Kubota Regen Warranty Policy Change?

[RickB]

Your dealer could help the situation immensely had the tech been aware of the software version installed on your tractor when he performed the forced regen. Having a question about what version is installed is inexcusable.

 

[SDT]

Your dealer could help the situation immensely had the tech been aware of the software version installed on your tractor when he performed the forced regen. Having a question about what version is installed is inexcusable.

The Kubota rep knew the SN of my tractor. Indeed, email/text messages were exchanged between dealers tech and Kubota rep while dealer tech was here.

This issue was "confirmed" prior to delivery, and I was told that the tractor had the latest firmware load. The latest word, however, is that the SN of my tractor is very close to the SN when the update was implemented at the factory so, maybe not. I advised dealer to simply load the latest update to be sure but Kubota will not authorize doing so (at least not yet) and dealer will not be paid for doing so.

Stay tuned.

SDT

 

[RickB]

The Kubota rep knew the SN of my tractor. Indeed, email/text messages were exchanged between dealers tech and Kubota rep while dealer tech was here.

This issue was "confirmed" prior to delivery, and I was told that the tractor had the latest firmware load. The latest word, however, is that the SN of my tractor is very close to the SN when the update was implemented at the factory so, maybe not. I advised dealer to simply load the latest update to be sure but Kubota will not authorize doing so (at least not yet) and dealer will not be paid for doing so.

Stay tuned.

SDT

Irrelevant if the tech had noted the version actually programmed into the ECU. Verifiable and easily transmitted to Kubota.

 

[SDT]

Irrelevant if the tech had noted the version actually programmed into the ECU. Verifiable and easily transmitted to Kubota.

That may be, Rick, and I'm not questioning your knowledge, but that is not what I was told.

Rather, I was told that there is uncertainty regarding the firmware load in my tractor.

Of course, this could be a way of putting me off in an attempt to avoid paying a warranty claim.

I was told that the Kubota tech rep wanted to see "if it happened again" before investigating further. What!

Thanks for your advise.

SDT

 

[AllDodge]

Why not just go ahead and use the machine while it is regening? You obviously had a plan to do something with it by starting it up. They don't have to sit while regening, just need to keep running at high, normal to me rpms, while working and don't shut off till finished per light on dash.

Fired it up to move out of the way so I move my boat after winterizing it, and a bunch of other summer things to the back of the barn. Just cut all my grass 2 days earlier so its all done, probably won't use it again until spring. Still need to change the motor oil, and do the 50 hour hydraulic filter change (tad early), but that's it.

 

[ultrarunner]

In my profession I continue to see dead reliable and serviceable equipment replaced or updated with electronics... and almost always the reliability and utility suffers and the cost increases...

In time... the bugs are often worked out and if you are lucky the fix will be incorporated to existing owners... if not... you are just the unlucky owner stuck... while the sales people will say the new and improved model is far superior as an incentive to buy...

As Lemon Law Arbitrator for my State I have made some interesting decisions and all have stood up... mostly vehicles but also construction defects.

Had a customer that was a true car affection-ado for one particular model and order the first of a new model sight unseen...

It arrived and he could not have been happier... but then it kept having to go in the shop and since it was new... parts were really not in the system yet...

Several times he had it in for the same repair and often the part had a new part number... as design changes were made.

He loved the car but did not want to own it out of warranty due to history... the Factory Rep said all the problems had been addressed and he would not have anymore problems...

I took his list and based on the testimony from the Factory Rep gave my decision to extend the warranty on those items to 100,000 miles or 3 more years, which ever came first...

The customer accepted but the manufacturer was most unhappy... stating they would have preferred I order a buy-back as the reality of having one single vehicle with it's own special extended warranty was a logistics nightmare... all I did was listen to both parties and made the manufacturer back up what it said...

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Fired it up to move out of the way so I move my boat after winterizing it, and a bunch of other summer things to the back of the barn. Just cut all my grass 2 days earlier so its all done, probably won't use it again until spring. Still need to change the motor oil, and do the 50 hour hydraulic filter change (tad early), but that's it.

I understand. I moved my BX, F and L3901 into my barn yesterday for the winter. L is last one in so it will be back out if we get any snow this year. I checked hours on my L and they are 182, I have been using it a bit for the year and a half or so I've owned it. I only know of one regen or maybe two and the reason I knew is because of the heat I could feel and smell and then looked at the light.

 

[Kanook]

Following.....This issue has been going on for 4 or 5 years with the B3350. My dealer steered me to the B2650 back in 2014. They seem to be particularly prone to failure in colder climates (like where I am) because the engine can't build up enough heat in winter to complete a regen. I've seen a few used ones that I would have been interested in getting adding to my 'fleet' but the ongoing reliability issue has shied me away.....

 

[RGAZ]

Following.....This issue has been going on for 4 or 5 years with the B3350. My dealer steered me to the B2650 back in 2014. They seem to be particularly prone to failure in colder climates (like where I am) because the engine can't build up enough heat in winter to complete a regen. I've seen a few used ones that I would have been interested in getting adding to my 'fleet' but the ongoing reliability issue has shied me away.....

You would think that if the issue is building enough heat, Kubota would pop for a heat shield kit or at least recommend it so the DPF gets hot enough, but no, they "suggest" (no one will commit) that if I put that on it will void the emissions warranty. (see my post on Header wrap)

So, here we are, a known problem with a possible fix or at least a band-aid, and nothing from kubota. Just more run-around.

I hope Kubota is listening to their customers. This thread should be of interest to them if they gave a ......

RGAZ

 

[sunnyside360]

That's what I did.

Regen light came on while mowing. Not flashing, just on. Good. 18.2 hours, I'm going to pay attention to the first regen not forced by dealer's laptop. I had not noticed light until I smelled heat and started looking around for electrical smoke.

Been mowing only a few minutes and temp gage went from 2 bars to 3 so increased RPM from just over 1,800 to just over 2,000. Beeping starts so looked at display and lamps. No lamps on aside from regen lamp. Not flashing.

Continued mowing. Engine shut down and will not restart so walked back to house and called dealer. Dealer is less than five miles away and I'm a good customer so tech showed up in about thirty minutes with laptop.

Code is exhaust over temperature. What? I thought that regen issues were caused by exhaust temperature too low??? Had been mowing only about 15 minutes (make work to put hours on new B3350) and engine just coming up to temperature, which is why I had not yet been running at 540 PTO RPM.

By now temperature has cooled down so tech tried to start engine and it did. Drove tractor back to (my) shop and tech performed forced regen without incident. This is the third forced regen performed by dealer, counting the pre-delivery regen. Neither tech nor I knew that tractor would start after cooling down. Good to know, as tractor was about 1/4 mile from barn on state highway right of way about 10' from pavement. Had backed tractor down bank and mower was on skid rails so would have needed to pull out with one of my other tractors but had no other driver.

Kubota rep rejected dealer's warranty claim claiming "operator error" without even speaking to me, the operator. Rep also said that he "believes" that my tractor has latest firmware upgrade INTENDED TO ELIMINATE THIS ISSUE, but is not certain due to SN of my tractor being very close to SN when change was implemented. What! Of course, I refused to pay dealer's service call invoice for obvious reasons.

This Kubota policy is manifestly unfair to their dealers, and it puts them in a no win scenario. Any wonder why many dealers refuse to sell the B3350 and other machines with the same engine? One wonders if this is not the intent???

Stay tuned.

SDT

I have a Kubota ZD 1511-72 Z-turn mower which uses the exact same engine as the B3350 according to dealer tech. I had identical same experience you described for my first regen. Dealer tech came over with his laptop and found the same code your tractor had. That was over 1.5 yrs ago and I've had NO regen issues since with over 140 hrs on the meter. It regens about every 10 to 11 hrs so that's more than 12 or 13 regens since new. I've heard most all B3350's and ZD1511's run and regen without issues after the first regen. My first regen service call was covered by Kubota -- no problem there.

Recently had my Kubota RTV-X1100 over at the dealer for 600 hr maintenance. The service tech asked me how the ZD1511 was running since that first regen failure. He said if I had any problems to call them because there was another software change to help eliminate the regen issues but only as required.