Arctic Cat won't stand behind their products

[CustomerService]

Arctic Cat owners BEWARE!!

I am speaking from my own experience and please read for personal information only. One rider bringing light to other riders. In May of this year I purchased a new 2015 Arctic Cat Mud Pro 1000 LTD from a reputable dealer in Oakwood, Ontario. I am writing this today to inform everyone of my experiences with both the dealer and Arctic Cat once I had substantial problems with the bike. I am sure that I am not the only one who has had similar dealings with this brand. I feel that it is fair that everyone should know exactly what they are getting into before making a substantial purchase and what you can expect from Arctic Cat Customer Care. With the amount of competition that is in the power sports industry you deserve to have your hard earned dollars put towards a product and a company that you can rely on.

Here is the situation that I am currently in... On every trail ride this year (I have been on 5) I have been towed out on all 5 occasions when the bike shut down on me. I continued to bring it into the dealer where I purchased the machine after every ride. Not only is this an inconvenience of not being able to finish a ride, my expenses of taking the bike in/picking up and being without a bike for most of the summer because it is constantly in the shop. I got the run around the first few times saying it was the mods that I put on the bike which were dealer installed, so they took them off. I continued to have problems and after the 3rd time being pulled out of the bush I called Arctic Cat Customer Care to inform them that the bike has less than 60km on it and it continues to shut down on me. I was informed that it is a "dealer issue" and I'd have to deal with them. After the 5th time of taking the bike into the shop because the engine was flooded once again I was told by the dealer that they are not going to fix my bike due to the fact that water went down the snorkels, which was never the case on any ride. I decided to take the bike to another dealership to see if they could diagnose the issue. They called my original dealer in Oakwood, Ontario to find out what the scoop was. After hearing their reasoning they took apart the snorkels, inspected the air filter and air box all to which were clean with no remnants of water being in there at any point. When they took the air box off it was pointed out to me that the throttle bodies were full of mud, water etc. I was asked by the new mechanic if the bike shuts down once I got into the slightest amount of water which it did on all 5 occasions. It was also pointed out to me that the snorkel was never hooked up from the factory which was the cause of my continued problems. Now I have an engine that has taken in a vast amount of water again and the compression of each of my cylinders is below 40 psi according to the new mechanic. Arctic Cat said that they would not warranty this issue even though it was pointed out that the issue has finally been found. I guess that the "excuses" from my original dealer and not being able to fix the bike any of the 5 times that it was in there is their way of providing customer service? Instead, assuming what the problem was and documenting it without even looking at the bike is a much better business practice. After multiple calls and another email to Arctic Cat Customer Care I was informed that they weren't going to cover my bike under warranty even though it was their issue right from the start. I was treated rudely on the phone once Customer Care finally got back to me, accused that it was my fault for the problems with the bike and also have gone once again without them taking responsibility for their products. I was also told that Arctic Cat bikes are not meant to go any deeper than the top of the wheels. SAY WHAT??? Aren't the competition Mud Pro bikes snorkeled for a reason? Do Arctic Cat's promotional videos for the Mud Pro line not have them racing in deep water? I tried to escalate this issue with Arctic Cat asking to be contacted by a manager for which I never was. So I am on the hook for replacing my motor when it has just over 100km on it.

This is taken right from the Arctic Cat Customer Care webpage. Sounds like they should practice what they preach.

"We believe in enjoying the outdoors. That’s why we want to make sure your experience with our products and with our dealers is the best it can be. To us, your dealer should be more than just a place to purchase an Arctic Cat machine. It should be a place you look to for reliable, dependable service for years of riding enjoyment."

I hope that my experiences will help someone make an informed choice when purchasing a new or used Arctic Cat product. Having owned 3 Arctic Cat atv's (2 currently) and 2 Arctic Cat sleds, I can honestly say that I will never own another Arctic Cat product due to the way I have been treated throughout this entire process. When investing over $20,000 for the price of their top of the line bike, including mods, it is a shame that Arctic Cat will not look after their customers even when the issues were not the fault of the consumer. Please do your homework before making a large purchase so that you hopefully do not encounter the same problems that I have had.

All I wanted was to have a bike that will perform the way it was intended so I can enjoy the trails with my wife and friends. Customer services goes a long way which now results in a competitor having my continued business for years to come.

Ride safe!

[mikeexplorer]

You posted the same thing on ArcticChat and then deleted it. At least here I got to see what you originally posted.

From what I see, the core problem is your dealer. Failing to diagnose and fix the problem on several occasions. It has been said over and over, a good dealer makes a huge difference. I am lucky to have such a dealer. It is the dealer that can work with Arctic Cat to resolve a problem. Your original dealer is certainly going to be of no use to you, but I would talk to the second place you took it to. Too bad you did not take pictures of the clean snorkles and dirty air box, that would have been great evidence that your original dealer did not assemble and/or inspect the machine properly before selling it.

I have seen my dealer go to bat for another customer who was out of warranty and still got a problem covered. I bought two machines off him and will certainly buy my next one from him.

Mike