Anyone have problems getting their tractor serviced from dealers they didn’t buy from

[tradosaurus]

Well, I was one of those people who went with a better deal from hours away from home and now I am having a hard time getting service on a warranty covered issue. Has anyone else ran into this problem? At the time 4000$ seem like a good idea to drive 6 hours away. Now I’m not so sure

Now imagine if you had bought a tractor from that dealer and still had a hard time getting service on a warranty covered issue.

 

[coobie]

Kioti make a decent enough tractor for the price, but the dealer network flat out SUCKS.

REALLY ? Not in my neck of the woods.Pretty broad statement saying the dealer network sucks.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Re: Anyone have problems getting their tractor serviced from dealers they didn稚 buy

That's typical whether you buy a tractor, car, Harley whatever and then try to get it serviced close to home base. That's why I always go back to my local dealer and offer them the opportunity to match/beat the deal that I've found. That way when I need a service and they gripe about buying somewhere else I remind them that the ball had been in their court and they dropped it. However, I still buy parts locally and so they see my face on a regular basis and they soon try to accommodate as best as they can. What seems to be the problem with yours? All the best, Dutchy

I've never had a problem getting something serviced by a non-selling dealer. They either represent the product or they do not. Dealerships make more money on the service side than they do on the sales side. One dealer I know was selling lift trucks for one dollar over their invoice so as to get the contract on servicing hundreds if not thousands of lift trucks.

If a dealership refuses to work on your product, then get them to say it or write it down and either record the conversation or keep the copy of their note and then report them to the commerce dept in your state. I sort of doubt a dealer is refusing to work because they run headlong into 70s era consumer protection laws (although Frank-Dodd updated those laws in 2010).

More likely if a dealer refuses a manufacturer's warranty, then either they do not have the qualifications to do the work, or they are waiting to get paid for prior work before taking more work in.

It has been a while since I visited my closest dealer, but at the time about two years ago they said that their territory rep was getting replaced and that they were having a super hard time getting authorizations from the factory to do any major warranty work as well as getting paid for existing work done and it was super frustrating. At the time I wondered if it was a procedural process issue, or if Kioti was dragging its feet. I never found out.

Whatever the case, I'd give the dealer the opportunity to clarify their position.

 

[rademamj1]

I really liked MinnesotaEric's comment, that one very good reason for any tractor dealer rejecting service work, is a lack of qualified service staff. And due to ongoing pandemic, these are uncertain times for any management.

Kioti dealerships more than most, just seem to struggle with maintaining qualified and trained service staff. So if a Kioti dealer fails to accept a tractor for service, it may just be he has limited or no service staff to do the work.

 

[justman777]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I have a dealer closer to me by a good bit. They seemed nice enough, but I got a great deal on my NX with 50 hours on it from a dealer much further away. Price was less than what I would have paid for a brand new DX at the closer dealer. My thoughts were I could always bring it back to the closer place for warranty work. But....I recently called them to see if I could get some warranty work done and the first question the service manager asked was "Did you buy it from us?" Of course, I said no, and the service manager proceeded to say "Oh....I'll have to ask my boss (the owner) if we can work on it." The conversation in the background went something like "Did he buy it from us? Well, we can take a look at it...but we have 5 jobs ahead of him." So I drove it up to them and left it with them for two weeks. During that time, they did absolutely nothing to it. I called to check on it once, and the service manager asked me "What hydro fluid did you put in there, because our tech is saying that cross fluid contamination is probably what's causing your issue. If that's the case, we have to call Kioti and see because your warranty would be voided."

I went and picked it up. Aside from the two weeks wait, that statement about cross fluid contamination (from a full fluid change) made me doubt their techs intelligence, and thus his ability to successfully diagnose and fix my tractor.

The service manager was a bit apologetic. Had the nerve to tell me they did manage to take a little bit of a look at it (probably that morning), but they weren't going to charge me, just to be fair. Thanks a lot. I'll never set foot on that dealer's lot again....not even to buy a filter. For context, I'm non-confrontational. I politely chatted with the service manager a bit, but he definitely got the vibe I was unhappy and that they had lost a customer.

I drove the tractor 2.5 hours to the dealer I purchased it from---Paige Tractor in Paige TX, and the difference was night and day. We sat in the owners office and he wrote two pages of notes on the issues I was having, and promised to have a tech look at my tractor within the next two days. Just good, friendly folks that have a great, customer service oriented business model. The only problem is they're 2.5 hours away. Had I known what issues I would have with the closer dealer, I likely would have bought another brand. Live and learn.

 

[seaofblue]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I have a dealer closer to me by a good bit. They seemed nice enough, but I got a great deal on my NX with 50 hours on it from a dealer much further away. Price was less than what I would have paid for a brand new DX at the closer dealer. My thoughts were I could always bring it back to the closer place for warranty work. But....I recently called them to see if I could get some warranty work done and the first question the service manager asked was "Did you buy it from us?" Of course, I said no, and the service manager proceeded to say "Oh....I'll have to ask my boss (the owner) if we can work on it." The conversation in the background went something like "Did he buy it from us? Well, we can take a look at it...but we have 5 jobs ahead of him." So I drove it up to them and left it with them for two weeks. During that time, they did absolutely nothing to it. I called to check on it once, and the service manager asked me "What hydro fluid did you put in there, because our tech is saying that cross fluid contamination is probably what's causing your issue. If that's the case, we have to call Kioti and see because your warranty would be voided."

I went and picked it up. Aside from the two weeks wait, that statement about cross fluid contamination (from a full fluid change) made me doubt their techs intelligence, and thus his ability to successfully diagnose and fix my tractor.

The service manager was a bit apologetic. Had the nerve to tell me they did manage to take a little bit of a look at it (probably that morning), but they weren't going to charge me, just to be fair. Thanks a lot. I'll never set foot on that dealer's lot again....not even to buy a filter. For context, I'm non-confrontational. I politely chatted with the service manager a bit, but he definitely got the vibe I was unhappy and that they had lost a customer.

I drove the tractor 2.5 hours to the dealer I purchased it from---Paige Tractor in Paige TX, and the difference was night and day. We sat in the owners office and he wrote two pages of notes on the issues I was having, and promised to have a tech look at my tractor within the next two days. Just good, friendly folks that have a great, customer service oriented business model. The only problem is they're 2.5 hours away. Had I known what issues I would have with the closer dealer, I likely would have bought another brand. Live and learn.

What was your tractor doing? And thanks for the reply. I feel like some imply I was rude or caused issues with the local dealer which I did not. They were polite and friendly and in the end it came down to about a 4000$ difference in price. I love the tractor and but I think I’ve learn my lesson. I will go back to John Deere with the next one.

 

[ishiboo]

I went to buy from my closest dealer, and they basically said they had to order the tractor, they couldn't tell me when it would arrive, I had to pay IN FULL before they'd order it, they couldn't provide me the serial number (which my credit union required before making the loan), etc. I called to let him know the next dealer had one in stock and unfortunately I would have to go with them due to those limitations, and he flat out told me that if I ever brought it in for service, I would be last priority over all the customers that purchased directly from them.

The dealer I bought from has been pretty good. Unfortunately, when I needed parts Kioti was not great with them.

 

[justman777]

What was your tractor doing? And thanks for the reply. I feel like some imply I was rude or caused issues with the local dealer which I did not. They were polite and friendly and in the end it came down to about a 4000$ difference in price. I love the tractor and but I think I’ve learn my lesson. I will go back to John Deere with the next one.

I have a long-standing issue with a suction side air leak that causes foaming in the hydraulic fluid. Tried a different filter housing, replaced every o-ring on the suction side, and tried a different fluid with the same results. The only thing we haven't replaced is the hydro pump, and I think that may be next.

 

[JimR]

Re: Anyone have problems getting their tractor serviced from dealers they didn稚 buy

I live in Taxachusetts and bought my leftover Kioti out in Wisconsin for a huge savings. The local Kioti dealer has always taken care of my warranty issues. My only issue with warranty work is getting KIOTI to help the dealer solve the problem and pay for the warranty work. They are cheaper than a guy that walks around with moths in his wallet. That is a big long story that anyone can read if they look up my posts. No dealer is going to push up your work over the jobs already inline to get fixed. I have seen that 3 times with my tractor with the same warranty problem. Maybe that would have been different if I bought it there. When you are talking 25% off you go the distance and don't think much about warranty work. You don't expect a new piece of equipment to be breaking down either.

 

[blucoondawg]

I haven't had issues, sometimes you just have a bad dealership. I bought mine from a ways away but at the time I didn't have a dealer here, when bobcat got out of tractors my local dealer picked up kioti to replace them so now I have a local dealer.