Backhoe Mahindra owners. Little help here please.

[wagne223]

The problem with that is at first it would happen off and on. Then it became much more frequent.

So. This is the second time I have tried to get them to fix the loss of power issue. The first time was a few weeks ago when they had my tractor for nine days to fix the transmission problem. When they "tried" to fix it they said they could not get the tractor to do it. Or replicate the said problem. And brought it back to me with transmission fixed. It took me about 20 minutes of using it the very next time I could to replicate it.

As far as documented. I have complained to Mahindra corporate in Texas. They said that they only see two things that have been repaired under warranty. Two?! I said they have fixed my tractor at least six times. When they asked the dealer about all the said problems that I've had he apparently said that his person who inputs the warranty items has not put them in yet.

You are right. It's costing me. A huge investment for me. Decided to go with Mahindra because of closest dealer to me, dealer has good service, seven year warranty, put together everything I wanted and saved money compared to Kubota or Deere, etc.

Mahindra. Toughest Tractors On Earth.

By documented I mean a repair order from the service dept that has all your info, tractor serial number, the exact complaint and the repair performed.

They should give you a copy every time the tractor is worked on.

It is that official document that a lawyer needs to file for lemon law. However , like I said, here you need 3 failed repairs for the exact same problem.

So while they are trying to fix your tractor, you need to be sure you are getting the receipt and that they have the correct info on them.

It is good that you can duplicate the issue for the tech as his word is important should you be able to file a case.

Hopefully it does not come to that.

Have you discussed trading it in either to that dealer or another brand?

I know you will probably take a 25% hit but maybe you can put this all behind you.

 

[tkevan]

Have you discussed trading it in either to that dealer or another brand?

I know you will probably take a 25% hit but maybe you can put this all behind you.

Maybe, maybe not. ALL brands are struggling with T4 EPA systems.

 

[Gasifier]

By documented I mean a repair order from the service dept that has all your info, tractor serial number, the exact complaint and the repair performed.

They should give you a copy every time the tractor is worked on.

It is that official document that a lawyer needs to file for lemon law. However , like I said, here you need 3 failed repairs for the exact same problem.

So while they are trying to fix your tractor, you need to be sure you are getting the receipt and that they have the correct info on them.

It is good that you can duplicate the issue for the tech as his word is important should you be able to file a case.

Hopefully it does not come to that.

Have you discussed trading it in either to that dealer or another brand?

I know you will probably take a 25% hit but maybe you can put this all behind you.

I have asked the mechanic to send me a copy of all repairs he has done. He said that would be no problem. They should all be in Mahindra database and he can print them off and send them to me in the mail. I haven't seen them yet. I was not demanding receipts of said work. My mistake. I was happy to have tractor back fixed with no cost to me. And then it kept happening. One issue after another.

I have discussed trading it in on a Kubota. One of two dealers told me I would probably be looking at a 15-20% loss. Right now I can't afford that. I would have to roll that into loan on new tractor and can't afford it. Nor do I want to. Nor do I want to let Mahindra get away with their obvious quality control issues with this particular tractor, and what it has cost me in time lost. I just wish Mahindra and/or the dealer would step up and make things right. What would it cost them? A few thousand dollars? How bad could that be for them? How bad can it be to have me continue on forums with my problems and losses. And then maybe I'll move to the big social media sites. And word of mouth is already spreading around here about my nice Mahindra I bought and all the problems I'm having with it.

But. I believe it is probably inevitable that a Kubota is in my future.

Ironic. When getting ready to buy I had a slightly used Kubota with similar package all put together and balked on it and went with this tractor.

Disappointing to say the least.

 

[Gasifier]

Whatever it is it has cost me dearly in time. I only have so many days off from job. So many days of workable weather.

So since I had my tractor delivered last February I have been able to put 260 hours on it. I took 260 hours and devided that by 8 hour work days to see how many full days I have had to work it.

260/8=32.5 full days of work.

As of today, I have lost right about that amount of days waiting for them to fix my tractor with all the different things I have had go wrong with it. 32-33 days I have been unable to do anything with it.

And they have it now.

That's 50% of the time I could have worked the tractor it has been down.

I try to imagine where I would be on my trail projects if I had the tractor working all that time.

Now the winter is setting in. Snow will be here and ground will be freezing up. Won't be able to work on them again until things dry up enough next spring or early summer.

 

[Btown]

Maybe, maybe not. ALL brands are struggling with T4 EPA systems.

Really All brands. I don’t read all the forums, but there are several I know I have not seen any issues. There are a several that have have a tractor or two with a minor issue. Seems to me the one with the most issues, brags that their design was superior to everyone else’s and that the other design will burn the whole planet down due to the high heat they produce. Yes some manufacturers did not spend enough money on research and development. Hopefully they fix the problems otherwise their tractors will be useless. Who would spend $30-60K on a tractor that is only good for the length of the warranty. Like I have said numerous time that time will tell which design is better, the DOC route or DPF route.

 

[mike69440]

These threads surely will cost Mahindra hundreds of thousands if not a million or more in lost sales given the number of people on the TBN forum. Mahindra is not known to be particularly responsive to customers. I hope my tractor needs are done foe a very long time, but I would not pay near JD or Kubota pricing if I ever considered another Mahindra, knowing the manufacturer does not have your back. You are lucky you have a dealer that is trying to work with you. The local dealer here helped me with my one warrantee issue also, even though I purchased out of state after shopping locally.

 

[tkevan]

Really All brands. I don稚 read all the forums, but there are several I know I have not seen any issues. There are a several that have have a tractor or two with a minor issue. Seems to me the one with the most issues, brags that their design was superior to everyone else痴 and that the other design will burn the whole planet down due to the high heat they produce. Yes some manufacturers did not spend enough money on research and development. Hopefully they fix the problems otherwise their tractors will be useless. Who would spend $30-60K on a tractor that is only good for the length of the warranty. Like I have said numerous time that time will tell which design is better, the DOC route or DPF route.

Pick your favorite brand and Google Regen Problems. You'll find some interesting reading.

 

[Gasifier]

I would be inclined to find a tractor that was slightly used, with very low hours, and the last year of a manufacturer that was pre tier 4. What year was Kubotas and Deere’s last ones?

 

[mike69440]

L45 is a rock

 

[Gasifier]

L45 is a rock

All the Kubota TLB series are rocks. I had an L35 and did all the same work I’m doing with this 50 horse Mahindra and I had ZERO problems.

I just can’t believe that Mahindra and my dealer haven’t just been willing to acknowledge to me that my tractor has had more problems than it should have. And then do something to make me a happy customer.

 

[Rustyiron]

I imagine your tractor is as big a "pita" to your dealer as it is to you. Hopefully your getting closer to talking with a Mahindra rep.. They need to do there part in your & the dealers nightmare.

 

[Teachu2]

I went shopping for my first new tractor a couple of years ago. Looked at Mahindra, Case, Kubota, John Deere, and Kioti.

The Mahindra dealer had the best bang for the buck, but no parts or service at the "dealership". He was really a finance company that sold trailers, and had added Mahindra tractors to expand his financing opportunities. He used a mobile mechanic for service.

The Case dealer was a Ag dealer, with one small tractor that met my needs. Nice, two-year-old machine with 86 hours of "demo" time, still priced at new price. He recommended the Kioti brand and the local dealer highly.

The LS dealer was a lot with a banner on the fence and a few tractors. Looked like they were waiting for the trucks to come repo their inventory. No parts or service.

The Kubota dealer was OK, just didn't have what I wanted and was lots higher priced. Their "affordable" tractors were lightweight.

The Deere dealer here is the largest dealer in the area, and is geared to big ag sales. They had plenty of small tractors, but their CUT salesman didn't know the product, the competitor's product, or the pricing on the tractor he was trying to sell me. He took my name and number, but didn't call me. Prices on new were comparable to Kubota.

The Kioti dealer is a well established local family-owned business with nearly a century of history. The grandson of the founder was my salesman. He helped me narrow it down to two models, then offered to bring them both to my property and let me demo them for the weekend - no strings attached. Full service and parts departments, factory-trained mechanics, great reputation, and about 30% less money for a tractor of comparable power and considerably more weight. They did a dealer trade to get me a brand new unit in the model I wanted, and the salesman personally delivered it to my property. The dealer they got it from had missed a couple little things on their initial assembly (like the nut that retains the steering wheel on the column) and I called the salesman on Sunday evening. They had a service tech at my place Monday morning, and he did a complete redo of the setup to make sure they didn't miss anything. After my 50-hour service, I had a very minor hydraulic leak. One morning, it had become much worse, so I loaded it up and hauled it to the dealer. The service manager came out and looked at it, ran back in the shop for some brake cleaner and a wrench, and had me fixed up in less than five minutes. Apologized for the trouble, and sent me on my way.

 

[Gasifier]

I received a further update from Mahindra person in Texas. After another complaint I sent to them.

Here is what they said:

The area service manager will be at the dealer on Wednesday 11/22/2017 to inspect your tractor. He is currently attending school in Houston this week and will not return to his area until Monday.

Thanks for your understanding.

 

[Btown]

Pick your favorite brand and Google Regen Problems. You'll find some interesting reading.

Did google search for Yanmar Reger problems. Other manufacturers come up not Yanmar. But like I said. Mahindra has a lot of issues the most of the others have a few issues. Deere and Kubota sell a lot more than Mahindra and have way less problems.

 

[jb1390]

Did google search for Yanmar Reger problems. Other manufacturers come up not Yanmar. But like I said. Mahindra has a lot of issues the most of the others have a few issues. Deere and Kubota sell a lot more than Mahindra and have way less problems.

Maybe. Most of us here don't have access to actual data to see what sort of problems Mahindra or other brands have or don't have on a regular basis. It's all anecdotal. I know I've read "lemon" threads of every color. Though I will say that the customer support from Mahindra should be way better during these issues - and I think if it were, you wouldn't see as many examples of this type of thread.

 

[jb1390]

I received a further update from Mahindra person in Texas. After another complaint I sent to them.

Here is what they said:

The area service manager will be at the dealer on Wednesday 11/22/2017 to inspect your tractor. He is currently attending school in Houston this week and will not return to his area until Monday.

Thanks for your understanding.

Before the rep arrives, I would do a few things. First, obtain a copy of all the service records the dealership has on your machine. Ensure that those records accurately capture the issues that have arisen. Pay special attention to the issues that they have attempted to fix with no solution.

Mahindra is not required to cover downtime, a loaner tractor, transport, or frustration expenses. However, they are required to fix issues (within a reasonable timeframe) that arise due to manufacturer defect during the warranty period. The magnuson-moss warranty act doesn't contain any explicit number of repair attempts before a refund, but from what I know a court will tend to follow automobile standards - which require a full refund after 3 repair attempts for the same issue. Unrelated problems do not count. You can have multiple unrelated issues with no requirement for a buyback.

Second I would clarify what exactly you would like from Mahindra. Do you want a buyback? Do you want a new Mahindra machine, either same or different model? Do you want a rebate on additional equipment? Do you want a loaner to be provided during repair periods? When I went through the process I realized that the machine was what I wanted and I probably wouldn't be happier in another color even if it was more reliable - due to the weight and physical size of the 3550. That may not be true for you. Also, my issues were early in the design cycle, and the rep and I agreed that even a brand new machine would have the same problems. Again, that may not be true for you. A buyback will probably be tough to negotiate. From what I have read of your situation/requirements, I would consider asking for them to provide an equal or larger machine in the event warranty work is required, and maybe a discount on an implement if you would be happy with that solution.

Once I met with the rep things improved in my situation. I ended up prototyping the restrictor design and provided Mahindra a write-up on how it worked. That's something I wasn't willing to do until the rep became involved since I did not want them to void warranty. The other major issue I was facing was limp mode - between the dealer and mahindra they sent someone out to reset that PRV count until they were able to reflash the firmware. For me, that solved the down time/transport time and the solutions caused my tractor to function properly for the last couple years.

I would still choose a 3550 if I had to do it again, but I don't think it's the perfect machine/brand for everyone.

 

[Rustyiron]

That's a very thoughtful post:thumbsup:
It seem's to be a trend in everything these day's. Design, build, sell, then let the consumer do their testing.

 

[Gasifier]

Before the rep arrives, I would do a few things. First, obtain a copy of all the service records the dealership has on your machine. Ensure that those records accurately capture the issues that have arisen. Pay special attention to the issues that they have attempted to fix with no solution.

Mahindra is not required to cover downtime, a loaner tractor, transport, or frustration expenses. However, they are required to fix issues (within a reasonable timeframe) that arise due to manufacturer defect during the warranty period. The magnuson-moss warranty act doesn't contain any explicit number of repair attempts before a refund, but from what I know a court will tend to follow automobile standards - which require a full refund after 3 repair attempts for the same issue. Unrelated problems do not count. You can have multiple unrelated issues with no requirement for a buyback.

Second I would clarify what exactly you would like from Mahindra. Do you want a buyback? Do you want a new Mahindra machine, either same or different model? Do you want a rebate on additional equipment? Do you want a loaner to be provided during repair periods? When I went through the process I realized that the machine was what I wanted and I probably wouldn't be happier in another color even if it was more reliable - due to the weight and physical size of the 3550. That may not be true for you. Also, my issues were early in the design cycle, and the rep and I agreed that even a brand new machine would have the same problems. Again, that may not be true for you. A buyback will probably be tough to negotiate. From what I have read of your situation/requirements, I would consider asking for them to provide an equal or larger machine in the event warranty work is required, and maybe a discount on an implement if you would be happy with that solution.

Once I met with the rep things improved in my situation. I ended up prototyping the restrictor design and provided Mahindra a write-up on how it worked. That's something I wasn't willing to do until the rep became involved since I did not want them to void warranty. The other major issue I was facing was limp mode - between the dealer and mahindra they sent someone out to reset that PRV count until they were able to reflash the firmware. For me, that solved the down time/transport time and the solutions caused my tractor to function properly for the last couple years.

I would still choose a 3550 if I had to do it again, but I don't think it's the perfect machine/brand for everyone.

First. Thank you for your ideas. I appreciate it.

Second. How do I obtain a copy of all the service records when they apparently don’t have them? I told the mechanic when he returned my tractor after fixing the transmission that I wanted a copy of everything that has been worked on. He said no problem I can pull that out of the Mahindra warranty data base, and mail them to you. I never got them.

Then, when talking with Mahindra corporate in Texas on the phone the lady told me that all they could see were two things that have been worked on. I said, “What? They have worked on my tractor at least six times. When her boss called and spoke to the dealer about all my problems the dealer apparently told him that his warranty person did not have them all in yet.

 

[tkevan]

Did google search for Yanmar Reger problems. Other manufacturers come up not Yanmar. But like I said. Mahindra has a lot of issues the most of the others have a few issues. Deere and Kubota sell a lot more than Mahindra and have way less problems.

Yanmar issues may be hidden as Deere issues for many as the small Deere classes use Yanmar engines.

BTW. Kubota had enough issues originally to do a recall on the units with the Reformer regeneration system.

 

[Btown]

Yanmar issues may be hidden as Deere issues for many as the small Deere classes use Yanmar engines.

BTW. Kubota had enough issues originally to do a recall on the units with the Reformer regeneration system.

Maybe I’m not search correctly but I can’t find any for John Deere either. Yes I know Kubota had a few issues at first, but they have appeared to have fixed it. I am not saying that any specific manufacturer has never had an issue either. The Tier IV systems are complex. Even the simple design that Mahindra uses is complex compared to a tier II engine. At some point all makes will have issues DPF’s will be full and need to be cleaned or replaced and DOC’s will fail too, just like catalytic converters fail on gas engines. Like I have said before only TIME will tell which system is better. But by then we will probably all have electric tractors