one thing after another....2012 Issues

[swatguy]

Tige has made that switch as well in the all digital arena except on their base r20 model

[snork]

I'm all for a all digital helm. How is it possible for a automated hands free operation without it? no more looking for a driver

[Mastercraftdave]

Originally Posted by bjames

I just got my boat back from its 10hr service and warranty issues. My problems were as follows;

1. Engine squeeking (low rpms) - They replaced the belt
2. Fron courtesy light not working - found out the mfg never installed the light, just the lense. ***?
3. P&P ballast - rear starboard ballast would not switch to bags - the valve would not turn all the way, something was lodged in the valve.
4. P&P ballast indicator would drop from 100% to 0% if you switch from bags to tank and back to bags. - Awaiting software update
5. Rub Rail vertical transition molding (at transum where rub rail steps down). The modling installation is terrible, its not tight against the gel coat and the metal molding overhangs the gelcoat causing my boat cover to snage between the hull and modling eventually tearing the fabric. They took photos to send to MC.
6. Replaced tower pylon anchor light base as it was cracked when I took delivery of the boat.

Although i consider my issues fairly minor (compaired to my last boat), I am still a somewhat annoyed that these shouldnt be happening on a $100K boat.

1,3,4 were the same problems that I was having. They changed the belt and the belt still squeaks similar to yours. They got the software update for the ballast and I am told that the ballast now works properly. On the new up date they took the times off of the PnP bags to allow for bigger bags which I have so I was very happy with that.

While they were looking at these problems they found that one of the values that switches from tank to bag was leaking water and that one of the limit switches went out on the value.

This is all covered under warranty however Mastercraft needs to get there act together. I can't believe that other ppl are having these problems.

But I guess with more technology comes a lot more problems. They are trying to make the boat too high tech.

[501s]

I have the perfect solution to all the tech problems.....

TEST OUT THE BOATS!
Give them to dealers or long time customers to test out, but test them out first!

[mikeg205]

I wish I had this problem - I had the same issues with my benz... MC wants to have the bleeding edge boats to beat out BU and CC. I saw a BU with all the electronics and it looks BA.

Agreed - its not cool and with the economy and boat sales being the way they are I am sure MC is doing their best. Time will only tell.

Anyway, If I could afford a new PS 214 or X-15+ and I was this upset...I would be in Venore tomorrow - hey they are always open to plant tours.

[Lars]

All these computers in boats are very similar to that in cars, except for one very important difference:
They make hundreds of thousands of cars and only hundreds or thousands of boats

I can only imagine that the R&D budget for a car is in line with their production numbers (aka way more)

What my bosses say at work making industrial control panels applies here too:

What costs $1 to fix in design costs $10 to fix in production and $100 to fix in the field.

[snork]

and $1000s to fix in loyalty

[JimN]

Originally Posted by Mastercraftdave

We bought a 2012 X45 this spring that we ordered from the factory with the 6.2L after making the switch from a 05 Malibu VLX. I had that boat for 7 years and never had one problem with it. First I must say that I love the X45. The boat is huge and drives awesome however we are constantly finding things wrong with the boat.

The first weekend we got the boat we took it to the river and it started running hot. Come to find out the water impeller was shredded into pieces and the boat only had 3 hrs. After figuring out how to change the impellor (which is by far the hardest to change), the next problem was trying to find one that matched up to mine. I eventually found one at west marine that cross referenced to the one we needed. After putting the impellor back in, the wire that connects the alternator to the battery caught on fire and shorted out the cable. We pulled the alternator off to find that the wire was completely melted off the terminal. With the little bit of wire that we had left we were able to make a new connection to attach it to the alternator. After that the boat ran fine and has been sense.

The only problem with the engine now is that the belt whines at higher RPMs. We had the dealer put a new belt on and it still whines. The mechanic said Ilmor said some will do this that it’s not a big deal?

Then on to the next issue, we have been having problem with the PnP system, the bags will fill but they won’t drain. The minute that you press drain, it goes to 0% and cuts the pumps off. Many people seem to be having the same issue and we had emailed Mastercraft and they told us they were updating the software. So with that being said, the dealer finally got the update from Mastercraft and installed it yesterday. The service guys called me on the phone to tell me that the ballast is working now however the switch that moves the gates from tanks to bags it leaking a lot of water out of it when it is switched to fill/drain the bags. I swear it is one thing after another. He is trying to order that part but I guess we will see where that goes.

Sorry about the rant but we paid a lot of money for this boat and I have had more things wrong with it than I did when I had my Malibu. Mastercraft needs to get their act together. We bought a Mastercraft because everyone raved about the quality of boat. I will say the boat is amazing in every way, I just don’t like how things are constantly going out/wrong. We have been in touch with the regional sales manager and he has been trying to help. He sent us a new wire for the alternator and the dealer installed it no problem/cost. The gel coat problem from the factory was fixed for free. So they are making progress, but I still shouldn’t be having these types of problems. No one should.

Ask your dealer if they took the effing boat out for a test drive before delivery.

[501s]

Can you imagine if the cruise control just surged to different speeds in a brand new car or if the seat belts worked when you got a software upgrade.

New boats with computers should come with a working computer from the factory. It's not a laptop or upod, it's a boat!

[mikeg205]

Unfortunately, product development vendor choices can lead to a product issue. Negative experiences lead to complaining (acceptable). I wonder how the rest of the population of 2012 product is doing.

As to cars surging to different speeds there were a few recalls if IIRC a few brands (too lazy to look up) here's the latest.. http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_new...floor-mat?lite

If it's mechanical if can screw up... and it's unfortunate.

It's cool that someone already found the vendor for the electronic display for the new MC's. I'm hoping the Ilmors are rock solid like the GM and Ford engines...would love a 2012 or 2013 in the next 5-6 years or so.