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Dear Arctic Cat

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CatRyder88

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2007
213
67
28
36
Ok so you bought your sled from a dealer that is 7 hours away and now you are having problems you expect the local dealer to bend over and help you? Why should he hang his neck out and give you a belt for free that he dosnt know if he will get payed for until cat calls the parts back and gives him a yes or no? You got to be sh!tting me? You probably never walked into the local dealer and price the sled. Just like I tell customers that buy thier stuff from another dealer sure I will fix it just as soon as all those other sleds out thier that were bought here are fixed. You can't expect the local dealer who you didn't eaven give a chance to sell you a sled to bend over backwards and do you a favor. Should be common sence. Support your own spend at home.

How can you make these assumptions? I actually have bought sleds there... Boats, Quads, Etc. I chose to go elsewhere for my last two sleds due to poor service. My point is they didnt give a rats azz about my belt problem. Not because i didnt buy my sled there (the people at the parts counter dont know i didnt buy my sled from them) and didnt even bother to look into it for me. Probably because everyone here just buys a sled to put on the deck of their big jacked up truck a just drive around all winter showing it off and dont actually drive the thing. Next time dont jump to conclusions.
 
Seems odd this is happening on the 1100T. Isn't this a tried and true motor for several years now? I wouldn't claim to be an expert in this area. I was hoping for a very successful factory turbo mountain sled. I am a fourstroke guy, of course that means Yamaha, but I can change that easy enough. I was hoping this might be the sled. Funny how some folks still bash Nytro's, I have an RX-1 that I still truly enjoy, But, it is not stock either. Good luck and my best to you all.
 
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snobyrd

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2007
1,130
427
83
northeast bc
North gate Honda are all retards, I don't even want to start, ft st John and Chet are idiots as well , my next sled is common from echo. I called there today about a pc track that delamanated , echo said it should be looked at for warranty, I told him my dealer would not warranty my hit grips,rollers,key assembly that melted from inside and pealing paint of my brand new a arms, echo said all that's warranty, plus echo gave me a smokin deal on a cameo extm 2.5 better than Trax Canada , so there gonna get my $$$ next time
 
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CatRyder88

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2007
213
67
28
36
North gate Honda are all retards, I don't even want to start, ft st John and Chet are idiots as well , my next sled is common from echo. I called there today about a pc track that delamanated , echo said it should be looked at for warranty, I told him my dealer would not warranty my hit grips,rollers,key assembly that melted from inside and pealing paint of my brand new a arms, echo said all that's warranty, plus echo gave me a smokin deal on a cameo extm 2.5 better than Trax Canada , so there gonna get my $$$ next time

Finally someone who knows where I'm comin from.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when I should be checkin wells!
 
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jkjasperson

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2008
201
129
43
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Finally someone who knows where I'm comin from.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when I should be checkin wells!

True, the point I was trying to make is the dealer dosnt know at the time the work is being done whether he will get payed for it or not. Some warranty claims are cut and dried and some are not( belts). So why would a dealer that didn't sell you the sled hang his neck out and warranty a belt for you when he might end up eating the price of a belt when cat declines his claim. Put yourself in his shoes would u take that chance? Out of about 12 belts we have turned in this year we have only got 2 that cat payed for the rest got declined.
 
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deadcat

Active member
Nov 27, 2007
268
33
28
Castle Rock CO
Brp

Shhhhh. Have not heard this much whining since the XP. You are providing evidence. If Cat loses the lawsuit there will be not Cat cash.
 
W
Dec 12, 2010
112
21
18
Camano Island WA,
at what point does lemon law come into affect and you could get a full refund on your money? i know my sleds been in the shop 4 times already from broke chain tensioner to bad primary clutch and 2 times for this reverse issue...
 

O.B.

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Mar 24, 2008
297
54
28
missoula mt
My reverse quit at 6 tenth of a mile and reverse was the main thing why I got it the yamaha did't have it. But it works so well I don't give a ****. Nothing is perfect the first year out. There has always been problems on the first model year.
 
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aksnopro

Well-known member
Mar 11, 2008
1,999
1,141
113
Palmer, Alaska
www.mtfak.com
05 m7 one dd seal recall and some melting wires, 3500 trouble free miles.

We can all handle issues, we cant handle them tellig us theres nothing wrong and making us buy belt after belt with "nothing wrong"

-aksnopro
 

Phizzer

Well-known member
Premium Member
Oct 23, 2008
1,219
422
83
39
Ketchikan, AK
True, the point I was trying to make is the dealer dosnt know at the time the work is being done whether he will get payed for it or not. Some warranty claims are cut and dried and some are not( belts). So why would a dealer that didn't sell you the sled hang his neck out and warranty a belt for you when he might end up eating the price of a belt when cat declines his claim. Put yourself in his shoes would u take that chance? Out of about 12 belts we have turned in this year we have only got 2 that cat payed for the rest got declined.


I have to chime in here...I don't care where you buy your sled from. A Arctic Cat Dealership is REPRESENTING the Arctic Cat product. It does not matter where in the hell you buy your sled at, the dealer is there to take care of YOU whereever that may be. If Im on a 3 week riding trip throughout Canada or the lower 48 and my sled has an issue, do you expect me to truck all the way home to my dealership in Alaska to get it checked out? No. Im going to google the nearest dealership, go in, get my sled fixxed, and ride. It's not my responsibilty that the dealership has a hard time "warrantying" parts. I spent money with you, Arctic Cat, and now if I have a problem, Arctic Cat needs to fix it. And if I were in the same shoes as the dealership, I WOULD go out of my way to fix every Arctic Cat that came through my door. Sure its a little extra work for me, I have to deal with the claims department at AC, but who do you think is going to be getting the service Warranty money from AC? Isn't this why I became a dealership? Not just to service the products that literally roll out my door, but to service the ARCTIC CAT PRODUCT. A GOOD dealership, no matter where it is, should ALWAYS take care of its customers, ie. ANY ARCTIC CAT owner, regardless of where they may have purchased it from.
 
B
Nov 27, 2007
151
13
18
Just what I would expect to do. Pay $11000 + for a machine and be told to not use certain things on it. Cat does have everyones email address and phone number and if they really gave a sh** they would contract everyone by email or send a letter. Not pin it on the dealers. Yes if the dealers are aware of the problem they too should notify the customer. But Cat can contact all the customers that purchased their products. I feel for you guys who spent the $$$$$$ on the machine and are having these problems. Sounds like Cat should recall every machine till they remedy the problem. I have an 11 M1000 and love the sled. Almost bought the 12 pro climb but thank god I never. Ive owned Cat and Yamaha over the years and I like all my Cats. But have to say as far as customer service and fixing problems no one compares to Yamaha. I think Cat teaches their reps and techs to respond only with "I am not aware of that problem." Thats basically the only response I ever got from a Cat rep or tech regarding a problem. Good luck guys. I guess one blessing, at least around here is there is not a ton of snow.
 

AKSNOWRIDER

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Dec 25, 2007
8,882
4,431
113
62
anchorage
True, the point I was trying to make is the dealer dosnt know at the time the work is being done whether he will get payed for it or not. Some warranty claims are cut and dried and some are not( belts). So why would a dealer that didn't sell you the sled hang his neck out and warranty a belt for you when he might end up eating the price of a belt when cat declines his claim. Put yourself in his shoes would u take that chance? Out of about 12 belts we have turned in this year we have only got 2 that cat payed for the rest got declined.
the dealer should be able to take pics right then, and call it in..should be instant response...and yes you can take your sled to any factory authorized dealer for warranty work...I ran into a deal where the selling dealer removed the t-stat and plugged the bypass hose on 1 of my sleds years ago..2 yrs later it lost a crank, took it to a different dealer and they called back a few days later and said..its not warranty because I modded the cooling system..went into the dealer..told them flat out..I have never touched it except for maintanence, selling dealer must have..call polaris and the other dealer and get it figured out..polaris covered it(other dealer had to pay to have the mods put back stock)...
 
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akhammer

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
303
50
28
anchorage, AK/ SLC Utah
My reverse quit at 6 tenth of a mile and reverse was the main thing why I got it the yamaha did't have it. But it works so well I don't give a ****. Nothing is perfect the first year out. There has always been problems on the first model year.

It varies state to state, I know I qualify in ak
 
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CatRyder88

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2007
213
67
28
36
the dealer should be able to take pics right then, and call it in..should be instant response...and yes you can take your sled to any factory authorized dealer for warranty work...I ran into a deal where the selling dealer removed the t-stat and plugged the bypass hose on 1 of my sleds years ago..2 yrs later it lost a crank, took it to a different dealer and they called back a few days later and said..its not warranty because I modded the cooling system..went into the dealer..told them flat out..I have never touched it except for maintanence, selling dealer must have..call polaris and the other dealer and get it figured out..polaris covered it(other dealer had to pay to have the mods put back stock)...

I actually had that happen with my 2010 m8 when I blew the motor. They took pics. Emailed them and had a answer the next day. No questions asked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk when I should be checkin wells!
 
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catweasel

Well-known member
Feb 20, 2010
221
136
43
Jackson, WY
www.jacksonholeargo.com
I would like to explain why I was so pizzed yesterday, and for that matter, why I am still pizzed today. Not to get too much into my personal life, I spent Most of Dec flying back and forth to Atl to sit by my mom's bedside in the hospital in ICU watching her fight for her life. She finally passed two weeks ago, which entailed another week and half in Atl. I did not want that ride yesterday, I needed it. Man did I need it. Some exercise, fresh air and get my mind clear. Of course, Cat screwed me out of that.

Anyway, I thought about what Cat could have done differently. How about a letter or bulletin that says this-

"We at Arctic Cat are aware of an issue with the reverse in the M1100 Turbo. Unfortunatly, we are on a tight productions schedule and have not had time to fix the issue yet. We highly suggest you do not use your reverse until you have a dealer install the upgrade kit we have to fix the issue. Thanks for you patience".

No biggie, I would still be riding instead of waiting on gears and the upgrade. It makes no sense, because now Arctic Cat has to supply new gears and the kit. BTW, the kit is some washers, shims and forks, that is it.

How about for the 800 guys eating belts?

"We at Arctic Cat realize there is some issues with our new Proclimb 800's belts failing. We have shipped a bunch of spare belts to our dealers. We have authorized them to supply 2 extra belts to any Proclimb 800 owner experiencing premature belt failures. Also, on top of the 2 spare belts, if any owner brings in a belt that has failed prematurely, your dealer is authorized to immediatly replace it. Our goal is for you to enjoy your new snowmobile while we work on a fix for the issue. We promise to have a fix developed and thanks for your patience."


Now, as for my dealer, I have not gotten the fuel filter bulletin either from them. I have seen a video of a M1100 Turbo on fire and burning because of the fuel filter.

So, here is my letter to them-

Dear Dealer,
I just want to thank you for keeping me up to date on the bulletins for my sled. I now have a broken sled and had a fuel filter installed incorrectly that could have burned down my sled. I also have seen a bulletin about a loose nut on the steering tie rod. You have obviously been on the ball about keeping your customers up to date about issues, some of which could injure or kill someone.

Why am I telling my dealer about service bulletins instead of you telling me? Do you not see something wrong here? Do you want my sled to burn? Do you want me to lose steering and kill myself? Are you having a good chuckle over me spending $14,000.00 on a sled I bought from you and now being down for possibly weeks with only 58 miles on it?

I went to another dealer only 10 miles from where my new sled broke. He not only knew about the issue, he contacted the four individuals he sold M1100 Turbos too, and immediatly ordered the upgrade kit for them. He also offered to loan me a new M1100 Turbo demo to use until mine was fixed and I did not even buy my sled from him. I already knew this was a warranty issue, but I asked him anyway. You know what he said? "I am sure it is, but it doesn't matter because I am going to make it right" Holy Chit! He has now earned my business for life. I asked him to contact me on any future bulletins and he agreed. I am speechless. This might be the greatest dealer alive! Hell, I might name my first born after him! You could learn alot from Darren at Mid Valley Arctic Cat.

As for you-I am done with your dealership. When you potentially put my life in danger because you do not have the time to check for bulletins or contact me about them, I am finished with you. I am a consumer. I do not have access to the Cat Dealership website to check for bulletins. I have had to find them on chat boards. You do have access and it is your JOB to tell your clients about them. My advice-get your head out of your *** because you can not see the computer to read the updates with it in there.

Here endeth the lesson.
 
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jim

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
1,014
635
113
Boise
Anyone else notice that dealer service has declined in the past several years? They don't make anything off of sleds and everyone wants to go online and buy stuff as cheap as possible, instead of paying 10% more from dealer. This is what happens. Be selective. Getting to where you are on your own. My dealers are still great...but doesn't sound like that for everyone.
 
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catweasel

Well-known member
Feb 20, 2010
221
136
43
Jackson, WY
www.jacksonholeargo.com
Anyone else notice that dealer service has declined in the past several years? They don't make anything off of sleds and everyone wants to go online and buy stuff as cheap as possible, instead of paying 10% more from dealer. This is what happens. Be selective. Getting to where you are on your own. My dealers are still great...but doesn't sound like that for everyone.

This whole fall and winter have been a disaster. Delays in production and shipping, issues with the sleds while still in production, Cat not acknowledging any issues or listening to thier customers, dealers not being able to get basic parts, dealers not informing clients about bulletins and issues, and the list goes on. All on thier 50th anniversary.

What I don't think Cat gets is that more damage can be done to a company than releasing a defective product. How they handle it can damage them far worse than the actual defect.

After being with Cat for 18 years, I will stand by them, but after reflecting some since my sled broke yesterday, my patience is really thin right now. Them taking over production of thier own engines scares the crap out of me after this mess.

Anywho, I am done bitching. I have said my piece and it is time to move on. I hope I can get my sleds issues worked out, get to ride, salvage what is left of the season, have some fun. I also hope Cat and thier dealers do something to build back the trust I once had in them.

I really do love my M1100T and look foward to ripping up the backcountry with it. :)
 
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CatRpillar

Well-known member
Oct 9, 2011
874
723
93
Wild Rose Country
I think a fundamental issue behind this all is Cat's releasing too many new models in one year. Sales have skyrocketed but customer service deteriorated, obviously, with their attention focused on sales, and just getting that many sleds together and out.

Catweasel - hang in there and sorry about your Mom. Lost my mom and dad in 2010 and hadn't sledded in 7 years due to back problems. Getting on that snow machine can be a great way to clear your mind.
 
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