Bought a 2014 FX Cruiser SVHO with only 12 hrs on it - MOTOR BLEW!

[pbcfr14]

I purchased a used 2014 FX Cruiser SVHO w/ only 12.9 hrs on it from a yacht management company who was selling for a client. The ski appeared to be in very good condition and the engine started right up and sounded amazing. The company seemed very reputable and it was cold and rainy that day so did not water test it. (shooting myself over that now). Took it out 2 days later. 1st day out had oil pressure problem. Took it to jet ski shop. Found out oil cooler was cracked. They told me that Yamaha no longer made the exact oil cooler for my ski but rather revised it after having problems for the past 2 years. Oil cooler was replaced. 2nd day out, engine blew! Diagnostic test showed piston hydro-locked due to water in the system and some rust was noted. They told me regardless that motor would have blown. They also said this was most likely due to improper flushing and then letting it sit for too long. Of course it's out of warranty. I spent a pretty penny for this ski but the yacht management company says they can't do anything about it. Bought ski w/ 12.9 hrs. Currently only has 13.3 hrs. My purchase agreement with the yacht management company says nothing about buying the ski "as-is" and I have yet to sign my name on the title! I haven't even registered it yet or made my 1st payment!  I am in the process now of getting legal advice on how to proceed. Just waiting for them to call me back. The attorney will no doubt inform me as to who is liable for what or if I'm just screwed. I do however also feel that Yamaha needs to stand by their product! If water got into the system due to a faulty oil cooler which needed to be revised after only 2 years then there should be some liability for that on their end as well! I don't know!  I guess I'm just airing out a little frustration and talking out loud...

[JIM'S PERFORMANCE]

I purchased a used 2014 FX Cruiser SVHO w/ only 12.9 hrs on it from a yacht management company who was selling for a client. The ski appeared to be in very good condition and the engine started right up and sounded amazing. The company seemed very reputable and it was cold and rainy that day so did not water test it. (shooting myself over that now). Took it out 2 days later. 1st day out had oil pressure problem. Took it to jet ski shop. Found out oil cooler was cracked. They told me that Yamaha no longer made the exact oil cooler for my ski but rather revised it after having problems for the past 2 years. Oil cooler was replaced. 2nd day out, engine blew! Diagnostic test showed piston hydro-locked due to water in the system and some rust was noted. They told me regardless that motor would have blown. They also said this was most likely due to improper flushing and then letting it sit for too long. Of course it's out of warranty. I spent a pretty penny for this ski but the yacht management company says they can't do anything about it. Bought ski w/ 12.9 hrs. Currently only has 13.3 hrs. My purchase agreement with the yacht management company says nothing about buying the ski "as-is" and I have yet to sign my name on the title! I haven't even registered it yet or made my 1st payment!  I am in the process now of getting legal advice on how to proceed. Just waiting for them to call me back. The attorney will no doubt inform me as to who is liable for what or if I'm just screwed. I do however also feel that Yamaha needs to stand by their product! If water got into the system due to a faulty oil cooler which needed to be revised after only 2 years then there should be some liability for that on their end as well! I don't know!  I guess I'm just airing out a little frustration and talking out loud...

You may want to check with State laws but here in Florida if you buy used it is as is, unless your paper work you sign shows a warranty on it.
There is no lemon law in Florida with used only new.

[pbcfr14]

Not what I wanted to hear! I'm in Florida too! Thx for the reply.

[wheresmike]

I hated for you man but when you buy used buyer beware.. I think your screwed... I always tell people low hours mean nothing it's usually the low hour skis that are neglected

[YoYamma]

They also said this was most likely due to improper flushing and then letting it sit for too long....

I do however also feel that Yamaha needs to stand by their product! If water got into the system due to a faulty oil cooler which needed to be revised after only 2 years then there should be some liability for that on their end as well!

Does your unit have Yamaha's transferrable five year warranty? The way Yamaha stands behind it's product is by offering them a reasonably priced five year protection called "Y.E.S."

Check your paperwork, see if you can find any reference to it. I suggest that you contact a dealer and ask them to check your VIN number (don't mention any problems, just have them check it) who knows maybe the previous owner purchased it when new. If so, then you can have it transferred into your name for free and you should be covered. It's a long shot.

Otherwise, I don't know how you could possibly expect Yamaha to cover a used ski that was damaged 'due to improper flushing' by previous owner. Hundreds of owners run these things in salt water and never bother to flush them out properly. Caveat emptor, hope you get it sorted out.

[wheresmike]

I don't think Yamaha has any responsibility here if there is no Warrenty the ski is 3 yrs old hours are irrelevant... You don't know how it was maintained the guy could have rode it twice in salt water and never flushed it

[pbcfr14]

Thx for the info! I did check and warranty expired. The only thing I was thinking about Yamaha holding some liability was due to the crack in the oil cooler, allowing water to get in the system. It should have never cracked w/ only 12 hrs on it. It was redesigned in 2016 due to the previous one having issues.

[ptscon]

How would a leaky oil cooler cause it to hydro-lock? The water would accumulate in the crankcase, oil doesn't get into the combustion chambers unless there's a seal issue.

Ski was probably partially sunk, maybe flipped over and took a long time to get un-flipped, or had hose hooked up for extended period of time without the engine running.

[wheresmike]

Man I hope things work out for you..this really sucks but you said it yourself you broke one of the biggest rules ... Never buy without a water test

[WaterDR]

If it were me, I too would seek an attorney.

The retailer who sold you the machine is under legal obligation to share anything about the machine that they may have been aware of.....so unless you can find some sort of proof they knew it had issues, you are in a rough spot.

If they are worried about their reputation you might get help from them, but otherwise, this is why you always ride before you buy.

Good luck