test riding it around the parking lot and questioning the Cub Cadet Sales Rep. for over an hour, I decided on purchasing this fine piece of equipment. When I inquired if it needed any type of service, they quickly replied "take it home lady and mow your arse off". I did, three times. Put a whopping 20 hours on it.

The first dilemma, the dang hood broke at the mounting bracket. Just great, only hit a bump in the driveway and it broke. Geez, good thing it wasn't a gopher hole in the field of pines. Never got that far anyway.

While cleaning the air filter for the umpteenth time, I decided to check the oil for grins. WHOA~ imagine my shock to find NO OIL on the dipstick. Given my 15 yrs. experience in the metals industry as an industrial mechanic, I knew right away the "black powder residue" on the oil dipstick and tube were the result of the bearings and possible other internal parts wearing rather quickly from excessive friction. Critical mistake, I added 12 oz oil to it so I could drive it on my car hauler. Then I opted to not drive it, but instead it took me almost an hour to manually winch it on the trailer - hey, I am a little person and it weighs almost 900 lbs.

After some small debating with the "qualified dealer" I left the unit for them to "determine what process to follow". Yeah right. I ask for another mower, never wanting to see that potential lemon again in my life. I was informed today that the hood was MY problem and they just changed the oil and filter in the mower and she was good to go. What an idiot.

Does anyone know how to contact the Cub Cadet rep. for FL area? I have a much needed discussion waiting for this young man. Thank you so much.

PS - I took three rolls of film of the engine situation and the immaculate condition I kept the mower in during my three weeks of ownership. Also have swatches I saved of the black powder residue.

 

[redlinefever]

Oops, I just seen my typo. it's a GT 2550 and it's three weeks old.

 

[JTKub]

Sorry to hear about your troubles! My take on it is; That Kohler had to have enough oil in it to keep it running for 20hrs. 20hrs in 3wks is a fairly strenuous pace for a brand-new machine. The Command series do have a low oil [not sure if it's pressure or level] shut-down switch, that will kill the engine supposedly before damage can occur. Did you check the oil level prior to the final incident? Unfortunately, as far as I know, CC could wiggle out of a warranty claim due to the fact that it is the owners responsibility to maintain proper oil level. If it's running fine, I'm thinking you will have a rough go with getting anything warranty wise.

Joel

 

[ToadHill]

If the Cub dealer is like some I've dealt with he'll tell you the engine warranty is an issue for the engine manufacturer.

 

[JTKub]

If the Cub dealer is like some I've dealt with he'll tell you the engine warranty is an issue for the engine manufacturer.

It is amazing how little most of them want to keep your business. Yup, Kohler is the one who would have to ultimately foot the bill on a warranty claim, but it would be a CC dealer's responsibility to do the initial diagnosis and contact a Kohler rep for instructions. An owner wouldn't be able to do any of the initial stuff.

Joel

 

[Fordlords]

The broken hood should be covered under warranty- that issue has come up here at TBN many times, all so far looked to be covered as a manufacturer's defect by the dealers. This is no secret, and there are bulletins out in regards to it and heat damage to the hood.

There probably is no issue with the engine. As mentioned, the Command has a low oil shutdown. It is 100% normal for the oil in any new small engine to turn a gray-ish color before the first oil change, I encountered this with my Honda engine at 10 hours and (although it scared me) it did not re-occur after the first oil change that I did immidiately thereafter. It is also a normal course of action to check the oil level in a new engine after the first few (5-10) hours of use and top the level off. I doubt any damage was done, and honestly doubt you could build a case with CC or Kohler with that unless you drained a sample of the oil for analysis in front of the dealer as a witness. Just monitor the oil level after each use and be sure it does not have excessive oil consumption.

-Fordlords-

 

[JSharp]

It sounds like there was at least some oil in the engine or the low oil shutdown would have prevented the engine from running. But am I reading this correctly? In the 3 weeks and 20 hours of initial use the oil wasn't changed and checked only once?

From my 2554 manual - IMPORTANT: The oil level should be checked every hour during the first 5 hours of use, and prior to every use thereafter.

There's also a note in the Maintenance section that says the shipaway oil should be changed within the first 25 hours of use.

Oil consumption wasn't an issue with mine and the shipaway oil was still clean when I changed it at 10 hours.

The hood issues have been discussed at length and this is the first time we've seen a dealer refuse warranty on them. It's a known problem and Cub seems to be happily replacing lots of hoods due to design issues and poor assembly. I'm sure a district guy can get your hood replaced wihout problem.

I've had issues with my tractor but I can't say enough good about my dealer. They've done all sorts of warranty work they could have fought over had they wanted to. But they didn't. Proof to me again that the dealer you buy from may be the single most important thing in the purchase of this kind of equipment.

 

[redlinefever]

Thanks for your help on this situation. Sorry if this looks like a book. Just trying to give all the right info I can. This has been A VERY, VERY expensive learning experience. I am disabled and have a very limited income, so $4000 is a lot of money in my book. Careful, you might slide down in my puddle of tears.

The mower had hours on it before I purchased it. I only mowed maybe eight acres total. I did notice the digital readout would flip through a lot of numbers when I started it. Did not make any sense to me.

I am mad at myself for not looking at the hour meter (& learning to read it) better before I bought it. The service guy admitted to using it for mowing their grass at the shop but I can't prove he said that to me. Including telling me they're getting mowers from some place in south FL that is sending them their bad units. HHMMMMM...... says every one of them has come back with problems. He's playing stupid now to keep his job.

The oil was not black in color, there was NO OIL on the dipstick when I checked it. NONE. Only black powdery residue, which is the result of excess friction. When aluminum parts wear against each other, the result is a feathery powder type of residue, which is usually the wax coating used on aluminum products as a lube during their production. Unlike steel, it tends to not get slivvers and shavings until the coating breaks down completely.

I know the engine has a low-oil cut-off switch, which apparently is NOT working. I checked all wires and connections. I did this every time I cleaned the mower after each use. I venture to say that mower is cleaner than when I purchased it.

Dealer said he changed the oil and filter and that puppy is mine. When I ask about it developing a knock or smoking when I use it, he said that it will probably be my problem. My heart almost stopped. Wow.

Dealer also claims the hood was my problem. Including where it was beginning to melt at the exhaust opening. There is plastic residue melted onto the exhaust pipe. He offered to sell me a new one for an enormous price. I told him to call Cub Cadet again, he had to be mistaken. He said he was positive it was not covered by any warranty and I had to prove there was a recall to replace the defective hood.

The cable casings are also melted away (first thing I noticed the first time I cleaned the air filter), where the throttle and choke cables cross over the metal box covering the muffler. It gets so hot, you can't check the oil or remove the air cleaner without gloves. And he could not explain why the engine brackets for removing the engine were very loose. Accused me of loosening the bolts, running the mower into a large object to break the hood mounts and removing the oil!

This time I think I have been taken to the cleaners by Cub Cadet and this new dealer. Too bad he was the only one selling this model within a fifty mile radius. I feel even more violated now and I have been nice to these people.

The new 07 warranty is for 150 hours, three years or zero if the dealer determines your warranty should be revoked. Never once did the Cub rep or the salesmen mention "hours" in regards to my warranty questions. Now that is some great customer service, way to keep the customers and their relatives & friends coming back for more! Now you know why I asked about finding a service rep.

 

[Kendall69]

Real simple, file a small claims court action for the full amount.

You have enough evidence to at least be athorn in his behind. Snce you have no other alternative, it's worth the small amount of filing fee.

I had a dealer quote me $500 for a service then when I went to pick it up the price jumped to $750 - I said see you in court.

I sued him for $2,600 - the amount I had to pay for sub contracted tractor service while he help my equipment hostage.

The dealer lost had to pay me the $2,600, plus he had to give me my equipment back at no charge.

I didn't want the money as it was principle - I immediately donated the $2,600 to the needy. I wanted the dealer to know he can not pull that "stuff" on people and get away with it.

Send your dealer and Cub Cadet a certified letter with the facts, give them 10 days, then sue the dealer.

 

[Fordlords]

I agree with Kendall69, I think you should pursue the dealer in court. I'm not sure what amount you can sue for in FL, but if you get a judge that is sympathetic enough and you can reasonably demonstrate your damages (as you have here) it is possible you could get your full purchase price back. It's worth a try. Perhaps just getting the notice to appear in court might be enough to get the dealer to back down.

In the time I have been participating on this forum, I have not seen a case of such poor dealer service from a Cub Cadet franchise. I have also not heard of any cases invloving any sort of district representative, I'm not even sure Cub Cadet has them. Hope this helps.

-Fordlords-