Yanmar After Sales Service.

[kiwikol]

I am currently experiencing appalling after sales service from Yanmar here in NZ (Asia, Middle East and Oceania) and cannot believe I’m the only one. My particular problem involves an assembly fault from manufacture, but only recently discovered, which has resulted in corrosion of the heat exchanger. The JH series motor is now out of warranty but Yanmar have proved to be exceedingly poor in meeting their mission statement……"Your satisfaction and goodwill are important to us and to your dealer."

Apart from the assembly fault, I have always been worried that no sacrificial anode is fitted to these engines but the manufacturers said it’s because “the material is aluminium alloy therefore no zinc required” . Can this be true? Could the lack of a zinc be a contributory factor to the corrosion?

I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has had similar problems dealing with Yanmar - and I have some advice for anyone contemplating purchasing a Yanmar engine – be certain you want to!

[Bedouin]

Welcome to Cruiserlog Kiwikol.

I don't know you model of motor but you mesion a heat exchanger so I assume by that the motor has it's own independant cooling water seperate from the sea water and the engines water is cooled by the heat exchanger transferring the heat into sea water. If that is correct then your alloy motor does not need annodes; but I would certainly use an inhibitor mixed with the water.

You didn't mension what the assembly fault was??

I have a Yanmar in Bedouin and the twice I sought help from Yanmar in Australia they went all out to help even by calling me back when they realised I was using a mobile phone. Sorry to hear your having the same.

Regards

Peter

[kiwikol]

3JH3 is some 7 yrs old but only done 730 hrs. I originally questioned the lack of anodes but was informed that the heat exchanger was aluminium alloy and didn’t need them! (Really?- I wonder what Nigel Calder would say??). I recently noticed some salt encrustration around the end cap of the exchanger and on removing it discovered that the ‘O’ ring had been assembled out of position, resulting in corrosion of the casting where the ‘O’ ring should have been, and also that the end cap had cracked. Despite the warranty having expired (obviously), the problem was an assembly fault from manufacture – no question! The agent was contacted over two months ago yet despite my numerous follow-ups to the agent, I had heard nothing from Yanmar. By chance (!), I met recently with a divisional manager who informed me that Yanmar “does not deal directly with customers”, and also that the user manual requires specific periodic inspection of the exchanger which I hadn’t done. The manual does NOT ! Yanmar has been totally uncommunicative, and now defensive – certainly not sympathetic. I could go on at considerable length, but sufficient to say that Yanmar’s mission statement is an absolute farce, and with the benefit of hindsight I would never choose Yanmar again. My experiences with them must rate as the most frustrating I have ever endured from any major company. They have now just informed me (after over two months delay) that they accept no responsibility - and it looks like I am expecting a bill of pehaps $1000 from the local agent to do a Belzona repair! I'm currently looking at pursuing action through the Consumer Guarantees Act. Anyway, good to know that there are some benefits for you living in Oz !